Football is for the fans Protest shirt against the European Super League (Photo by Neil Hall – Pool/Getty Images)
Technology has brought about countless advances in football, many of which have made the game better. Through social media, we can connect with our fans anywhere in the world. Stream your games even thousands of miles away. Replay highlights or meme every weird face Phil Jones has made.
The internet has not only given fans more access to football news, but has also been a huge force in giving fans more voices. We provide a platform where independent journalists and discerning amateurs can create customized reports from a fan perspective. It makes room for unofficial club sites and dedicated social media pages – community spaces where people can really get into the sport.
It is this grassroots reporting that is most under threat from artificial intelligence. The AI-powered search engine collects statistics and analysis from articles and summarizes the requested information. It feels like the facts came out of thin air, but they don’t. They are reported by writers who do not receive compensation for their work. And when journalists can no longer make a living, their jobs disappear.
The danger now is that big AI companies will sign licensing deals with big media groups, leaving independent sites unprotected. Soccer coverage will lose diversity. Smaller clubs have fewer representatives. Niche discussions have no room for development.
The Football Writers’ Association has launched a formal effort to negotiate with major AI companies over the use of its members’ content by AI platforms. Plurality of media should be prioritized. Otherwise, the convenience of AI will surely be offset by the loss of passion and tangible expertise that viewers seek from soccer coverage.
Grassroots reporting and the rise of soccer fanzines
The obsessive writing of soccer fans took root long before it spread to the internet. In the 1980s, British football was in a period of hardship. Following the Heysel Stadium tragedy, English clubs were expelled from European competition and football fans became synonymous with ‘hooliganism’. Attendance at matches has fallen in all four divisions of English football.
Doujinshi became the perfect antidote to disillusionment. Their explosion in popularity has brought enthusiasm and creativity back to the game. By 1992, over 600 fanzines had appeared, and every professional club in the UK could produce at least one publication meticulously documenting their successes and failures.
Many of the posters were young, unknown soccer nerds. Notable reporters include Pete Doherty, singer and avid Queens Park Rangers fan, and Irving Welsh, author of Trainspotting, who wrote for Hibs Monthly. The publication’s name was playful, combining a soccer chant with cultural elements. The content was humorous and irreverent. In other words, it resembled much of the most entertaining fan content found online today.
User-generated content and what it means to fans
Then along came the internet. In 1990, the first football club website was set up not for a famous team, but for Ipswich Town. And why? That’s because it was a small club that didn’t get mainstream coverage. For them, the internet has provided a real opportunity to build a fan base and spread their stories around the world.
Bloggers can report on the latest news from their bedrooms. They didn’t need a journalism degree or the blessings of a major news organization. They just love football and have something to say. Many of today’s sports reporters came through that very system. They started out as fanatics, not as professionals.
Social media is accelerating this evolution. If it’s good enough, a well-written reel or a simple one-liner about X might get more views in a day than a BBC post.
Fan activities and people power
Social platforms have also significantly increased the influence fans have on football. Just as classic fanzines lambasted South Yorkshire Police in the wake of the Hillsborough disaster, football lovers can now have important conversations online about racism, homophobia and the increasing control over the sport by a few very wealthy individuals.
A great example of this is the momentum of the European Super League campaign, which was built primarily through social media. Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville’s furious rant against the plans went viral, and within hours the top trends on Twitter in the UK were “shameful”, “money”, “#FSGOut”, “RIP Football” and “greed”. result? The clubs involved changed their plans within days.
We should not underestimate the power of these grassroots forces. That was tough. Still, independent creators can’t exist solely for the love of sports. They need and deserve to be compensated for the value they bring.
The question for AI companies and lawmakers is how to continue advancing the technology while supporting the work of the creators who make AI products valuable. The question for soccer fans is how to keep their voices heard in the face of such existential change.
