>...the charge of "imperialism" is laughable when speaking about sponsorship of an international event.<

You get a gold star for perspicacity.

Germany is far to big to worry about foreign "imperialism". Maybe some people just haven't realized who their friends are on this planet ;-) No "Bud" for me, however...

>Germany is far to big to worry about foreign "imperialism". <

France is almost the same size and they worry about cultural imperialism all the time, except for Jerry Lewis movies.

Germany's 1/3 of the USA ;-), but the Us is growing fast!

Come to think of it ;-), the Texas Lightning song will make money on the charts 2 to 4 weeks from now, the Finnish song will be forgotten by tomorrow. (Although it may well be better than Texas Lightning)...

logos999,

Didn't need to stop at 5, looks like you had more to add. Please feel free.

MvK

I won't be doing justice to all those geat local beers... but
-6 Prinzregent Luitpold Kristallweizen
-7 Maisacher Helles
-8 Räuber Kneissl Weißbier
-9 Kaltenberger Helles
-10 Weltenburger Dunkle Weisse

Open day at Erdinger Weißbier..., they had three tents, one mark (=50ct per half liter) oompah bands and dozends of cops at the parking lot. Not a chance. That was evil.

Have I got this straight?

American beer
German police
English football supporters....

Suddenly, New Zealand seems an enticing place to spend June.

Before everybody gets too wound up, I think the only one who mentioned "American imperialism" was Ira, and I thought it was almost tongue in cheek.

I do find it ironic that an appalling beer like Budweiser should be official beer of the world cup in a nation renowned for brewing - I would be equally appalled if that beer were Fosters, Chang or any other "megacorp" beer.

The only "cultural imperialism" issue I have with Budweiser is their lawyers chasing through various courts in European countries trying to stop the Czechs using the name Budweiser.

Budweiser is widely available in Britain but is only drunk by the Burberry wearing classes.

To my continual chagrin they sell Carlsberg at White Hart Lane and no British beer.

>Have I got this straight?
Even better..., England lost, Hooligans pissed (on cheap beer), Berlin riot police.
Maybe everybody should stay home!

I presume, even worse , is the thousands of English (and presumably Dutch, German and French) supporters wandering around trying to get tickets for games where 50% of tickets went to corporate sponsorship - so therefore mysteriously ended up on the black market).

Let me put ist that way:

If you are in business administration in general or marketing in special, or in legal questions about marketing, do not miss the World Cup (TM).

You can learn there more than in books, or courses. You have the chance to take part in a giant, the biggest ever, see, field study in marketing.

FIFA did an excellent job on marketing that event. They are professionals. It isn´t soccer anymore, just FIFA, but nobody will know about the difference.

OK, a German friend explained the reason behind this. In order to avoid the problems associated with drunken hooliganism, the World Cup officials decided to only serve water at the venues this year...

>the only one who mentioned "American imperialism" was Ira, and I thought it was almost tongue in cheek.<

Almost?

Soccer is big business. World Cup is big business. Beverage making is big business.

FIFA sold exclusive rights. Anheuser-Busch bid big money for it and won. German beer maker did not. End of story.

If German people don't like it, they can blame 1) FIFA, and 2) their own beer makers.

Instead, Bitburger uses lawsuits to force itself to be sold, and Anh-Busch caved in. The German people should be thankful of Anh-Busch for allowing that.

And don't worry about "American Imperialism". Say if SAB Miller had won the bid and decided to push Miller Lite at the World Cup, do you complain about that since SAB Miller is HQ'ed in London, but was originally a South African company?

Like everywhere, the motto is privatize gains, socialize costs. The Munich stadium is build with taxpayers! money too. Like Oktoberfest, the benefits go to few (big) companies, the costs are a burden for the public. The public doesn't fight these policies, because the individual person only pays litte money.

I would expect SAB miller to be very heavily involved in the next World cup in South Africa. Castle was always a perfectly drinkable lager (But only the stuff brewed in Capee Town) , but there were significant rumours about the old Apartheid government "channelling" money through SAB to "Sponsor" rebel tours during the sports boycott.

They have become another corporate monster as well.