Me and Soccer

I would be the first to admit, that as an American living in Germany.....my interest in soccer is minimal.  I've been to live game in my entire life, and in an average year (without World Cup action), I'll probably watch a total of four games via TV.

I came to some point about three years ago....realizing that if you did go and watch soccer....especially German league soccer....then you'd best watch Bayern Munich play. 

The German 'top' league consists of 18 teams.  They will play 29 games in a season.  The top three or four teams will go to some international series, and have the potential to make more money.  The bottom three teams?  Well....two are destinged to fall out of the league....into the second league (thus making less money).  The third from the bottom is given a 'make-or-break' single game against the best team of the 2nd league.....if they win against the 2nd league team....then they get to stay in the top league another season.

As for my interest in Bayern Munich?  The owners of the team go out with a ton of money, and hire top players.  If you looked up the list of the top one-hundred players from across the globe....worldwide....Bayern Munich has probably seven of them, and from the 2nd best hundred players....maybe three of those.

It's a collection of Babe Ruths, Micky Mantles, and Bob Gibsons....on one single team.  They have the potential to score six points in games.  Out of the 29 games....they scored a total of 72 points....the league average per team was 38 points. 

Some Germans have gotten an attitude about Bayern Munich....on the unfair nature of them having acquired so many great players (not just German players), and the league ought to force some limit on how much they can pay out. 

I looked up the salary level of the team (2017-2018 season), and they carry seven players making $150,000 per week or more.....which is a hefty amount by the league standards.  There are another six players making $100,000 to $150,000 per week.  A lot of these guys have contracts going up to 2020. 

As for the level of play?  That's the thing about it.  After you sit and watch an entire game with Bayern Munich, you shake your head because it's like putting an top-level team against a bunch of amateurs. 

So if you did have an hour or two and wanted to watch top-level play.....go view a Bayern Munich game (note, the season ended this weekend), so you may have to wait a couple of months before the next season starts up.