February 2025
BAYERN FAMILY
Party animals:
Tyler, Chris and their friends have celebrated many titles since the fan club was founded.
MUNICH AIRPORT
FRÖTTMANING
because his favourite German players – Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Lukas Podolski, and Miroslav Klose – all played for one and the same club, Bayern Munich.“ The following season, I got up early every weekend to watch the Bayern games,“ recalls Tyler. Kick-off at 3.30 pm meant 8.30 am in Chicago. Tyler absorbed everything he could find about FC Bayern. About the team, the club, the tradition, the fans.“ The first time I experienced the Südkurve in the stadium was a unique experience,“ he says:“ That‘ s what I was looking for. This camaraderie and community is something we don‘ t have in basketball or baseball here in America.“ The walls of Cleo’ s are plastered with jerseys and fan scarves from all over the world of football, from Peru to Germany. There’ s a table football game in the corner; Oasis are blaring out of the speakers and TV sets hang from the ceiling. This is where Bayern fans watch every one of their club’ s games, sing the club anthem“ Stern des Südens”( Star of the South), eat burgers and drink Paulaner beer.“ HSV and Borussia Dortmund fans used to meet up here too,“ relates Tyler,“ but they haven‘ t been here in a long time.“
Star of the East
The Bayern community has grown rapidly: the fan club now has over 800 members. 80 to 90 per cent of them are Americans with no direct connection to Germany, estimates Tyler.“ I didn‘ t expect that myself. They were born and raised in the USA and don‘ t speak a word of German. At most, some may have had ancestors in Germany a long time ago.“ It’ s a very special bond that’ s based more on free choice and less on fate. While people in Europe rarely consciously
The fans travel to Munich as often as they can – to experience the“ community and camaraderie“ in the stands that doesn‘ t exist in US sport.
FC Bayern Magazine 95