Towards a Marxist political economy of football supporters

Abstract

In recent studies of football supporters, a specifically Marxist understanding of commodification has been left out of the equation, producing analysis that tends to superimpose commodification and ignore the wider relations of production out of which the dialectical contradictions of commodification arise. This paper aims to demonstrate the practical import of a Marxist political economy of football support through a case study of Everton supporters as they contest Everton Football Club's proposed ground move. The aim is not so much to reveal class struggles or fan revolts, but rather to offer a snapshot of the daily uncertainties and dilemmas of fans, embroiled in resisting and responding to commodity fetishism in the context of an industry exhibiting a highly unstable commodity structure. © 2010, SAGE Publications. All rights reserved.