And the Game Must Go On

Benji Newman

With the clouds gathering around Zurich and the avalanche about to blanket FIFA officials, it is important to know for what we are fighting.  Simply put: the product on the field.  We want to ensure the development of the game and the growth of the fan base, especially in the United States, where the newfound popularity of the sport has to be carefully nurtured.  Therefore, this is my friendly reminder that two major events are happening this weekend: the UEFA Champions League Final in Berlin and the beginning of the Women’s World Cup in Canada (to be discussed in a future article).

On June 6, FC Barcelona of Spain will face off against the Italian-based Juvenus FC.  The world’s second-most valuable soccer team takes on the ninth-most valuable team at the historic Olympiastadion for Europe’s most prized trophy.  For those outside the German capital, the best way to enjoy the game is to go to the bar of choice for supporters of the club.  If you believe in the emancipation of Catalonia from the strangling yoke of the Spanish government, use this site to locate your local bar.  If you aspire to live la dolce vita and/or are just tired of Spanish dominance over other European teams, here is a helpful resource for locating where to watch the game in your area.  If you don’t really care either way but want to see goals like this or free kicks taken like this, then just find a local bar that’s showing the game and enjoy a few drinks with a crowd that will mostly likely be more foreign than local. 

Those who are in Berlin though should head to the stadium.  Like most of modern Germany, a dark history surrounds the field.  Built by the Nazis in preparation for the infamous 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, the Olympiastadion was meant to be the place where the Aryans could boast their racial superiority on the field.  However, Jesse Owens proved to the world how wrong Hitler and his beliefs on “science” were by winning four gold medals.  While its architects, Werner March and Albert Speer, originally designed it to fit 110,000 people who could lay witness to German dominance, today it sits a little fewer than 75,000.  It was one of the few buildings to survive the Nazi era mostly intact.  As much as Germany has moved away from its shameful history and has grown since 1945, it is important to remember why the stadium was built and the purpose it was meant to serve.

Nowadays, the Olympiastadion is home to Hertha BSC, a soccer club who currently plays in the top German league.  The stadium was recently renovated for the 2006 World Cup when Germany hosted the tournament for the first time since the nation’s reunification following the end of the Cold War.  This pitch is where the French midfielder Zinedine Zidane famously head-butted Italian defender Marco Materazzi in extra time and was subsequently ejected from the game and blamed for France’s failure to win the tournament. 

While it may be impossible to actually get into the stadium for the game, it is worth being in the area before the game and after to enjoy the atmosphere.  With a nice beer garden right next to the stadium and thousands of cheering fans, it will surely be a memory you won’t soon forget.

Born and raised in the melting pot that is New York City, Benji Newman has always enjoyed being immersed in different cultures. He has studied, worked, and traveled all over Europe and hopes to visit South America in the near future. Graduating from the University of Michigan this spring, he will continue his studies in the fall by attending a Master's of International Economics and Affairs program.

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