They’re not actually booing Bruce Reville – most of the time the crowd is chanting “Bruuuuce,” and it just sounds like booing if you don’t know what’s going on.

What’s really happening

  • Brisbane Lions fans have turned Bruce Reville into a bit of a cult hero, especially at the Gabba.
  • Every time he goes near the ball, big sections of the crowd drag out his name – “Bruuuuce” – which to neutral fans or on TV can easily sound like loud boos.
  • This kind of chant is common in footy for players whose names rhyme with “boo” or have that long “oo” sound.

From fan threads, multiple people point out that “they’re literally yelling ‘Bruuuuuuuuuce!’” and not booing him in a hostile way.

Reville himself has said hearing the crowd roar his name gives him goosebumps and is now a regular part of the Gabba experience, which shows it’s meant as support, not hate.

TL;DR: If you’re hearing what sounds like boos for Reville, it’s almost certainly the “Bruuuuce” chant – a noisy sign of love from Lions fans, not hostility.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.