The live broadcasts of the Gießen 46ers Rackelos on the YouTube video platform are extremely popular. That also helps the ProB team.
Rackelo head coach Lutz Mandler’s first path after the 96:87 success on Saturday did not lead to the dressing room, but to the commentator duo and the technology. He thanked the team for the commitment that has brought the rackelos ‘matches in basketball pro B to the fans’ living rooms since the second home game. “The live stream helps the guys through these difficult times. If they know that a few people are watching, it’s also very important psychologically,” emphasizes Mandler.
“A few” is an understatement. The audience rating in the stream is immense, especially when compared to the load in normal times. In previous years, more than 200 to a maximum of 300 fans never found their way into the east hall when the farm team ran up. Only in the playoffs, which have always been reached since the club was founded, did they scratch the thousand mark.
This mark is loosely on YouTube and skipped every game. If the videos on the club’s channel, which also posts highlights of the Bundesliga team and press conferences there, often only have double-digit views, the rackelos have four-digit numbers.
If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does the tree make a sound? This question arose after the third division’s first home game, which has not yet been streamed. Playing in front of empty stands and without broadcasting wasn’t just frustrating for the team. “After four years the Rackelos are simply cult”, sums up Arwed Fischer. The managing partner of Flashlight Event Technology took the initiative and organized the technical support with his streaming-experienced team.
He also blames the team of moderators for the success: “They do it gigantically. I think that’s great, that’s why I believe that – if every game is not screwed up now – the number of spectators will increase.” The main commentator is Simon Schornstein, whose voice is likely to be familiar to most of the regular Osthallen visitors due to his work as the hall speaker. “Due to the situation, the stream was the logical next step because the fans simply missed going into the hall,” he explains.
He has been supported by Thorsten Dlugosch and Lukas Becker – two (former) employees of this newspaper – so far this season. Dlugosch was already a commentator at the time of the 46er fan radio, which the “Gießener Allgemeine offered earlier. This experience is new for Becker:” It’s a lot of fun with Simon. I am grateful to the Rackelos for the opportunity to do that. It is also nice to be able to go into the hall and see all the familiar faces, “he describes the match days as a small” family get-together “.
The psychological function of the stream is important to Team Manager Anne Leinweber: “We are incredibly grateful to Flashlight, Simon, Thorsten and Lukas for creating this stream and for supporting it for us. It is invaluable for the guys to know that people are with them over the stream. ” The viewers, in turn, can tap slogans in the parallel live chat that would otherwise have been made on the Osthallen grandstand.
Of course, the sporting success compared to the troubled Bundesliga club is also a factor in the surprisingly high level of interest. Giessen was the winner five times in a row and is in fourth place. What is surprising is the high level of consistency of the team, which had qualified for the playoffs every time in previous years. If you want to convince yourself of the quality of the stream and the team, you have the next opportunity on Wednesday. Then Erfurt will be a guest in the Osthalle (8 p.m.) – and will surely make the stream on the Gießen 46ers’ YouTube channel glow again.
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