German Regional Identity and Soccer: Comparison of Soccer’S Impact on Cultural and Political Identities in Munich and Dortmund, Germany
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German Regional Identity and Soccer: Comparison of Soccer’s Impact on Cultural and Political Identities in Munich and Dortmund, Germany © 2019 By Megan Elizabeth DeGrafft A thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for completion of the Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies Croft Institute for International Studies Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College The University of Mississippi University, Mississippi Spring 2019 Approved: Advisor: Dr. Joshua First Reader: Dr. Oliver Dinius Reader: Dr. William Schenck Abstract: This paper aims to explore the relationship between soccer from a regional perspective using FC Bayern Munich and Munich, Germany and Borussia Dortmund and Dortmund, Germany and how those cities’ soccer teams elicit political and regional identities through the dichotomy between the fans and the business mindset of contemporary German soccer. A media analysis using two German language newspapers was used in order to collect articles that reported on the two soccer clubs apart from their result on the field. Pre-existing Twitter hashtags were also used to collect fan reactions towards the reported events. The findings revealed three different crises the teams had to contend with based on fan reactions towards the club’s actions away from the field. These three crises include international dealing, mass marketing and commerce, and extremism/Ultra Fans. The findings led to the conclusion that the actions of both teams away from the field influenced the fans’ identity in that it solidified the fans political- ethical values. Furthermore, the crises revealed two overarching themes which include, the tension between fan desire for a soccer club that prioritizes them and the realities of global soccer, which is big business. The second is the political identity of the fans and how the teams attempt to influence that. 2 Table of Contents Abstract: ...................................................................................................................... 2 Section One: Background ............................................................................................ 4 Introduction: ...................................................................................................................... 4 Existing Scholarship ........................................................................................................... 8 Methodology: .................................................................................................................... 14 Structure: ......................................................................................................................... 16 1.2 Der Klassiker: History between Bayern Munich FC and BVB Borussia Dortmund ............. 19 1.3 Pre-1945 ........................................................................................................................................ 20 1.4 The Golden Years ......................................................................................................................... 24 Section Two: Crises and Identity ............................................................................... 26 Introduction: .................................................................................................................... 26 Chapter Two: International Identity of these Teams ....................................................... 29 Chapter Four: Extremism and Ultra Fans ....................................................................... 38 Chapter Five: Conclusion ................................................................................................. 45 5.1 Discussion ...................................................................................................................................... 45 5.2 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 46 Bibliography ............................................................................................................. 48 3 Section One: Background Introduction: July 8, 2014, the first semi-final match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup was played, and history was made. The German national team was up against the host nation, Brazil. Germany and Brazil have not only been World Cup champions more than anyone since the end of WWII, but also have been in the World Cup semi-finals and finals since the beginning of FIFA illustrating their dominance in soccer. Both teams started the game with attacking play and full-throttle offenses. In the eleventh minute Germany scored their first goal, from there the floodgates were open and four more goals followed, just in the first half. Brazil ended the half with no response to Germany’s five goals. The final result of the game was Germany seven and Brazil one. Germany’s win is the largest margin of victory in a FIFA World Cup semi-final. This victory did not just represent a win for the national soccer team but represented a win for the country and its people in addition to payback for the 2002 FIFA World Cup where Germany lost to Brazil two to zero. This win is a symbol of Germany’s progression as a country through their success and progress in previous year’s FIFA World Cups since 2006. Writers from Der Spiegel believed that, “Until 2006, Germans saw themselves as a brooding society. But that changed after Germany hosted that year’s brilliantly successful World Cup” (non. 2014). Fast forward four years to 2010, the German national team changed it style of play and “at times played a graceful, attacking style that was beautiful to watch” (non. 2014). This garnered the attention of viewers abroad and the semi-final game against Brazil in 2014 continued the attention-grabbing play and raised the spirit of Germany. Germany’s World Cup history reflects the 4 transition of German identity and its importance in the world. Just like Germany’s World Cup success has changed, the country has changed as well. The German National team is made up of players from regional clubs all over the country and regions of Germany. These regions of Germany are home to their own local soccer teams and local fans. Along with that comes their own local perception of their team and the region they come from. The German national team only plays every four years for the FIFA World Cup and on even years for the Euro Cup. These players spend more time with their regional teams and it can be argued that the National team borrows them when it comes time. Each region in Germany houses their own stereotype or their identifying characteristics. For example, in the Ruhr Region in north west Germany, it is known for its industrial sector. The regional soccer clubs in each city tend to represent the city and are spokespeople for that region. This means that they are representatives of the region/city and their actions reflect onto the fans of the soccer club from that region/city. Furthermore, based on a personal experience during the World Cup in Germany emphasizes the impact that soccer has on people and their outlooks on life. When first visiting Germany, there were not flags flown outside houses and no one spoke openly about German pride. That was until the start of the World Cup. Once the soccer games began, a flood of flags surfaced; on cars, houses, t-shirts, and all sorts of objects featured the black, red, and yellow. Speaking about the 2014 World Cup, Christine Meier emphasizes this sentiment of German color explosion by stating, “’We wear necklaces and hats with the colors of the German flag…sometimes I make a noodle salad in black, red and yellow’” (Der Spiegel Staff 2014). I also experienced this same burst of team spirit while studying abroad in Cologne, Germany. However, the colors were red and white, and the fans supported FC Köln, the soccer team of their city. I realized that this 5 team spirit did not just exist for the National Team but for the regional/city teams as well, inspiring me to question how German identities are revealed through soccer by using the regional teams. This paper aims to explore the relationship between soccer from a regional perspective using Munich, Germany and Dortmund, Germany and how those cities’ soccer teams elicit political and regional identities through the dichotomy between the fans and the business mindset of contemporary German soccer. Identity for the purpose of this research is defined as self-perception related to nationality, locality, and political and social groups. Furthermore, the paper focuses on political identity based around political ethical values of the fans and the clubs. Germans struggled with identity ever since World War II. Exploring this identity struggle through the most popular sport in the country provided a platform for an interesting perspective about German self-perception and whether or not Germans have reconciled with their past. There is an array of research on the relationship between national identities and soccer but missing in the research is a focus on regional identities. Germany is a special case to research, because of the various local soccer clubs which in turn allows me to look into the relationship of soccer and political identity based around political ethical values on a smaller regional scale. All of these soccer clubs are spread across various regions of Germany that hold their own local values and views of themselves along with their support for their local soccer club. For comparison purposes and a new approach,