The headlines German media outlets are giving their basketball coverage are bigger than ever before as Deutschland is pulling for Dirk Nowitzki and his Dallas Mavericks to win the NBA title following their Game 5 win over Miami.

But it’s mighty late according to one damning – but accurate – account of the German media landscape about its handling of Nowitzki.

In their online edition Friday morning, the mass daily Bild splashed the headline: “Now get yourself the title! Super victory for Nowitzki”, adding: “A super victory for our super star Dirk Nowitzki. Now there is only one motto: Win the title Mavs!”

The reputable sueddeutsche zeitung daily titled their story: “Nowitzki, the title so close” and mentioned Dirk’s latest nickname “No-Quit-ski”.

The news magazine Spiegel wrote “Nowitzki missing only one more victory” one day after speaking of Dirk’s “hunt for immortality”.

The German Basketball Federation (DBB) – which was represented by DBB President Ingo Weiss and DBB General Secretary Wolfgang Brenscheidt at the game on Thursday – titled their story about Game Five “Two match points for Dirk Nowitzki” and mentioned “late revenge for 2006”, regarding Dallas’s – and Dirk’s – loss to Miami in the NBA Finals five years ago.

Here is some other reaction from the world of German basketball from facebook.

Kickz posted: “One victory separates Germany from an NBA champ! Dallas lead 3-2!”

While the basketball online portal crossover-online.de wrote: “History in the making! Game 6 on Sunday! Go get your title, Dirk! Don’t miss it!”

And a member of the German Basketball Federation said: “Awesomeness happens to awesome people. One more, Dirk. Put a ring on it!”

Still, all the media attention is a long time coming according to a column on sport1.de by Markus Krawinkel before Game 5 titled “Dirk earned more respect”.

“So slowly there’s starting to be more, it took long enough. There is talk that something special is happening here.

… That he (Nowitzki) is honored in the U.S.A., his name mentioned in the same sentence with Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan, and that by Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan!

HELLO GERMANY! What is wrong with our sports reporting that every second division footballer gets more time on TV.

That private television is reporting the whole week about a Ukrainian boxer (Vladimir Klitschko) and one of 20 Formula One races or that other channels – private or public – are not even on site.

Time difference aside, Dirk Nowtizki has earned more respect. For what the most well known German athlete is accomplishing and how he’s doing it.

It seems like Nowitzki is a bigger star everywhere else in the world than at home. At the 2008 Olympics, Nowitzki could hardly move around freely in the athlete’s village – athletes from other countries surrounding him and asking him for pictures and autographs.

A Chinese colleague was shocked when he heard that the NBA Finals are not daily in the headlines by us (in Germany). Another colleague in the press seating said Nowitzki is idolized even in less sports-mad India.

But Germany is slowly also waking up.”

Krawinkel said he counted 17 German colleagues, more than every before at an NBA game – still “a joke compared to the Chinese contingent of journalists but a start”.

He closed by calling Nowitzki the “Michael Schumacher, Boris Becker, Franz Beckenbauer of the new millennium”.

Tags

 

1 Comment

     
     

    We use cookies on this website primarily to improve its functionality. Along with typical standard cookies, we also use cookies and content from Google (maps, YouTube, FaceBook, Twitter) to improve the performance of this site. In order to ensure compliance with the General Data Protection Requirements, all cookies and content from Google, Twitter, Facebook and co. are deactivated by default. They will only be activated once you click "Accept" to allow the use of cookies and third-party content. If you initially choose not to accept cookies, you will not be able to watch videos or access other media content on this site. However, you can change this setting on any page by selecting the option to allow content. For more information please click the link below to read our: Privacy Policy

    The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.

    Close