| 26.06.2008 |
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Euro 2008 is, of course, the European Championship but that doesn't mean anyone outside of Europe is excluded from the party. After my esteemed colleague Jefferson Chase reported on the US Embassy in Berlin's safety warning to American citizens to stay vigilant around Germany's fan zones (the article was also picked up by the Drudge Report), a host of Stateside comments flooded in. Here are a selection of opinions from our friends in the land where football is a game played by men with odd shaped balls. "I'm not afraid of German (so-called) 'football' fans. First, soccer is not football. It's soccer. Second, Germans are very gentle friendly civilized people, as the whole world knows. Now, we Americans on the other hand, play football, which is a savage sport. I've broken my arm, nose, and ruined my knees playing football and I've had many friends maimed for life and even killed on the football gridiron. In the US, soccer is organized by mommies who don't want their children getting hurt playing American football. We call them 'soccer moms.' So, no, I'm not afraid of Germans. Why? Because they play soccer." -- Rocky, US "Any self respecting American who attends a game that lasts an hour and ends up 1-0 and whose players fall down screaming and crying clutching themselves when an opponent touches them, should have the crap beat out of them." -- Ken Mulligan, US "Wow, a bit sensitive I think. So the U.S. government tells its citizens to be careful at a football game in Germany. So what? We all know these football games in Europe are perfect family affairs and of course Germany has no history of violence." -- Kelly O'Reilly, US "Why is it so hard for Europeans to call Americans 'Americans' rather than 'Yanks'? Would a US article refer to Germans only as 'Krauts'? European sports fans are very violent, and Europeans tend to be anti-American. The violence in America in places like Detroit and South Central LA occurs in urban wastelands that very few Americans ever venture into, not in public areas outside of sports arenas. The German media must be very poor indeed if this is what passes for humor." – Tim, US "Are you born a**holes, or does living in Germany turn you into one?" -- John Ealy, US  "Your article on the US Embassy warning about soccer fans was real cute. I'm being sarcastic, just to be sure there's no misunderstanding. I'm from the US, and my 18-year old son has been in Europe (Luxembourg) for the past 4 months. He never had a problem. He was in Berlin last week, and he was beaten up on two different occasions. He was just walking, and groups of soccer hooligans came and beat the crap out of him. We've been to Detroit, we've been to LA. We've never been assaulted. I think instead of trying to ridicule the warning, you should examine what's going wrong in your country." -- Joseph Wayand, US"What an absolutely obnoxious article. Unprovoked, you impugn the US government, you suggest Americans know nothing about football/soccer, you mock Americans with the beer and bratwurst lecture, then imply Americans are cowardly because the US Embassy issued what is likely a routine warning about festivities that could get out of hand. With goodwill ambassadors such as you about, I like Germany that much less now." -- Bill Foreman, US "Just wanted to say that the embassy statement is absolutely crazy, and that not all Americans are as retarded as our government." -- Paul Lyell, US "This embassy warning is the most stupid thing I have heard from US State Department crowd in a while. It sounds like something that awful Karen Hughes, Bush's former campaign adviser and more recently something at the State Department, would have dreamed up. My wife and I were once on the Berlin U-Bahn with soccer fans going to or from a Berlin-Munich game. The fans were singing laughing and just having a good time. We never felt threatened or even annoyed. The idiot who issued this warning should be fired. We can't wait to get back to Germany. We have a trip planned for next May. I'd go every year if I could afford it." -- John H. Anderson, US "I lived in Germany for 3 years. Most Germans are proud but also not very tough. Not too much to be afraid of unless you think about taking their government hand outs from them." – Joe, US "I received this message yesterday from the US Embassy as I am traveling to Germany for 24 days of vacation. It amazes me how paranoid we have become. I know that most people will be watching the games for the enjoyment not to make trouble. However, I have seen and heard some stereotypical jokes about the Turks passed around by my German friends. I myself do not worry about traveling in Germany." -- Stephen Hicks, US "Honestly, to me as an American this is a bit of an embarrassment. I was there for Germany '06 and had a great time. I never once felt in danger, especially at the Fan Fests. I guess the embassy officials are thinking all soccer fans are hooligans, which is far from the truth. It's a little tough to dispel this idea in a nation that really doesn't have much of a soccer culture." -- Joe (another one), US  "I would be just as wary of going to an Oakland Raiders American football game in Oakland, California, USA. If you show up there with the wrong uniform on you will absolutely be confronted. If you are a young male and you don't have a lot of friends willing to back you up, you will be physically confronted. There is also the occasional "riot" after a championship game but these are usually limited. Alcohol and young men at sport functions can indeed result in violence. That being said, I can understand why the US Embassy gave warning. While there can be violence at games in the US, it is nothing compared to the history of hooliganism in soccer where hundreds (even thousands) of people are involved and hundreds are arrested." -- David Krausz, US |
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| 6 Comments |
| The Game is played by most of the world called football. For the uninitiated the object of the game is a ball and not an oval-shaped object that is common for rugby. The name “soccer” is a slang version of "association football." Naming American version of rugby - football - is as precise as calling US populations Americans and simply ignoring other nations of North and South America? Most likely a similar arrogance produced the US embassy warning. I wish people who wrote this “masterpiece” could come to Leopold Strasse in Munich and witness the celebration party, the party that welcomed every one, regardless of their ethnic origin. Although a lot of German flags were waved but Turkish, Spanish, and Russian flags were present. Without a doubt it was a celebration of victory but a celebration where the winner extends generosity and friendliness to all participants of the festivity. |
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| Ira Vaxmann | Homepage | E-Mail | 29.06.2008, 12:17 | ||
| LOL @ Yanks!! LOL @ how threatened they feel by "Sawker". Just tell them this "Football is the most popular sport on the planet" and watch them piss themselves with anger. LMFAO!!!! |
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| James | Homepage | E-Mail | 27.06.2008, 22:18 | ||
| Well ... THIS American has been enjoying watching and reading everything about Euro 2008. I've been hooked on European football since I ended up in Germany for a trip during Euro 2004. Typical of George W. Bush and the "scared of their own shadow" Republican U.S. government to issue something like that. "WARNING -- FUN BEING HAD -- SOME WEIRD SPORT -- CAREFUL!" I deal with 100,000 drunken college football fans in the U.S. city I live in 6 Saturdays a year and almost nothing sports-wise can top the danger inherent there. Don't even make the mistake of wearing the colors of the opposing team and showing up at the stadium -- you'll get your ass kicked. |
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| Scott | Homepage | 27.06.2008, 19:52 | ||
| Some of you idiots (the American ones) that have strong words about the supposed "German" author of this Deutsche Welle article should take some time to read up on him. I found this on the DW homepage: "Jefferson Chase grew up in the state of Maine in the United States and holds a PhD in German literature. After teaching at university in England, he began working for DW-TV in 2002 and DW-WORLD.DE in 2006. He has written articles for a number of major German and American newspapers and published five book length translations of German works." Seems an American is the "asshole" author of the story. Plus he spent time in London, which explains the use of the term "Yanks". I'm an American and it really embarrasses me at how some of my country-men and -women are so quick to jump to conclusions without taking the time to do a little research. |
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| Shawn, USA | Homepage | E-Mail | 27.06.2008, 19:08 | ||
| HHAHAHAHA!! americans are so stupid, i lived 7 years in germany and 2 years in the us. by all respect to the us, beside florida and california, germany wins in everything!! poor poor americans, without history and culture. a country without own language and names. a country solten from the native-american and build by slaves!! HOORRAY!!!!!!!! us sucks. hands down long live italy and europe!!!!!!!!!!! |
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| italien | Homepage | E-Mail | 27.06.2008, 11:07 | ||
| Wow, never underestimate the power of the Drudge. First he almost brought down Bill Clinton – now he’s gotten Americans interested in soccer. Most of the responses made me laugh, which is good because laughter was what I was trying to achieve with the original article. Most people take themselves too seriously, if you ask me. To that end… … Ken, what about baseball? The games go on interminably, and the players may not fall down and cry all the time, but they’re constantly touching their private parts. … Tim, I’m originally from the great state of Maine so to me “Yanks” is anything but an insult. For the record, I used the word “Krauts” in an article poking fun at the German team’s relying on homoeopathic medicine entitled “Krauts on Herbs.” …John (Ealy), no, to really become an a**hole, you probably have to move to Washington and work for the State Department. …both Joes, couldn’t agree more. And finally, on a serious note: Joseph, I was very sorry to hear about your son’s experience and hope he has recovered. It brought back unpleasant memories from the 1980s of standing next to someone at a Boston Celtics victory parade who had a beer bottle broken over his head and had to be taken away in an ambulance. It’s unfortunate that sports events attract a minority of idiots who feel they have to prove their manhood – if indeed they’re thinking anything at all. In any case, apologies to your son on behalf of the usually quite friendly city where I live. |
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| Jefferson Chase | Homepage | 27.06.2008, 09:29 | ||