#rudelgucken

Two weeks ago, the German soccer team won the World Cup. Probably one of the biggest sport goals a German citizen can think of. 

While the championship took place, there were big public screening events in larger cities all over Germany. These events are called »Public Viewing« and they are defined by watching soccer on large screens with many other people. But do the Germans know that »public viewing« in American English describes the lying in repose? Germans would probably not expect the presentation of a corpse when invited to a public viewing in America. 

As often the Germans like to establish English terms for new inventions or concepts. Probably it’s the wish to appear cosmopolitan? Anyway, the term was established in 2006, when Germany hosted the World Cup. As you all know, Germany is much into soccer, so that the tickets for the matches where sold out seconds after being brought on the market. However, the committee that planned the events for the FIFA established the idea to host a big »Fanmeile« (=fan fest) where people could gather and watch the matches together on large screens—so that they would get a sort of stadium-like feeling. That should compensate for the problem that only a relatively small group of people received a ticket to watch a match in the stadium.

Unfortunately, no one knows who established the word »Public Viewing« in the first place.

A radio station in North Rhine-Westphalia, that didn’t like the wrongly used English term, asked their listeners to be creative and find an appropriate German expression. The listeners voted for »Rudelgucken« which literally means »watching in a pack« as the best of the suggestions. However, the term never got as famous as the term pushed by the FIFA.

The biggest Public Viewing event in Germany takes place in front of the Brandenburg Gate on the Straße des 17. Juni. After the team won the Cup two weeks ago, the team flew directly from Rio to Berlin to celebrate their victory with all the fans. Probably you’ve seen some pictures?