Football’s “sleeping giants” should be cherished
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Football fans outside Germany may not pay much attention to the country’s second division. After all, Europe boasts a plethora of high-quality leagues and there are only so many hours in the day.
Still, those who overlook Bundesliga 2 are missing out. Aficionados consider it one of the continent’s most exciting club competitions, with closely fought, often high-scoring matches and exuberant fan cultures. It is certainly well attended.
Last season the average match-day crowd was 29,189, greater than that of Spain’s highest league, La Liga. One reason for the hype is the league’s contingent of “sleeping giants"—once-mighty, heavily supported clubs that now languish in the lower reaches. This year’s crop contains the likes of Hertha Berlin, FC Köln and FC Schalke 04, all of which have won major trophies, including German championships.
Hamburger SV, another second-division behemoth, boasts a European Cup. These clubs retain many markers of their past glories, such as huge fan bases and stadiums fit to grace a top division. But thanks to factors such as financial mismanagement, shoddy coaching and plain bad luck they are missing something crucial: success on the pitch.
Sleeping giants have a strange appeal. When big clubs are riding high and winning trophies, rival fans tend to resent them. But when such sides fall far from the top, supporters of other big clubs often start to think of them with more affection.
The allure is mainly nostalgic. For those of a certain age, the faded sides are a reminder of a time when their hair was thicker; their bellies smaller; their responsibilities fewer. In turn, the clubs become vehicles for terrible hope.
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