Basketballspiel

Although sports are definitely prominent in Deutschland, I had no opportunities to attend any competitions for the first months of being here. Unlike in the US, there are no sports within schools. If people want to be athletic, they join clubs that are either non-competitive or are somewhat representative of the city. There are no rolling spaces behind each school that house fields for every sport imaginable, like is common in much of the US. As a result of these facts, there is less individual school pride and far less cheering than I am used to participating in.
Last week, however, I attended my first German sports competition. It was a basketball game, and one that was considered ‘professional’ by my friends. Based on what I was told, and by the performance of the teams, basketball is a fairly new sport here, or has only recently grown in popularity. The game took place in a gym similar to and smaller than the Bangor Auditorium, entrance cost seven Euros, and I’m sure that the average height of the men on the court could easily come out to about half of that of some US professional teams. The gameplay I witnessed was very similar to many of the high school basketball games I attended at home, and I think it made the experience even more enjoyable for me. I was able to understand all the calls that were being made, both good and bad, and knew when it was appropriate to yell at the top of my lungs.
Jena’s team ended up scoring over 100 points, and winning by over 40. It’s been a while since I’ve cheered with such enthusiasm, and it reminds me that encouraging others is something I’m meant to do. Even though I will always enjoy playing sports more than watching them, cheering at live games will also be something I enjoy.