Is it strange that I did not feel any type of euphoria when Bayern won the league title for the eighth time in a row? Football has always been something that I associate with passion, emotion, excitement, and dedication.
So why did I feel nothing when my favourite football team won the league double for the second year in a row? This empty feeling is, of course, relatively new. That sentiment is something I truly believe. For me, football has always been more than Champions League finals played by the best teams.
I see it as a social construct in which all types of fascinating stories are interwoven, most of them playing out far away from the stadiums of the very best teams. That is why I write about German fan culture or about fascinating characters such as Deniz Naki. Football will always be about things that are so much more important than winning. Both holding this view and being a life-long Bayern Munich fan may sometimes seem contradictory. As someone who loves to read articles about football ultras and has learned to appreciate cult teams like St.
But that is how it is, and how it always will be. Supporting a football team often is not a conscious choice, but something that you either inherit or unconsciously choose. And that was ok. The winner could be different every year. Bayern was always the favorite, but from to , there were four other champions outside of Munich. The Bundesliga was competitive and a much more fun league to watch. More importantly, Bundesliga games were cheap and accessible for a football-loving father and son.
Before , no team had won the Bundesliga four years in a row. I believe that grassroots and professional football should go hand in hand. I find it beautiful that a team like Union Berlin can exist in the highest level of German football. I would never want it any other way. Bayern Munich, as a sports institution, has done everything right and deserves to be this dominant in Germany. But I find it hard to turn a blind eye to the fact that their constant winning has broken the most wonderful league in the world in terms of competitiveness.
