There's a certain level of doublethink in identifying as a "loyal supporter" of a team, when that team is actually a large corporation, intent on squeezing the maximum possible profit out of you.
It is on my bucket list to see a Premier League game in the UK not because the play is better in the UK but because the atmosphere of UK fans who go in to hate each other for 90 min is really electric and a little bit dangerous and not something I am going to get at college or MLS or even Premier League exhibition games in the States.
There still are soccer snobs who have no idea you can see a great game with great fan experience at Red Bulls Stadium for very reasonable ticket prices, but it sitting in the same stadium as those season ticket holders that would make it worth it for me to go all the way to the UK to see a game at Arsenal Stadium.
I suppose there's nothing wrong with being "team's best customer" as long as everyone is clear on where they stand.
As a teenager, when I was collecting records, I was also in high school band, and I enjoyed playing music, you know, entertaining people. It was simply my pleasure to make that music and it was cool that other people liked to listen to it.
So imagine my naïvete when I found these bands, many quite obscure, pumping out record releases and touring the world. They must be just as enthusiastic as I am to entertain me! They love music for its own sake, right?
And so I began to follow some bands in particular very closely, became very fervently involved with their lore and history and all their new releases. In particular, there was The Cure from England.
And it was about 1986-87 where I noticed something was amiss. Some of my classmates colluded to take advantage of me and sell me records and tickets far beyond their value, because I perceived them as rare and valuable. Also, The Cure was busy putting out releases on every colour vinyl imaginable, picture discs, rare releases from faraway countries like Japan, concert tee shirts and programs and autographs and VHS releases; there seemed to be no end to the collector's opportunities there.
Suddenly I realized I was totally being scammed, and these bands and their labels were extracting maximum value out of poor teen fans like myself. And it felt really gross, especially as it took some time for me to really resist and grow out of it. And I also knew I couldn't completely stop being a consumer of media.
But the betrayal and exploitation I felt never went away, and it really fostered significant resentment against anything capitalist, because indeed, am I being a "loyal supporter" of a brand, a store, or am I just being jerked around by commercial interests reaching into my pocketbook?
There's a certain level of doublethink in identifying as a "loyal supporter" of a team, when that team is actually a large corporation, intent on squeezing the maximum possible profit out of you.
There is something really big about sports.
It is on my bucket list to see a Premier League game in the UK not because the play is better in the UK but because the atmosphere of UK fans who go in to hate each other for 90 min is really electric and a little bit dangerous and not something I am going to get at college or MLS or even Premier League exhibition games in the States.
There still are soccer snobs who have no idea you can see a great game with great fan experience at Red Bulls Stadium for very reasonable ticket prices, but it sitting in the same stadium as those season ticket holders that would make it worth it for me to go all the way to the UK to see a game at Arsenal Stadium.
I suppose there's nothing wrong with being "team's best customer" as long as everyone is clear on where they stand.
As a teenager, when I was collecting records, I was also in high school band, and I enjoyed playing music, you know, entertaining people. It was simply my pleasure to make that music and it was cool that other people liked to listen to it.
So imagine my naïvete when I found these bands, many quite obscure, pumping out record releases and touring the world. They must be just as enthusiastic as I am to entertain me! They love music for its own sake, right?
And so I began to follow some bands in particular very closely, became very fervently involved with their lore and history and all their new releases. In particular, there was The Cure from England.
And it was about 1986-87 where I noticed something was amiss. Some of my classmates colluded to take advantage of me and sell me records and tickets far beyond their value, because I perceived them as rare and valuable. Also, The Cure was busy putting out releases on every colour vinyl imaginable, picture discs, rare releases from faraway countries like Japan, concert tee shirts and programs and autographs and VHS releases; there seemed to be no end to the collector's opportunities there.
Suddenly I realized I was totally being scammed, and these bands and their labels were extracting maximum value out of poor teen fans like myself. And it felt really gross, especially as it took some time for me to really resist and grow out of it. And I also knew I couldn't completely stop being a consumer of media.
But the betrayal and exploitation I felt never went away, and it really fostered significant resentment against anything capitalist, because indeed, am I being a "loyal supporter" of a brand, a store, or am I just being jerked around by commercial interests reaching into my pocketbook?