The European Football Championship is over, but the ball keeps rolling. During the accadis Business Lounge on July 15, 2021, 91 accadis students and alumni listened to an online guest lecture by former national soccer coach Jürgen Klinsmann. Afterwards, they discussed with him current dynamics of the soccer industry as well as his experiences as a soccer player, coach and official. The focus was on the influence of different cultures on the global soccer industry, strategies of clubs, leagues and associations as well as the upcoming World Cups in Qatar and the USA.
Entertainment is as important to U.S. fans as winning or losing
Looking ahead to the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, students asked Jürgen Klinsmann how he perceived fans' relationship with soccer when he was national coach in the United States. "The U.S. is highly emotional when it comes to their sports teams. Most of the time, they stay loyal to one team for their entire lives. But professional sports are primarily entertainment for them; their deeper connection is with college sports." That sets them up well for the World Cup in the United States, he said. "They'll enjoy the four-week soccer party and welcome the world as good, enthusiastic hosts."
After the Olympics is before the NFL
Jürgen Klinsmann is skeptical about whether the World Cup will trigger a lasting soccer surge at home like it did in Germany after the 2006 World Cup. "Sports are omnipresent in the United States. Every sport has its big moment. But once that's over, the U.S. devotes itself to the next event." That will be the case now with the Summer Olympics, he said. "The U.S. prides itself on how it nurtures competitive athletes through its college system, and it is very much looking forward to Tokyo. However, after the Olympics is before the start of the season in American football, among other sports - one of the four major sports in the United States. No matter how many medals U.S. athletes bring home, starting late summer, many Americans will be focused on American football, baseball, ice hockey and basketball."
Entertainment is as important to U.S. fans as winning or losing
Looking ahead to the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, students asked Jürgen Klinsmann how he perceived fans' relationship with soccer when he was national coach in the United States. "The U.S. is highly emotional when it comes to their sports teams. Most of the time, they stay loyal to one team for their entire lives. But professional sports are primarily entertainment for them; their deeper connection is with college sports." That sets them up well for the World Cup in the United States, he said. "They'll enjoy the four-week soccer party and welcome the world as good, enthusiastic hosts."
After the Olympics is before the NFL
Jürgen Klinsmann is skeptical about whether the World Cup will trigger a lasting soccer surge at home like it did in Germany after the 2006 World Cup. "Sports are omnipresent in the United States. Every sport has its big moment. But once that's over, the U.S. devotes itself to the next event." That will be the case now with the Summer Olympics, he said. "The U.S. prides itself on how it nurtures competitive athletes through its college system, and it is very much looking forward to Tokyo. However, after the Olympics is before the start of the season in American football, among other sports - one of the four major sports in the United States. No matter how many medals U.S. athletes bring home, starting late summer, many Americans will be focused on American football, baseball, ice hockey and basketball."
Sometimes you have to adapt culturally in order to get ahead
Thanks to his more than forty years of experience as a soccer player, national coach and official, Jürgen Klinsmann knows all aspects of the global soccer industry and its challenges. In his career tips, he again focused on cultural differences. "Be open to others and accept people as they are. Keep in mind that everything in the team has to fit, whether it's on the field or in the office." He used an anecdote from his playing days in Italy to illustrate that it's not always the other person's fault. "The fitter for the washing machine didn't show up at my door until three days after the agreed date. That surprised me at first. However, I quickly learned that Italian culture is different from the one in which I grew up. The culture of Italy directs local life. I had to adapt to it, not the other way around."
Down-to-earth soccer player of the world
Like the students and alumni, accadis President Professor Dr. Florian Pfeffel is impressed by the former national coach. "Jürgen Klinsmann's guest lecture was extremely down-to-earth and drawn from life. He took the questions of our students and alumni seriously and with his explanations picked them up in their everyday student and professional lives. It's nice that we can enable such inspiring contacts for our 'accadix' in the accadis Business Lounge."
Networking in the accadis Business Lounge
In the accadis Business Lounge, students and alumni of the Bad Homburg educational institution regularly speak with renowned keynote speakers and company representatives on issues related to a selected lecture. Jürgen Klinsmann was invited for this purpose by Dr. Fabian Ulrich, lecturer of the module "Internationalization of Sports Marketing" of the graduate program International Football Management M.A.. In the past, representatives of IRONMAN, adidas, facebook, ZDF and Giorgio Armani, among others, have been guests in the accadis Business Lounge.