Thanks to a wildcard, the Gießen 46ers can stay in the basketball Bundesliga for another year. The award is discussed controversially on the Internet. Fans of both camps and players speak up.
It is the third wildcard for the Gießen 46ers after 2009 and 2012 in the basketball league. As a reminder: the team from Hessen had outdone Rasta Vechta in the application process on Friday, both clubs were relegated in terms of sport. As the BBL announced on Friday, the shareholders’ meeting agreed with the vote of the Bundesliga clubs and awarded the contract to Gießen.
The sheer quantity alone is a topic of conversation. But the special situation caused by the corona season also determines the comment lines. On the Facebook page of the BBL, Michael K writes: »After this season, which was unfair for many teams due to Covid-19, I would have suspended relegation … Lack of preparation due to quarantine, eleven competitive games in twenty days and, and … «
In the vote, Gießen won the bid with a score of 10: 5. One of the main reasons was the better sporting position compared to Vechta. Matthias R. suggests corresponding words in the same place: »Congratulations to the Giessen 46ers. In the last few games against relegation it was still worth it. “
Chrissi N. argues on the side of Rasta Vechta that it is better to relegate athletically than to buy into the league – forgetting that the Lower Saxony had ultimately tried it themselves. There was also little love from Giessen from Weißenfels. The 46ers would have been relegated as early as 2004, but were allowed to hold the league (without a wildcard) because the MBC’s license was subsequently withdrawn. The wolves had taken over the player budget and then crashed into the regional league.
The procedure at that time went down in history under the catchphrase »Lex Gießen«. User »MBC-Jerry« in the basketball forum Schönen Dunk writes: »You should slowly rename yourself from (…) Gießen 46ers to Wildcard Gießen 46ers.« User alansmithee would have preferred not to see a wildcard at all: »What’s that supposed to mean? Why do you want to keep this corpse alive at all costs? There’s a reason you ended up at the bottom. And it wasn’t because of Corona or the like. “
Overall, the comments on the 46ers’ social media channels were positive and optimistic. But here, too, critical tones mingled with the cheers: “I am very happy because I think Gießen belongs in the first division, but I find it somewhat questionable that you can simply buy permission for it, so that the sporting competition was actually obsolete this season, ”complains Sascha V.
Fans of other leagues and sports, but also sports romantics, feel alienated by the concept, and not without good reason. Due to the unclear situation in the coming season, however, the impression that Gießen has chosen the right move dominates. As early as the league staggered the price from 700,000 euros to 350,000 euros twice in two years, Schönen Dunk user Tor-T wrote: “It is much easier to stay in it than to get up again, see Trier, Bremerhaven, Tübingen, Rostock and how aren’t they all called ?? ”There is also the question of how audience interest is developing after the pandemic.
But players also expressed themselves in one way or another in the various channels. Ferdinand Zylka posted the happy news on his Instagram page shortly before the 46ers themselves went public with it. Benjamin Lischka also commented on the award on Instagram with a heart. The native of Giessen was most recently under contract in Bonn. On the sidelines of the playoff game Ludwigsburg against Bamberg, Bastian Doreth was asked about his opinion. The national player replied in his well-known open manner that he would have preferred to see Vechta continue in the league.
Erich finds conciliatory words in the basketball forum “Lees Corner”: “Why Gießen does this is not important to me either, because I find it simply gratifying when such a veteran stays in the league. Call it nostalgia or what I know what, that’s just the way it is. “
“Perfect. Now you just have to be allowed into the hall for the next season, «Thorsten H. announced on the 46ers Facebook page – a fitting conclusion – across all club boundaries.
