BUNDESLIGA ÜBER ALLES

Jack Bell reported in last Tuesday’s New York Times that the German Budesliga has the highest average attendance in the world (nearly 42,000 per match for the ’08-’09 season), the lowest ticket prices ($28 per game compared to nearly $60 in England) and parity (three first division champions in each of the last three seasons).

The article quotes Bundesliga chief executive Christian Seifert as saying the league is very happy for these numbers in light of the world economic crisis that began in 2008. “We have combined relative financial health with good performance on the pitch,” he said. “We believe it shows how good the Bundesliga business model is.”

The article is at: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/sports/soccer/09goal.html?scp=1&sq=Bundesliga&st=cse