'Significant fanbase': How popular is the NFL in Germany?
For the second year in a row the US's National Football League (NFL) will be playing games in Germany. The Local asked an expert how popular American football is in the soccer-obsessed Bundesrepublik.
The Super Bowl, arguably the largest annual sports event in the US, is coming up this Sunday.
Many in Germany will be tuning in, even if that means staying up until 4:30 am to catch the game, famous halftime show and running commentary.
READ ALSO: Where to watch the Super Bowl in Germany
In fact, US's National Football League (NFL) has garnered such a following in the Bundesrepublik that US teams will even be crossing the Atlantic twice this year to play in front of live audiences in Frankfurt and Munich.
"I think it's fair to say that it's [The NFL] becoming more popular even though we don't know exactly how much the figures or the interest is rising," Sebastian Uhrich, a professor of sports management at the University of Cologne, told The Local's Germany in Focus podcast this week.
"If we have a look at the numbers of the last five years, in for example, the TV audience of the Super Bowl, there's more of a sidwards trend of these figures, it's not really rising. But I would assume there's more people getting interested."
Uhrich estimated that the NFL has between two and three million supporters in Germany.
"In Germany obviously there's a significant fanbase of American football," he said, adding that it's the "largest market in Europe".
That could explain why star player Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers faced the Seattle Seahawks at Munich's Allianz Arena in November.
It marked the first NFL Game in Germany and tickets quickly sold out.
READ ALSO: Munich and Frankfurt to host regular season NFL games
Seizing on the success, the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots will make their debuts as designated teams in two additional games in Germany later this year.
American Football: Pro League NFL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Seattle Seahawks, at the Munich Allianz Arena in November 2022. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Sven Hoppe
Uhrich sees the games as a big bonus for existing NFL fans in Germany.
"Playing games in Germany provides German consumers, supporters and fans an additional offering, besides all the media offerings," he said.
"Up until last year they were only able to watch NFL games on TV or on social media. If they wanted to see a game they had to travel to the US, so this is obviously a significant addition to what they can consume."
But he added that the NFL's nod to Germany isn't guaranteed to drum up a significant amount of new support.
"It's only two games per year so I wouldn't over estimate the significance," he said. "I wouldn't expect this to be the driver of a huge number of additional supporters in the future."
Could (American) football compete with soccer?
In Germany, the NFL faces tough competition with the by-far most popular sport: soccer, or simply football as non-Americans refer to it.
"I would never expect that they're able to replace soccer as the most popular sport," said Ulrich. "So many other sports have been trying to do this for years and they're not even close."
Yet Ulrich was optimistic that the NFL could "become part of that second tier of sports," in Germany which includes hockey, volleyball and basketball.
"Soccer is so traditional and has such a huge fan base in Germany. It might be something that happens in 15 or 20 years but not in the near future. It's pretty unlikely."
READ ALSO: American football touches down in Germany
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The Super Bowl, arguably the largest annual sports event in the US, is coming up this Sunday.
Many in Germany will be tuning in, even if that means staying up until 4:30 am to catch the game, famous halftime show and running commentary.
READ ALSO: Where to watch the Super Bowl in Germany
In fact, US's National Football League (NFL) has garnered such a following in the Bundesrepublik that US teams will even be crossing the Atlantic twice this year to play in front of live audiences in Frankfurt and Munich.
"I think it's fair to say that it's [The NFL] becoming more popular even though we don't know exactly how much the figures or the interest is rising," Sebastian Uhrich, a professor of sports management at the University of Cologne, told The Local's Germany in Focus podcast this week.
"If we have a look at the numbers of the last five years, in for example, the TV audience of the Super Bowl, there's more of a sidwards trend of these figures, it's not really rising. But I would assume there's more people getting interested."
Uhrich estimated that the NFL has between two and three million supporters in Germany.
"In Germany obviously there's a significant fanbase of American football," he said, adding that it's the "largest market in Europe".
That could explain why star player Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers faced the Seattle Seahawks at Munich's Allianz Arena in November.
It marked the first NFL Game in Germany and tickets quickly sold out.
READ ALSO: Munich and Frankfurt to host regular season NFL games
Seizing on the success, the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots will make their debuts as designated teams in two additional games in Germany later this year.
Uhrich sees the games as a big bonus for existing NFL fans in Germany.
"Playing games in Germany provides German consumers, supporters and fans an additional offering, besides all the media offerings," he said.
"Up until last year they were only able to watch NFL games on TV or on social media. If they wanted to see a game they had to travel to the US, so this is obviously a significant addition to what they can consume."
But he added that the NFL's nod to Germany isn't guaranteed to drum up a significant amount of new support.
"It's only two games per year so I wouldn't over estimate the significance," he said. "I wouldn't expect this to be the driver of a huge number of additional supporters in the future."
Could (American) football compete with soccer?
In Germany, the NFL faces tough competition with the by-far most popular sport: soccer, or simply football as non-Americans refer to it.
"I would never expect that they're able to replace soccer as the most popular sport," said Ulrich. "So many other sports have been trying to do this for years and they're not even close."
Yet Ulrich was optimistic that the NFL could "become part of that second tier of sports," in Germany which includes hockey, volleyball and basketball.
"Soccer is so traditional and has such a huge fan base in Germany. It might be something that happens in 15 or 20 years but not in the near future. It's pretty unlikely."
READ ALSO: American football touches down in Germany
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