Euro 2024

Football Fans Deserve Better Than Cynical Stereotypes

Euro 2024 was a mix of emotions: exciting, disappointing, fun, and intriguing. However, in adverts, football fans were busy with promotions for TVs, betting, cars, drinks, sportswear, holidays, razors, and beer, depicted in a narrow, often stereotypical way.

The Advertising Stereotype

Adverts typically show football fans as male, usually white, wearing replica shirts, and their emotions swinging between joy and despair.

These fans are often portrayed as easily pleased by simple offers like discounted pizza or holiday insurance, cheering in unison or expressing disappointment over a defeat.

Contrast with Footballers

While footballers are depicted as near-superhuman and sophisticated, fans are not given the same depth. Advertisers often ignore the diverse range of people who follow football.

On a Saturday train to a Premier League match, you could meet anyone from a circuit judge to a petty criminal.

Celebrity Endorsements

David Beckham

David Beckham, Thierry Henry, and Lionel Messi are used in ads for their authenticity and marketability. Lay’s global VP praised them for their positivity and joy, but this view isn’t shared by all supporters. The advertising world often skips the deep-seated rivalries and passions of football, focusing only on monetizing fan loyalty.

Broadcasters’ Role

Broadcasters also patronize fans with homogenous depictions. Sky Sports’s 1996 advert claimed to understand fans’ feelings about football. However, fans traveling long distances for late-night matches might disagree.

Sky Sports+ ads, featuring stereotyped fans singing a power ballad, promote more football all the time, ignoring the negative impact on traditional match schedules and rising ticket prices.

READ ALSO ⚽  Euro 2024 Last 16: Detailed Tie-by-Tie Analysis

Conclusion

With millions watching the Euro 2024 final, football fans deserve better representation than the simplistic and often patronizing depictions in adverts. They are diverse and passionate, far more than the cheering, jeering cardboard cutouts often shown.

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