Whether helping bring down Jose Mourinho, leading marches against their club owner or pushing back against plans to commercialize the game, fans are using their passion for football as a powerful tool for change. Their protests are less dramatic than the giant tifos of the past, but their fight for fairness and justice is no less important.
During the Civil Rights Movement, Black fans turned their love of sports into a nonviolent weapon that forced pro teams to integrate stadium seating and pressured city leaders to address segregation in housing, schools and public services. Today, fans can use the simultaneous nature of sports to make their protests even more visible — hundreds or thousands of people are watching the same event at the same time, whether in a stadium, bar, friend’s house or on TV.
When covering a protest that involves underrepresented groups, reporters should focus on the purpose of the demonstration and share details that help to humanize the person at the center of the story. Research shows that stories that humanize teenagers whose deaths have sparked a protest result in more positive attitudes toward the teenager and the protesters, while dehumanizing stories can lead to negative attitudes and lower perceptions of the story’s credibility. Moreover, stories that humanize the person in the spotlight should avoid speculation about criminal activity or other possible crimes. Instead, the story should tell a personal story about the person’s personality and family life.