... of all people! Raphael is a German political scientist, whose book "Peace to the Terraces, War to the Federations and Leagues" is a pathbreaking materialist critique of "modern soccer" - the game as purely an entertainment market commodity. The book is only published in German so far, and we were in the process of rolling out his thoughts with the ongoing conflict between German fans and the German Bundesliga as a case in point (you know, the one with tennis balls and remote-controlled cars thrown on the pitch in recent weeks...). About halfway through, the bomb dropped: sooner than any of us expected, the Bundesliga collapsed and nixed the negotiation with the private equity firm that was interested. We let out a "holy shit!" and analyzed what this might mean, and what concrete solutions Raphael's thoughts provide for the future.
This episode was to air on March 4th - given what happened today while we talked, I rushed it live. This may mean no TAoF episode on March 4th then, check social media for updates. For now, you wont regret this window into a very german conflict with a lot of promise for soccer fans around the world - the fans to whom this beautiful game truly belongs!
HELPFUL LINKS :
Raphael's book, in German
Raphael Molter on X/Twitter
Protests in Rostock - remote controlled cars with flares on them
Protests in Dortmund - chocolate coins and tennis balls
Matt Ford, Bundesliga scraps major investment deal amid fan revolt (dw.com)
Gabriel Kuhn, Soccer vs. The State (an interview with him on TAoF from last year)
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f you enjoy this podcast and think that what I do fills a gap in soccer coverage that others would be interested in as well, please
Artwork for The Assistant Professor of Football is by Saige Lind
Instrumental music for this podcast, including the introduction track, is by the artist Ketsa and used under a Creative Commons license through Free Music Archive: https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Ketsa/
The 777 Files: Investigating the Strange Multi-Club-Owner that Wants to Buy Everton
(No) Mustard at Continental Europe's Oldest Soccer Club: FC St. Gallen in Switzerland
Soccer is for the Fans? England’s proposed “Football Regulator” and the Struggle for the Soul of the Game
Hertha Berliner SC: In Memoriam Kay Bernstein
Time Travel to Europe's Wild East: Stalinist Albania and Soccer
A Soccer Culture Playlist 2.0 - 12 Football-Related Songs from 8 Countries
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At a Soccer Crossroads: Polish Football Culture in the 21st Century
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Europe's Multicultural Bellwether and it's "Crazy Club:" The Wild Ride of Olympique Marseille
FC St.Pauli: Rebellion and Commercialization, Punk and Social Work
Cooler Little Sisters: The Graz Derby in Austria, Sturm vs. GAK
The Footballer who Defied the Nazis? The Myth of Matthias Sindelar, and the Myth of Austrian Victimhood
The Shirt: A Material History of Soccer, from Rags to Fashion and Cotton to Polyester
The Homeless World Cup: A Former Champions League Player and a Social Entrepreneur on Soccer's Transformative Power
Mr. Präsident: FC Bayern, a Holocaust Survivor, and the Almost Forgotten History of one of Europe's Most Famous Clubs
Moldy Oranges in Karl-Marx-City: Berliner FC Dynamo, the Fall of the Berlin Wall, and the Forgotten Past of East German Soccer
How Are They Now? Season 1 Reunion with 7 Visiting Professors of Football (song links in the shownotes)
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