A unique style of clothing emerged on the German terraces in the 1970s in the shape of homemade cut-offs. Genuine fans wanted to come across as such and deliberately set themselves apart from the spectators in the seats. Until then, fashion trends inside football grounds had been based on everyday or Sunday wear, in keeping with the relevant zeitgeist. In the 1950s, for example, the trench coat was the typical look for the matchday crowd.
How do people actually become fans? The decisive factor is often the proximity of their home to the club, which is often linked to their social background. For many years, cross-city derbies such as VfB Stuttgart against Kickers, Rot-Weiss versus Schwarz-Weiss Essen, Hamburg against St. Pauli or 1860 versus Bayern Munich were about "rich against poor". Even if these clichés dissolve over time, they remain the origin of these special rivalries to this day.
Ultimately, however, success on the pitch remains a decisive criterion for the popularity of a club. With the exception of FC Nürnberg, the five most successful German clubs also have the most members. Footballing high points are the cornerstones of tradition and also weld club and fans together.
Yet the clubs no longer enjoy the unconditional support of their fans. They stand accused of focusing more on running a business rather than exemplifying sporting ideals such as togetherness, camaraderie and identification. As a result, the sense of community among the fans arises not from taking part in the life of the club but rather from interacting with their peers. Modern fan culture reflects a process of emancipation. Fans are no longer anonymous faces in the crowd; instead they make their presence felt as critical friends over and above their role as atmosphere creators.
In this process, we occasionally see two different sides to the fans: on the one hand, supporters display exemplary community engagement and stand for a positive fan culture with elaborate choreographies. On the other, frequent acts of aggression and wanton destructiveness damage people's perception of the non-violent activities of the vast majority of the fan community.
One thing is certain, however. Without the fans on the terraces, without their chants, their instruments, flags, shirts and cut-offs, the game would not have evolved into the exhilarating piece of everyday culture that today captivates millions of people.
Deutsches Fußballmuseum