1974 … 2006? The connection is Germany; the connection is soccer. It’s the World Cup … again.
In 1974, I was a summer foreign exchange student in Dingolfing, a small town in Germany not far from Munich. Their main claim to fame was having a BMW factory. That summer, the World Cup was in Munich, and West Germany won the FIFA title.
Courtesy “We Pretend It’s Still the 70s” on Facebook
At the time, I really didn’t know much about the World Cup or soccer, or, for that matter, daily life in Germany. Soccer hadn’t caught on yet as the popular youth sport it is today. For at least the first full month of the two months I was there, the entire family and extended family – and I mean Opa’s and Oma’s, aunts, uncles, cousins, et al.- would cram into the one small living room and watch the games.
I learned soccer and its rules in German first. Ecke! (corner for those who know the game). I also learned how to drink peppermint schnapps, but drew the line at Jägermeister (I think). It must have been their version of a drinking game. I had barely turned 18, and this was my first serious foray into drinking because, well, I didn’t have a choice. Out would come another tray of schnapps accompanied by more toasting. I wasn’t fond of it then, nor am I now. I guess that’s the price to pay when your team does well.
But not to worry, in between the schnapps came the pastries. The entire time I was there, I felt like Gretl of Hansel and Gretel, as if they were fattening me to eat me.
Still, this full-on sports viewing activity was truly nothing to write home about. Probably because I was from a sports-obsessed family, I still didn’t realize I was in the epicenter of a once-every-4-year, highly anticipated, celebrated, and competitive global event.
In addition to 1974, West Germany won the World Cup in 1954, 1990, and 2014, tying with Italy for the second-most FIFA titles.
So now, over 50 years later, because this world soccer tournament is in our quadrant of the world – our turf and our time zone – millions of others and I are paying attention.
Courtesy Black Heart Bar
Admittedly, there was always something exciting about going to the dark cave of the Black Heart soccer bar at 5 in the morning to watch a game.
So yesterday, when I saw Germany playing Paraguay, it activated some remote brain cells, which had me look up where the 1974 World Cup was held and who won. I still don’t know whether the schnapps or the pastries were for me or for Germany.
Deutschland über ALLES (all). Oder Genug gespräch (enough said).
Or is it?
Yesterday, I learned that after 30 minutes of overtime and a shootout with 6 penalty kicks, Germany lost to Paraguay and was eliminated from the competition. Earlier, Canada knocked out South Africa, and Morocco knocked out the Netherlands.
Is there a new World Order in the World Cup?
