By Alina Bastian (Technische Universität Dresden), ESAN University
The Bundesliga, the professional football league of Germany, is loved in Germany, enjoying incomparable national importance in the sporting area. It has been around since the 1963/64 season. Every weekend, its 18 football teams compete against each other twice, making for 34 matches altogether.
What is special about it, however, is the enthusiasm going into it. Not only does Germany have an immense number of fan clubs, public viewing events and sports bars, etc., soccer is an common interest for most people. This means that football, and especially the Bundesliga, is appreciated by the general public rather than just by football or sports enthusiasts. If you do not like football, for instance, and do not take any interest in it at all, people would be surprised by this response, as it is perceived as rather unusual.
Consequently, a very common ritual among Germans in general and families in particular is to have Saturday dinner in front of the TV while watching the “Sportschau”, a review of all the Bundesliga matches of the weekend up to that point.
In my memory, this ritual was a special event for my brother and me, and we looked forward to it even though it took place every week. Many German children are already quite into football, playing video games such as FIFA and collecting and trading stickers and cards showing the current players of each team in the Bundesliga. Boys and girls are often almost equally participative in these activities. The merchandise revolving around the Bundesliga is also extensive. I do not think I know anyone from Germany who did not own at least one piece of football-related merchandise as a child.
Football is also a very popular topic to talk about. While small talk is not very common in Germany (there is actually not even a German word for it), talking about football could certainly serve a similar purpose. Insofar, football is not just a national sport: it is much more than that. And even if you do not care about it substantially, you would probably still have gone to at least one Bundesliga match in your lifetime if you are Germany.
