It struck me that I ought to explain a little bit about why we cheer for the teams we do. Well, in part, it’s because I thought we ought to, and I’m the one of us most capable of complex thought and logic. But also, each team has a special something that captures part of what I love about life, and part of what makes you who you are.
So periodically (like during international breaks, long summer holidays, or say, global pandemics that completely alter everything we understand about our lives and ourselves), I want to introduce you to the teams we are tied to.
Our fourth team to meet: SC Freiburg from Freiburg, Germany. A team that offers a reminder that as we move, we grow.
Dear Boys,
Wherefore Freiburg?
This is the last of the family heritage clubs in our collection. From your mom comes Vozdovak, from your dad comes Ross County, from the both of us come Rosenborg, and from goodness knows where comes Frieburg.
I mean that quite literally. It’s not entirely clear who in the family was really from Germany, and who was descended from Germans who had stopped elsewhere first.
Your grandma Di can tie her family back to a region of Europe that straddles eastern France and south western Germany. That strand of your DNA ran off to a tiny farm village in the wilds of Russia, and then beyond, and beyond, and beyond until they got to Billings.
Other family members speak German as a tradition from someone we’ve all forgotten. We sing it, study it, read it. In short: we know we’re a little bit German, but not sure exactly how much or what that means.
Who is Freiburg?
In choosing a team to represent your German heritage I hoped to find a side with a bit of pride and a lot of curiosity: I found SC Frieburg.
SC Freiburg is by no means the most renowned club in the Bundesliga, for a long time they weren’t even the most renowned club in Freiburg. But they are undoubtedly, special.
They absolutely question habits, as you’d expect from a University town with liberal ideals and an intelligent culture. Freiburg’s manager often eschews tactics in meetings and interviews in favor of sharing views about world events and the prejudices that diminish our world. (A habit shared by the team’s fans)
Freiburg loves its surroundings, and welcomes others from around the world. There’s a love for the foreign flair of their club not the stubborn “Deutschland-Uber-Alles” attitude that makes some foreign born Germans a little leery of their homeland. Freiburg’s crew includes French, Italian, English, Australian and even Korean players. They’re most cherished nickname is “Breisgau-Brasilianer” because it suggests a blend of Brazilian style with their neck of the woods. (Even the club crest is about blending: why be lions or eagles, when you can be a griffin and be BOTH Lions AND Eagles!!)
In all the club is welcoming, curious, and proud of their way of doing things. I’ll let them say it themselves:
“in Freiburg, football isn’t a way to release your frustrations – here it brings about a sense of joy. In this way, it is something for everyone in the region to enjoy, just like the wonderful landscape, delicious food and good wine also is.”
SC Freiburg Team Website
How are we Freiburg?
In short, Freiburg is at least close to your Germanic home land, but they also are the kind of open-minded, optimistic organization your family loves. SC Freiburg knows that a curious culture and a changing culture is the strongest.
Whomever your German ancestors were, they weren’t tied to one way of doing things. Whatever their goals in leaving home, they were open to not just moving, but moving again, and again, and again. They passed on a love of family, but not a love of habit. They encouraged an attitude of engagement with others not isolation.
Yes, we have a family bond with Germany. We’re not sure what it is, why it’s there or what it means, but we’re curious and interested in finding out more.
SC Freiburg has a soccer team. They love it, but they know that doesn’t mean that it will triumph, or dominate. Frankly, that’s fine. They’re open to growing with each generation of players that comes along, each question that’s asked, each managerial lecture about everything but tactics, and each fan who feels the love of the game.
At a time when many people would rather wrap themselves up in familiarity than risk the unknown and possibly unpleasant, I hope you take the SC Freiburg mentality, and keep curiosity in your mind and change in your heart.
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