The game of soccer lives from the support of its fans. How do Germans celebrate their favorite sport? With noisy motorcades, beer, and sausages.
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00:00This is Michel Müller, an average German, and we're following him to learn about German football culture.
00:06With the Euros in Germany this summer, we want to know what makes German football culture so special.
00:12Is it the highs and lows of the beautiful game, the unique fan culture, or simply beers and Bratwurst on tap?
00:18Today, we're going to find out.
00:20Football is by far the most popular sport in Germany.
00:30In 2023, over 39 million Germans said that they're at least moderately interested in football, which is nearly half the population.
00:3813 million Germans say they play football frequently or from time to time.
00:44That's like having a kickabout with the population of Bolivia.
00:48Like 35% of Germans, Michel likes football because he likes to share in the suffering and the joy.
00:56And like 25% of Germans, because he likes to win.
01:03Evidently.
01:10The First Bundesliga is the top football league in Germany, like the Premier League in the UK.
01:16It's where the top teams like Bayern Munich and Leverkusen play.
01:20Michel and Florian are fans of Schalke, which is in the second Bundesliga.
01:25And today, they're going to see them play.
01:33Tens of thousands of German football fans attend matches every week, which may be hard for English football fans to compute.
01:40Most football clubs in Germany are governed by the 50 plus 1 rule, which means that they're majority owned by members' associations, which helps keep ticket prices low.
01:51Extra fun fact. In terms of members, Bayern Munich is the biggest football club in the world.
01:56German stadiums are comparatively lenient towards fans drinking alcohol.
02:00However, during some high-risk matches, stadiums may breathalyze fans to make sure they haven't had too much to drink.
02:10Luckily, today's match isn't expected to kick off.
02:18For Germans, popular football snacks include beer, currywurst and fries.
02:25Oh, wow. That looks delicious.
02:41Now, Michel is meeting friends to go and see a Germany match.
02:50Germany is hosting the Euros in 2024 and over half of Germans say they're happy and are looking forward to watching it.
02:56Popular places to watch the tournament include at home, in large viewing areas and at bars.
03:05Germans have a complicated relationship with supporting their country.
03:08The scars of World War II have made German national pride somewhat of a taboo, with bold nationalistic assertions associated with the far right.
03:20However, like the Autobahn, there are some arenas in which all German norms are thrown out of the window.
03:25And for Germans, football is an arena in which they can express nationalism more freely.
03:30And during international tournaments, it's normal to see flags and face paint.
03:35The German national team is ranked as one of the world's top national teams.
03:39They've won four World Cups, tied in second place with Italy.
03:43And while Germany hasn't done so well in recent international fixtures, it looks like...
03:55For many German fans, driving through the city centre after winning a match is part of the football experience.
04:05Even though honking is technically illegal, police officers are relatively lenient with fighting.
04:14And while Germany hasn't done so well in recent international fixtures, it looks like...
04:23Well, I guess they're getting a taste of how it feels to support England.
04:26What a ride! What's football culture like in your country?
04:30As always, like and subscribe for more Average German.