[Liverpool fan protest over ticket prices](https://youtu.be/XpxROCjm0To)
[Manchester United ownership protest](https://youtu.be/YhtYPJxlGL8)
[Blackpool Ownership protests]( https://youtu.be/DXKCjTRy9OI)
[Jokerit Hockey Club fan boycott](https://youtu.be/XpxROCjm0To)
These are just a few examples of notable fan protests that have been successful. They all have one thing in common, a much more organized supporter group.
Something I’ve noticed as a long-time fan of soccer/football is this major difference in fan culture. We don’t organize.
The fan base of the Vancouver Canucks, like most North American sports fans don’t support our teams, we consume them.
Boos, isolated sell the team chants and thrown jerseys can be rationalized by upper management as a small group of individual fans that can be ignored and replaced by another more amicable butt to fill that seat.
Why aren’t there more organized fan protests in North american sports especially when its clear they work in other places, especially europe?
we can lament the current state of the team all we want, the fact of the matter is that the Aquilini family doesn’t give a shit about you the individual fan. A tenuous relationship between fans and ownership is nothing new in hockey, what would be new is an organized association of fans presenting a united message that is much harder to ignore.
by swepttheleg
24 Comments
[LA Galaxy fans are in the process of doing this right now.](https://www.reddit.com/r/LAGalaxy/comments/10bfiae/all_five_supporters_groups_announce_unified/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
I’m totally for a more organized form of support (and thusly critique) and when I look at groups like the South Siders in our own city, I think that there’s plenty of potential for the Canucks. We have one of the more active fan base communities on reddit, Canucks Twitter is infamous on its own, and several fairly significant YouTubers that I could see as potential members of a more organized, European-football-style supporters group. We just need someone to organize it, and I definitely do not volunteer, but regarding the state of the franchise this year, and the endless headlines that even 32 Thoughts and HNiC are getting sick of talking about, I feel like there’s a very real opportunity to rally people into a sustainable supporters group. Again though, someone will have to step up to organize, and I’m not sure who wants to do that in this economy lol
I’m totally down for something like this. Make sure management knows we want to rebuild around pettersson and hughes (unless they want out of course).
Management and ownership thinks the fans can’t handle a rebuild, it’s time they know we can. The problem has always been that ownership doesn’t want to rebuild, not the fans.
Who is bringing flares to the next home game?
Id love to get radio attention.
Sounds like a good idea and it’s something proven especially in European sports. But this is North America. This is Canada. And I think despite a section of Canuck fans willing to stage a protest over the Canucks, the majority of the fanbase do not carry that same enthusiasm over the team. They would not be inclined to do such a thing.
Don’t forget the Oakland A’s with buying more tickets to their AAA farm team than their Major team. You could protest this way. Go see the Abby Canucks instead.
Thing is the passionate fans here are very very very small number. 90% of the fans don’t give a fuck
Lol this sounds like the time when people tried getting Benning fired via protest and like 20 people showed up. It’s not really the Vancouver way we just become super apathetic and ignore the problem and move on to other things.
Start an Aquillini chant at the games. That’ll stick in his craw.
As a Liverpool fan I find it amusing that it’s being referenced here because right now LFC is kind of going through the same thing.
Owners seem to be refusing to buy the right kind of players and as a result the team is suffering.
I’m all for fan organization to enact change but can we please save the protesting level actions for actual issues? I’m mad just like everyone else but it’s so incredibly tone deaf with the current global situation to act as though literal human rights issues are on the same level as something we all consume for recreation.
Throw jerseys, pay for plane banners, that’s all good. Use your protesting energy for things like human rights or climate change. The Canucks have blown ass for 50 years but the planet might not be a fun place for your grandkids if things don’t change.
Sabres fans just stopped showing up to games too
Nice, hopefully you guys can make tickets cheaper for me.
Remember when Whitecaps supporters protested the team by leaving their seats 10 minutes before the first half ended… And went and bought beer, then returned to cheer like normal for the second half?
This city is made up of a majority of casual fans. No one really cares all that much.
A few problems with this. Everyone in Vancouver is lazy and won’t protest anything worthwhile. Not to mention, there will always be butts in the seats at Rogers Arena at whatever price point the tickets are unfortunately. High ticket prices = rich people. Average ticket prices = most people. Low ticket prices = families can afford to go. Blueberry man knows there will always be someone to put money in his pocket no matter how well or shitty the team in performing. And he can just parade in and out an endless line of coaches and management without any repercussions. 100% he’s heard our disdain for him, and 100% he doesn’t give a flying fack.
Funny united being shown as a example when our protests achieved nothing lol
Manchester United supporters wear green/yellow, in honour of Newton Heath (the original name of the club), as a “Glazer’s out” statement.
Canuck fans should wear purple, the only primary colour we’ve never worn, as an “Aqualini’s out” statement.
Real change is for Fans to stop buying tickets amd season passes for fans to hit Aqui in the pocjetbook
Vancouver is notorious in the sports world as the most fairweather and bandwagony city ever.
Nobody will care enough to actually demand change for the Canucks ownership. People have said the same shit in 2012-13 during the lockout “oh fuck the owners” blah blah but as soon as the lockout ended, every arena filled up.
I’m not saying I am exempt; I certainly am a part of that problem but nobody in this city cares enough to do something about the team.
Boston on the other hand…
I feel like a boycott of buy tickets to games is a great thing. But the messaging has to be simple and on point and realistic of what we want to see as change.
Like we want to understand what the plan is and to admit that the past plan did not work.
Something like. “Our origination recognizes that our philosophy has not worked and our goal is to build our prospect and asset pool to be competitive with in five years. All actions by our organization will be conducted in a way to support that goal.”
Crowd fund billboards for our boycott until the organization releases a statement recognizing why fans are not happy with the direction of the organization.
Why aren’t you getting more upvotes
I have a friend who supports anything the Canucks ever do. Supports any decision made by management (JT, OEL, Brad Shaw, Green, etc…) and thinks that anybody who even slightly shows any critical thinking is ultimately inferior by being “negative”, from his perspective. That type of “support” helped to get us where we are now.
Empty seats are the only thing that will get aqualinis attention. He cares about money more than anything