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See Sports Web links below Americans are almost alone in the world with their lack of enthusiasm for the game known as "football" everywhere but in America, where it is called "soccer." Although the Germans know about baseball and American football, neither of these New World sports is very popular or widespread in Germany or Europe. Although an annual American football exhibition game in Berlin has become a recent tradition, German boys still grow up playing Fußball (soccer), not [American] football. [See German soccer links below.] |
This advertising column in Berlin announces the annual American football exhibition game. Several German cities have American football teams. (See team Web sites below!) |
 In recent years, some American games have become more popular in Germany. Basketball has a reasonably large number of fans, and volleyball is also quite popular. But the king of German amateur and professional sports is definitely soccer, “König Fußball” (“king football”). Thousands of amateur Fußballvereine (soccer clubs) provide the opportunity for Germans to play soccer. As a spectator sport, soccer draws an average of over 25,000 fans to each professional game. The Germans have won the World Cup three times, the last being in 1990...
The German Sports Federation (DSB, Deutscher Sportbund) has 19 regional federations and numerous associated sports groups. The DSB, with more than two million volunteer coaches and officials, is one sign of how sports-minded the Germans are. Another is the profusion of sports facilities all over Germany — playing fields, gymnasiums, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, and even olympic training facilities... One out of three Germans is a member of one of the many sports clubs across Germany that offer opportunities to play soccer, handball, basketball, volleyball, tennis, and other sports... SPORTS POSTERS from The German Way and Art.com In Germany and the other German-speaking countries, golf is still something of an elitist sport, considered a pursuit of the well-to-do, an expensive diversion for tycoons and the upper echelons of business. Public golf courses are virtually unknown. Beautiful golf facilities can be found, but usually at a price. If you are a golf fan, your best hope is that your company can provide you access to the sport. Usually, the only alternative is to join a golf club or pay relatively high private greens fees. The German Open golf tournament is held in Düsseldorf in August. Through the well-known successes of German tennis stars like Boris Becker, Steffi Graf, Michael Stich, and Anke Huber, tennis has become one of the most popular sports in Germany. [See Tennis links below.] Similar to golf, there are few public tennis courts in the German-speaking countries, but private tennis courts (indoor and out) dot the land. For an hourly fee, you can play on clay or artificial-turf courts... |
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PHOTO: A popular public bathing pond in Burghausen, Bavaria—castle and all! |
 Unlike golf or tennis, it is difficult to find a German community that doesn't have a public Schwimmbad or swimming pool. Often there is a Hallenbad, an indoor pool, alongside the outdoor pool. Larger cities may have dozens of swimming facilities in various areas. Some communities have recently had difficulty keeping up with the costs of running these aquatic arenas, raising admission fees and reducing hours of operation, but public pools are still widely available all over Germany throughout the year. Pools are sometimes also part of a public or private health spa (Bad).
Copyright © 1997 NTC/McGraw-Hill
Jan Ullrich wins 1997 Tour de France, but...The world's grandest bicycle race was won by a German for the first time in the long history of the Tour de France in 1997. (He had come in second in 1996.) Until Jan Ullrich's win, no German had ever been a Tour de France victor since the race began in 1903. Ullrich's sponsor, the German phone company Deutsche Telekom, also basked in all the attention accorded the 6-foot (1.83m), 158-pound (72kg) cyclist. For his victory Ullrich took home 2.2 million French francs ($355,500)—added to the 125,000 francs he had already won as best rider under 25, and for holding the lead for 12 days. Only 23 years old at the time of his Tour victory, Ullrich was expected to become a strong force in cycling over the next few years. But 1997 was Jan Ullrich's first and last Tour de France win to date. In coming years, Ullrich would give up his top position in the Tour de France to an Italian (1998) and come in second several times behind the American Lance Armstrong (who won the Tour each year from 1999 to 2004). WEB > Jan Ullrich - Wikipedia
Michael Schumacher and Formula One RacingWho is the world's highest paid sports figure? The German Formula One (F1) race driver Michael Schumacher (1969- ) made about $80 million in 2004! Forget soccer, baseball, or basketball! Formula One racing is where the money is, and Schumacher is the most successful F1 driver of all time, with more victories and more championships than any other F1 racer. Germans (and Europeans in general) are big Formula One fans, especially with “Schumi,” (SHOO-me) as he is affectionately known, leading the F1 pack. WEB > Michael Schumacher - Wikipedia (English)
Related Links
TENNIS
FUSSBALL and OTHER SPORTS
GOLF LINKS
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Web site Copyright © 1997-2005 Hyde Flippo. Graphic design by Erik Flippo. |
An excerpt from The German Way by Hyde Flippo
