“How badly did German football need last season? New champions for the first time in 11 years and a story, in Bayer Leverkusen, that managed to exist independently from Bayern Munich. It brought fresh eyes to the Bundesliga and set an important precedent. How can 2024-25 follow that? Early signs are promising — the challenge is broader at the top of the table and there will be no procession for anyone. St Pauli and Holstein Kiel have been promoted to the top flight, rival chief executives are already rattling sabres in the media and Deutsche Bahn, Germany’s much-criticised rail network, has promised to get everyone to the stadiums on time. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
Bundesliga season preview: Bayern Munich the underdogs, and can anyone beat Bayer Leverkusen?
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“What I remember the most about my visit to the ruins of the Pontiac Silverdome in 2016 is how the place sounded. The way the wind played with the tattered roof panels and whipped past the support cables of the dome, playing them like guitar strings. As I walked across the playing field, I’d occasionally hear bits and pieces of metal hardware falling from above and hitting the ground around me. It was a little unnerving. The stadium in the northern suburbs of Detroit, Michigan, had been disused for years by the time I arrived with my camera. A snowstorm in 2013 had torn the roof to shreds. A year later, much of the equipment was auctioned off, leaving the place an empty shell. At that point, the once-sterile, polished stadium had begun to fall back to nature: I remember gazing downwards at my feet and seeing tiny shoots of natural grass pushing their way up through the artificial turf. …”
Scissors Kick 