Blood is Thicker than Water

The German Men's National Football team played a friendly today against the Netherlands today.  Given the nature of this type of match (where the result doesn't impact future tournaments), the only thing on the line was pride (which is still a lot for footballers).  If you're dying to know the result, it ended 0-0.  German fans, like myself, will attribute this to the fact that Germany was fielding a team of rookies since many of their starting players were injured or sick.  Dutch fans will say this points to a new resurgence for the national team but I wouldn't necessarily bet on that one.  The Dutch squad has had it chances in recent tournaments but just can't seem to put the pieces together...sort of like the German squad (but you didn't hear that from me).

What I'd like to mention is that the headline from an article I read here declares the game between Germany and the Netherlands as "An Old Rivalry."  At this moment, my inner soccer fan was booted aside by my inner political scientist because I'd just learned about types of ethnic conflicts and my mind immediately jumped to the term Primordialism.  Now, to be clear I do not want to suggest that rivarly between German and Dutch fans mimics the conflict, for example, between Sunnis and Shias.  My mind simply started to mull over the origins of football rivalries and the ferocity with which they are often played out.

According to the article mention above, the rivalry between these two teams started when West Germany beat the Netherlands in the '74 World Cup final.  Hostilities have flared since then and no doubt resurfaced in today's friendly.

I'll go ahead and reference Franklin Foer's How Soccer Explains the World because it really is and awesome book and it really does explain a lot of things in our world.  But many of the chapters discuss passionate rivalries in particular countries around the world, some with better-explained origins than others.

The rivalry between Germany and the Netherlands is a relatively mild one (in the grand scheme of things) but it's a rivalry nonetheless; the winners will be jubilant and the losers will hang their heads and be grateful that it was just a friendly.

Rivalries big or small transform the game and it's important to give them their due attention rather than passing them off as a tool of hooligans or as something that you could never possibly understand.  We have plenty of sports rivalries here in the United States.  Think of your favorite team and the second thing that you'll think of is their #1 rival.

Mull that one over for a bit, then get back to me and let me know what you think of rivalries in football and in general.

Bis bald!

Sarah

The Trials and Tribulations of Being a Fan

For anyone that has followed the German National football team in recent years, you know that it has been a wondrously glorious and terribly frustrating time.  Germany hosted the 2006 World Cup and won third place.  They finished in second place at EURO 2008 but since have failed to add more trophies to the cabinet.

There's a lot of potential but not a lot of solid results.  Today, the team allowed sloppy late goal in their World Cup qualifier against Sweden, resulting in a draw that should have been a win for Germany.  Perhaps part of it is complacency, perhaps part is that the team doesn't know how to seal the deal.  The current coach Joachim Low has stacked the ranks of the national team with young blood from around Germany, many players with immigrant backgrounds are changing the face of the team and the style as well.  With so much youth, perhaps it could be argued that the team doesn't know what it feels like to win a national championship.  But many have scored at the club and youth national team levels so why should they stutter now.

I wish I knew the answer to this question.  I'd appreciate knowing why this team, whom I love so emphatically, always seems to choke when it really really REALLY counts.  I've got the jerseys, I know the players, but I still can't brag that my team is reigning European (or World) Champion.

I was in Munich during the Champions League Final, where Bayern Munich lost to Chelsea in penalty kicks, and there was no doubt in my mind that for many Germans football is a critical element of daily life.  I'm curious to see how the enthusiasm and support of these fans is affected if Germany continues to come up empty on the world stage.

My entries on Tuesdays will focus on German sports (perhaps with a heavy emphasis on football but I promise to try and diversify).  For those of you who know nothing of this realm, I hope that I can share my passion with you and for those of you who know a little something about the Bundesliga, I hope to bring a smile to your face.

Bis bald,

Sarah