Sports is a good small-talk topic on both sides of the Atlantic. Impress your counterparts with this comparison between the dominance of the New England Patriots at the Super Bowl with Bayern München.
Yesterday, the New England Patriots once again won the Super Bowl. Out of the six Super Bowls I’ve watched, the Patriots played four times. 2019 was the third time in a row, and I saw them winning three out of six games.
Since 2000, they have gone to the Super Bowl nine times, and overall they participated eleven times in the race to the annual championship final. Everybody seems to agree that they are the most successful team in NFL history, “winning 16 AFC East titles in 18 seasons since 2001” and “without losing a season in that period.”
So, what do the Patriots have in common with Bayern München, the German soccer team?
The Bayern, German for Bavarians, have been omnipresent in the Bundesliga (the German soccer league), in the German National Cup, and in the European Cup (UEFA). They’re the most successful club in German football history, having won a record 28 national titles and 18 national cups.
As I explained in this older post, while Americans call winners of national competitions “world champions,” in Europe soccer is a serious matter and played everywhere. Each country has its own league, but there is also European competition between the best national teams.
Overall, the FC Bayern has reached 10 European Cup/UEFA Champions League finals. They won their fifth title in 2013, as well as one UEFA Cup, one European Cup Winners’ Cup, one UEFA Super Cup, one FIFA Club World Cup, and two Intercontinental Cups. Internationally, they are considered one of the most successful European clubs.
The Patriots and Bayern München are the most successful franchises in their respective fields.
Why does everyone hate the Patriots and Bayern München?
A column in the Washington Post last Monday said it all: “It’s never fun to watch the Patriots. It’s even worse when they win the Super Bowl.” It reminded me immediately of a book I saw at the airport bookshop a few years ago: 111 reasons to hate Bayern München.
As Vox stated in this article, “Patriots hate is easy to understand… it boils down to jealousy.”
Okay, their dominance is boring and fuels resentment. Nobody likes a team that always wins. It makes the games predictable and takes away the thrill of a disputed championship. Nevertheless, 44.9% of American households watched the Super Bowl last Sunday.
According to a survey by the University of Braunschweig, in 2018 Bayern München was the least favorite German soccer team. Nevertheless, fans fill the stadion week after week to cheer on the Munich team.
Any other comparisons?
Well, both Patriots and Bayern players are married or are in a relationship with attractive women, even supermodels. YouTube videos and magazines are full of lists like this one published in Insider in 2017: 23 brilliant and beautiful wives and girlfriends of NFL players.
It’s no surprise that beer is an all time favorite in German and American stadiums. Chips also when watching from home.
Finally, many smart people are swept up in the grudge Germans hold toward the Bayern or Americans hold toward Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. If they can’t stop the team from winning, at least they can make money from the hatred.
