German Sports

Like the peoples of many other nations of the world, German citizens are ardent followers of a number of individual and team sports. German sports stars are world renowned for their athletic prowess and competitive spirit, and their fans are just as devoted as those of any professional athletes worldwide. Germans follow a number of sports that have worldwide popularity, such as soccer and cycling, but also many others that are locally popular, such as bobsledding and luge. German sports fans can also see their nation’s athletes dominate at the Olympics, consistently earning a large number of gold medals every time the games are held.

One of the most popular sports in Germany is automobile racing. Although a number of cars that sweep races and win awards have been manufactured in Germany, the only German Formula One world champion has been Michael Schumacher, a test driver for Ferrari whose statistics mark him as the greatest driver ever to steer a Formula One racer. Schumacher also has the honor of being the highest paid athlete in the history of any sport, with a total annual salary of over one hundred million United States dollars. Another skilled German driver who almost claimed the title of Formula One World Champion was tragically killed in a crash in 1961. Both remain great German sports heroes. Many Formula One drivers also drive on the DTM, the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, a racing circuit that holds bouts all over Europe. By far the most prestigious event is the yearly 24 hours of Le Mans, a race that is held in France.

Another wildly popular pastime in Germany is the world favorite, Football (known as Soccer to North American fans). The highest German league in soccer, called the Bundesliga, boasts the highest levels of attendance of any sport on Earth, and ranks fifth in the UEFA scores. German sports fans follow their favorite teams to the Euro cup and Fifa World Cup quite often. The most formidable German soccer league is Bayern Munich, which has 20 national championships and four European championships under its belt. The national German team is a powerhouse on the field of international sports. Germany has also hosted the international FIFA World Cup, and placed third in 2006. The leading scorer for the national soccer team in Germany is Gerd Muller, a player with 68 goals. Another famous player, who has competed and won at the World Cup as both a player and a coach, is named Franz Beckenbauer.

Germans also enjoy a fair number of winter sports, such as bobsledding, the luge, and skeleton. These are typically winter Olympic sporting events. Germany has the distinction of having the largest number of tracks on which to practice these sports in the world, which goes a long way toward explaining its dominance.

Furthermore, German sports fans enjoy of many other sporting events, such as ice and field hockey, cycling, baseball, rugby, American football, and handball.