If you ever need proof that football is not an entertainment business, you only have to consider one thing: chants.
In an entertainment business, the people respond to the quality of what they have paid to see. Gigs, plays, comedy shows, films, exhibitions, immersive theatre, whatever: if it’s good, people will like it and react accordingly. If it’s bad, likewise.
Football isn’t like that, because when crowds are allowed into football grounds, they will respond, among other ways, by chanting and singing regardless of how good the game is. They will scream and shout and curse and express their displeasure, but fans will always sing and chant.
Every club has chants. From the smallest non-League team to the European champions: they might not be unique, they might not be clever, they might not be particularly tuneful, but everyone sings. It’s one of the things that binds everyone together.
