When the circus comes to town, the kids rejoice. The local hype, which has to compete with the new competition, is not happy. The circus, in this case, is the US football league NFL, which will probably set up camp in Munich in the coming season and in Frankfurt in the following season. Football fans love it.
The local hype – that’s still football in this country – should keep a close eye on the visitor. The Germans’ favorite sport does not have to fear for its supremacy, it is too deeply rooted in society for that, and interest is still very high. But the reputation of football in the sporting nation seems to have declined in the recent past. Officials fear fans will be alienated by the pandemic. The ratings on television appear to be relatively stable, but in absolute terms fewer people watch the football broadcasts on ARD, ZDF and Sky. The streaming service Dazn does not publish any figures.
However, the domestic team sports of handball, basketball, ice hockey and volleyball benefited less from this than the imported product football. The NFL is particularly attractive to younger television audiences. The number of viewers of the Super Bowl broadcast has increased on average since 2013. At that time the value was less than one million. When the most important football trophy was played last year, according to measurements, 2.11 million viewers were already watching – the number should have been significantly higher in reality. Because watching the Superbowl has long been a group event that people like to watch all night. But it’s not just the highlight of the year that attracts attention, games from the playoffs and the regular season have also gradually crept into the main program from the niche channel. A big advantage over football: a lot is on free TV.
In football, commercialism is inherent, while in soccer, the focus on business leads to increasing alienation
The popularity of football is surprising in some respects. After all, the NFL shamelessly embodies commerce. The fans don’t seem to mind. In football, on the other hand, a focus on business tends to lead to increasing alienation.
This is where football has an advantage: commerce is deeply rooted in its DNA, there is no club culture like in football, the franchises are managed like branches and sometimes change cities. Football player salaries are known to the public down to the last penny.
The decision of the NFL to come to Germany and to hold one main round game here until at least 2025 must also be seen as a tough economic decision. Not only should the sport be brought closer, but above all the money should be taken away. Everyone has to decide for themselves whether they find this reprehensible. But imagine the outcry if the Bundesliga pushed ahead with similar expansion plans – the destination doesn’t even have to be Saudi Arabia.