And Now a Word About Words and .... fans and .... money

Things can go wrong on the field at times. Disagreements with the men in Black can occur. What to do? Point #1 - try to act as if the crowd doesn't exist. The modern game has created an environment in which the crowd is a part of the group-think.
Choice #1-
Let's say that the players complaining in this picture are correct and that the referee has erred. Players think, if I don't complain (even though I know it will only hurt our team in the end) the crowd will surmise that I think that the referee is correct. Sending the captain to politely lodge the complaint at half-time as is officially called for just won't do. Players can harness fan support to increase their salary next year, so players complain much more than they should.

Choice #2-
Let say that the players complaining in the picture know for sure that they have a groundless claim with the referee. Well, again, it may matter little, since fans only see the play from a distance and don't know everything that the people on the field do. So, the fans are used to garner support on the field so that.... come salary negotiations time, the team management has to admit that player such-and-such does in fact have a big drawing power. "Remember all that yelling and cheering when the ref screwed him?" So, the players will logically complain much more than they should, even when completely in the wrong.

And people say money doesn't change people.