Oliver Kahn had already warned. When the ex-Bayern goalkeeper was still CEO of Munich last season, he declared the NFL to be serious competition for football.
“We take it for granted that football is always the number one spectator sport, but when you see how younger generations are consuming sport and how many other options they have, you have to take it seriously,” Kahn told Sport Bild “.
NFL games in Germany: tickets sell out incredibly quickly
Those statements come from November 2022, when the NFL had just held its first game in Germany. In the meantime, Kahn is no longer CEO of Bayern – but the NFL hype has gotten even bigger. Last but not least, the unbelievable rush for tickets for the NFL games in Germany proves the hunger of the Germans for football.
NFL still behind football
King football still reigns supreme, such as at DAZN. “But the NFL is right behind it,” said Michael Bracher, DAZN program manager for the DACH region, to web.de. But could the NFL soon overtake football in Germany? There are several reasons for this.
NFL vs. Bundesliga: More excitement
On the one hand, there is more balance among the teams in the NFL, which makes every season incredibly exciting. The same teams always play in the league without being promoted or relegated. At the same time, there is a certain level of equality of opportunity thanks to the draft lottery. The salary cap also makes it impossible for a team to hoard all the top stars.
Exactly those exciting conditions are just wishful thinking in the Bundesliga with serial champions Bayern Munich and the rather smaller clubs like Darmstadt and Heidenheim.
NFL vs. Bundesliga: Young fans love football
Especially since the staged event sport football is much more attractive for a younger target group. “It’s new, it’s designed in a more modern way, it’s well marketed on social media and the show around it is part of the game,” explained NFL expert Adrian Franke at web.de.
In addition, the schedule significantly enhances the sport. While the Bundesliga has 34 games per season, the NFL only has 17 game days. This makes the individual games even more important – before the exciting playoff mode begins. In the Bundesliga, with the exception of last season, the season is usually decided in April.
Speaking of playoffs. Kahn had once suggested this for the Bundesliga: “A format in the Bundesliga with semi-finals and finals would mean excitement for the fans, so it makes sense to play through such an idea.” However, Kahn can no longer do the implementation. He has not been part of FC Bayern since May. But what does his successor Jan-Christian Dreesen think? “For me, the NFL is a competitor, for sure!”
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2023-07-03 12:53:55
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