Sports - American Football

It's possible to find traces of Americana in odd corners of this country, though in strange shapes and forms. Shortly after arriving, I found out that a co-worker was a defensive assistant coach of a local American Football club, the Winterthur Warriors. The club has multiple teams. To fully appreciate how this works, you need to understand a bit about the nature of team sports in Europe.

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For comparison, we begin by examining the course of an individual who wants to play a sport (for consistency, we'll use football) in the 'States. Usually, they start playing in an organized group as a part of school activities, perhaps even at quite a young age. Eventually, they'll be playing in high school, and scouts (including the seedy variety that've been intensely discussed recently) identify some of the better ones and recommend them to colleges across the nation.

These colleges then go about offering scholarships which cover all major costs of attending the university in exchange for the student's participation on the school team. College athletics (especially football) being a business unto itself, there's a lot more money involved in operating the team than just the costs of student enrollment, but it's important to note that students certainly aren't directly responsible for covering these.

At the end of an athlete's college career, some go on to play professionally. It's understood that such is the goal of a large number of college players. Thus, in choosing which college to play for, a good number of players are considering how best to showcase their potential. At any rate, the path to professional sports in the USA typically involves playing well throughout high-school and college, and making the leap from both of these to the next level. This leap is typically something of a jolt, with even some good college players not being able to perform as expected in the pros.

Over here, however, there're more sports "levels" than I can keep track of. Rather than being organized directly in school, individuals join clubs, which often have multiple teams based primarily on age brackets. Each of these teams is then shuffled into a league, grouped generally by performance. Movement between leagues is then determined by standings at the end of the season, with the best of the lower tiers having at least a chance at playing their way up via a playoff with the cellar-dwellers of the upper leagues.

"Oh yeah," you think, "that's exactly how European Soccer is organized!" Well, it's how just about EVERY sport over here is organized, down to the smallest level. If I want to get recognized by a major sports team over here, I'll begin by finding a local club that plays my favorite sport. And while the teams I play for may not advance up through the ranks, I might be able to without them, plotting a course through several leagues on my way up. The opportunities to play in such a large variety of groups allows me to likely find a comfortable spot right at the level of my ability. Of course, this will usually come at a price.

Except for the upper echelons, most sports clubs here are supported by a combination of corporate sponsorship, fan donations, and membership dues. That's right: while strong talent earns you a free ride through college and possibly millions in the pros, the lack of an all-or-nothing system means that most people playing sports over here do so at their own cost. Generally they're required to pay for their own equipment, in addition to regular payments to the club. I'd be surprised if most of the major European sports stars didn't start by shelling out some decent change early in their lives (or their families did, on their behalf...)

So, all this brings us to the local American Football club. They have two teams, playing in leagues with just 5 and 7 other opponents. The total cost of membership is something I've forgotten by now, but it's something on the order of CHF 1000 [$1285] per year. This actually isn't bad compared to most hobbies, and would be a decent price to pay if you really liked the sport.

The environment also tends to be devoid of greed (at least in the monetary sense) as most players really just enjoy playing. On the flip side, motivation is a constant problem, with practices difficult to get support for. It's a different attitude when you've bought your way on board.

It turns out that this local team plays their home games in a city park just a short walk from my new apartment. One Sunday I made my way over to watch a game. The under-19 team had just finished, and I was just in time to see the "first team" kick off.

The Winterthur Warriors (in red & yellow) defend a kick return.

1st and goal. (I considered a top-floor apartment in the building in the background, but decided against applying.)

German announcer: "Blah blah blah UNSPORTSMANLIKE blah blah blah."

The Warriors force a fumble on this return. They turn it back over moments later.

Storm clouds move in. It loudly thunders and lightning can be seen over the surrounding hills. The game goes on.

The storm eventually lifts, and the rain stops. The Warriors prepare to score again late in the game.

Final score, hand-written on hardboard pieces kept in a bucket.

NOTE: This game took place in late May. The unusual schedule of the season has mostly to do with people leaving for summer holidays. The championship game (the culmination of a 4-team playoff) was played in early July. The Warriors made the post-season but lost in the first round.