| 14.10.2008 |
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| The Bundesliga 18 teams' fan liaisons have had nearly two months (much longer than I originally anticipated) to fill me in on why I should support their team. Sadly, the results weren't quite as passionate as I'd been hoping for. Testimonials came in from (in order received): Bielefeld, Wolfsburg, Hanover, Berlin and Schalke. Despite out-of-office replies from Bochum and Stuttgart (who sent a pair of automatic responses), I'm putting them on the list with Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, Dortmund, Moenchengladbach, Eintracht Frankfurt, Energie Cottbus, Hamburg, Hoffenheim, Karlsruhe, Cologne and Werder Bremen as unworthy of my fandom for failing to reply to a desperate would-be fan's call for help. Hanover takes the Press Release Award for copy-and-paste response from their Web site describing the team's long history, successes since 1938, arena size and a somewhat pleading request that I join in supporting their team. The fan’s Diplomacy Award goes to Wolfsburg. There are no advantages or disadvantages to any particular Bundesliga team. Fandom is a matter of the heart and normally results from a visit to the Bundesliga stadium. That's why I don't want to convince you that VfL Wolfsburg is the one and only true Bundesliga team. No team in the Bundesliga -- or even in the entire world -- can lay claim to that title. Well, if that's your answer, then fine. I'll head somewhere else. Even in the face of that carefully worded response from Wolfsburg, it's Bielefeld who win the title for most friendly and passionate example of (realistic) low expectations. "THAT'S a good test," Christian Venghaus wrote: Lots of people dedicate themselves to successful things -- and it's the same in soccer. Here at Arminia we're modest and know where our boundaries are. That we will NEVER be German champions shouldn't been seen as a negative -- it shows a high degree of self-appraisal and creates a bond among fans. ... Arminia moves you! One trip to the Alm in the SchücoArena and you'll be infected! Christian may not set the fandom bar very high, but he'll never be accused of being a fair-weather fan. Bielefeld fans also get plus points for showing that win, lose or tie, they'd be fun to go out and have a beer with after the game. Partially negating these positives is a niggling apprehension about exactly what I might be infected by in Arminia's stadium. Like Christian, Hertha Berlin's fan liaison, Hans-Georg Felder, extended a personal invitation to show me around the grounds on my next trip to the German capital. Schalke's message, from the Boston-based international fan liaison Michael Bastian, took the most offensive position. Michael argued that the Royal Blues have the "most committed fan base in all of Germany." He may get some grief from other teams about that statement, but no one will disagree with the following, "We have been through a lot of ups and downs, but our support and commitment to the club is never lacking." Honestly, I can't say the five responses I got really convinced me to lend my undying support to any of the teams. So I'm not going to. At least not right now. I'll be using this season to watch the teams more closely -- with a particular eye at the top of the table on Schalke and, hopefully not too low in the rankings on Bielefeld. And with a little luck I'll be able to take the fan liaisons up on their offers to check out their stadiums and cities. Stay tuned for more the in-depth reports and, as always, leave a comment to let me know which team you think deserves special attention. Voting will also remain open until I make a final decision. |
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| 3 Comments |
| @ Double Pivot: Excellent question and an interesting perspective on the league. I’d like to be able to get the enjoyment out of the entire Bundesliga that you and the bundesligatalk.com team do. But over the past few years, despite my sometimes serious, sometimes superficial attempts, I haven’t been able to. So I thought I’d take it down a notch this season and get excited about one team. Then, by extension, hopefully get a better view into the entire German league. Maybe it’s misguided, but I think it’ll be an interesting process. |
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| Sean | Homepage | E-Mail | 23.10.2008, 12:30 | ||
| As for infection possibilities, my main suspect would be the half-time snacks. I once experienced a prolonged and unpleasant bout of BVB Belly after some ill-advised Wurstchens at a Dortmund home game. It may have been a combination of rancid meat and the team's performance that day... | ||
| Nick | Homepage | 20.10.2008, 13:54 | ||
| Why do you have to have a team? I write about the Bundesliga and have no affiliation. It allows me to enjoy any game and not view every game, rumor or piece of news through a prism that focuses on my team as I do in England. Enjoy being free of commitment and the league will reward you with only joy. That's my take. | ||
| Double Pivot | Homepage | E-Mail | 14.10.2008, 21:04 | ||