William Garner Reflection on Fandom blog

     While I was not alive during the time of the Berlin Wall and the divide between East and West Germany, Dr Knabe’s talk about the football culture in Germany during that time really helped me understand the political tension the German people experienced during these times. Sports have been such a big cornerstone of human society and culture that the impact that the athletes that play those sports are starting to have more and more impact off the field as well as on it. Modern day athletes garner so much respect and admiration from fans all over the country and with the huge platforms that these professional athletes have, they are able to use that respect and admiration for good. With the recent racial tension and political unrest in our country especially as of recently, we have seen many prominent athletes step up and use their platforms to push for social justice reform and racial equality, with many other athletes and entire sports leagues following suit. We have also seen sports unifying us as a city and as a country such as the first Yankees game after 9/11 and the New Orleans Saints winning the Super Bowl as a sign of resilience after the city was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. Sports also allow people to feel a sense of pride in their team and the city they represent, many professional sports teams in America have roots in their respective cities and give back to their local communities which installs a deep sense of loyalty and pride in their sports teams, similar to East German’s pride in their football clubs during the time of the Cold War/ Iron curtain time period.