There is “light at the end of the tunnel” when it comes to professional sports and it comes in the form of the German Bundesliga.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has given the “go ahead” for a resumption of play on May 16th, behind closed doors.
You can bet your “bottom dollar” that general sports fans and other professional leagues (Premier League, NBA, MLB, MLS, NFL) will be watching this reset to see how it functions in the age of COVID-19.
The return in Germany will be a huge story and will lift the mood of soccer fans worldwide, and trickle down to those that support other sports as this will be another step forward and will garner worldwide press and attention!
The Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 season will resume from May 16th. In both leagues, the season will continue with the 26th matchday. The other matchdays will follow in the order originally scheduled.
ℹ️ https://t.co/7HVf6EwmkN pic.twitter.com/8NffqkFsaN
— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) May 7, 2020
Germany, the optimal choice.
The financial stakes are high here with a huge television contract that the league wants to consummate by finishing its season.
The Bundesliga would likely have been the choice of many in Europe to be the first to restart based on current Coronavirus situation. Germany has a much lower death rate (under 7000) then other Western European countries including Spain, Italy, France and the United Kingdom.
The attention to detail of the Bundesliga plus the involvement of all clubs and DFL president Christian Seifert have led them to this point. At the end of the day, a lot of rules, regulations, protocols will have to be followed with the “eyes of the world” upon the re-launch.
All will have to pull in the same direction and be disciplined.
Gladbach leapfrog Leverkusen and regain their position in the top 4️⃣ ?#BundesligaMD25 pic.twitter.com/VB7BS8nEkx
— Bundesliga English (@Bundesliga_EN) March 11, 2020
Where we left off….
With nine games to go, there is a real title race and fight for the lucrative UEFA Champions League places in Germany.
The country’s most dominant club Bayern Munich (The Bavarians) sits at the top of the table, followed by Borussia Dortmund (former club of U.S. International Christian Pulisic), RB Leipzig (US int. Tyler Adams), Borussia Monchengladbach and in fifth Bayer Leverkusen.
The league is one of the most highly attended in the world in all sports.
Who are you rooting for?
You may be a fan of other sports but you might just be interested in a rooting interest for one of the these teams!
You might opt for the New York Yankees of the Bundesliga in Bayern Munich, the most successful team in league history, or Borussia Dortmund whose reputation comes from identifying and nurturing young talent and attacking football.
Red Bull Leipzig may be the most “hated” club due to being founded in 2009 by energy drink Red Bull. They are considered “plastic” yet their rise has been remarkable led by a youthful team that plays as though adrenalized! Like the drink, they are high energy. Yet they are reviled.
Pick a team, grab a six of German Beer and have some fun!
FOX Deportes have shared their TV schedule for the May 16-17 weekend of Bundesliga fußball, so we now have TUDN and FOX Deportes broadcasts listed. Just waiting on our friends at FOX Sports and FOX Soccer Match Pass.https://t.co/KPPUXu4vM3
— World Soccer Talk (@worldsoccertalk) May 7, 2020
Get your Bundesliga preview!
We will continue our Bundesliga league start preparation, Tuesday 7 p.m. CT on ESPN 97.5FM, with guest Matt Hermann who is the host of Talking Fussball podcast and is a Bundesliga expert.
