Lewis Holtby is on course for promotion to the 1st Bundesliga with Holstein Kiel.Image: Imago Images / Ostseephoto
Football column
In his weekly column, fan researcher Harald Lange writes exclusively on watson about the things that are currently affecting football in Germany.
The fact that such well-known names as FC Schalke 04 or Hamburger Sportverein (second league), but also 1860 Munich or MSV Duisburg (third league) no longer play in the Bundesliga may hurt some traditional fans.
In return, Heidenheim, Hoffenheim, Augsburg and Leipzig are filling up the places in the Bundesliga. From a sporting and economic point of view, it seems as clear as it is correct that exactly the teams that have qualified are playing in the upper house. Furthermore, the question “who belongs in the first Bundesliga?” but also something irrational, emotional.
Fan researcher Harald LangeImage: University of Würzburg
About the author
Harald Lange has been a professor of sports science at the University of Würzburg since 2009. He heads the “Fan and Football Research” project and is considered one of the best-known sports researchers in Germany. The 55-year-old writes and speaks about football every day, including in his seminar “Which football do we want?”
How should the Bundesliga change and be composed? And which constellation would be good for football and sports and performance development? Can this question be about more than sporting qualifications and a solid economic basis? The championship has been decided, but the relegation battle is just as open as the battle for promotion from the second division to the upper house.
That’s why the face of the two leagues will continue to change. In recent years the picture has changed to the extent that more and more of the large, traditional clubs are establishing themselves in the second division (FC Schalke, Hamburger SV, 1. FC Nürnberg). At the same time, the first Bundesliga was characterized by completely new names that were added.
Watson is now on WhatsApp
Now on Whatsapp and Instagram: your watson update! We provide you with the watson highlights of the day here on WhatsApp. Only once a day – no spam, no blah, just seven links. Promised! Would you prefer to be informed on Instagram? Here you can find our broadcast channel.
The cities from which the Bundesliga clubs come are becoming smaller (e.g. Heidenheim, Augsburg), and the stories of the new clubs are becoming more special (Union Berlin). In addition, the commercial background sometimes comes to the fore more clearly than was previously the case (e.g. Hoffenheim, Leipzig).
Cologne and Darmstadt are currently in the direct relegation places of the Bundesliga, while Kiel, St. Pauli and Düsseldorf are in the first three places of the second league. It currently looks like Kiel, a regionally important traditional club from the north, will be promoted to the Bundesliga, which is still comparatively unknown in a national comparison.
2nd Bundesliga: HSV and Schalke as strong pillars
This would further change the picture of the first Bundesliga in the direction outlined above. This development is good for professional football, at least in terms of viewer numbers and fan loyalty among traditionalists.
HSV and Schalke are two strong pillars for the average attendance in the second division, which was already ahead of that in the first division on some match days. The second league can also keep up in international comparison with the really big (first) leagues from Spain, Italy or France.
The spectrum of teams that have a chance of promotion to the first division is becoming just as wide as the spectrum of those that can get involved in the relegation battle every year. This is an extremely invigorating trend in terms of the tension in the respective league operations.
This development can also be seen unabated in the third league. Clubs with tradition and a broad fan scene also play there: 1860 Munich, Dynamo Dresden, MSV Duisburg and 1. FC Saarbrücken. The competitive principle stimulates business here too and guarantees high viewership and media interest.
I like the current development because the broader a sports system is, the more favorable the conditions are for sporting competition. Kiel knocked Bayern out of the DFB Cup in a snowstorm three years ago, just a few days after Munich won the Club World Cup.
I’m curious to see whether the North Germans will also be able to trip up the league’s big players in the coming season. But I’m also keeping my fingers crossed for all the other new Bundesliga teams and I’m happy when outsiders take their chance. This is exactly the sport I like.
In its search for a new coach, FC Bayern has received a lot of rejections in recent weeks. Jürgen Klopp, Sebastian Hoeneß, Xabi Alonso and Julian Nagelsmann all have other plans.
2024-04-27 07:57:35
#Dwarfism #Kiel #Heidenheim #good #football
