Spectacular Vancouver conquers itself

But grounding social solidarity in competitive spectacle is a risky
wager, as the solidarity can be wiped away by a 0-4 tally. Spectacle is
by its nature passive, the spectator powerless (without opportunity to
attack the opposing “fighting collectivity”). The latent purely
political violence cannot be directed at the enemy, and so Vancouver’s
“fighting collectivity” turned on itself, individuals beating each other
up on the streets (in place of the Bruin fans), attacking police (in
place of Boston police), and looting Vancouver stores (in place of
Boston stores). And so Vancouver had its war: it conquered itself...