Struggling Against Obsolescence
The German national soccer team specializes in tournaments. Analyst Philipp Selldorf wrote in Süddeutsche Zeitung that Germany’s defeat in the first match reflected a theoretical prediction in sociology of an aging society.
Fans of the German team wearing clothes with the colors of the German national flag react during a public viewing event at the "Fanmeile" area in front of Berlin\'s landmark Brandenburg Gate on June 17, 2018, during the Russia 2018 World Cup Group F football match between Germany and Mexico.
The German national soccer team specializes in tournaments. For them, defeats are nothing to worry about. Instead, they use their defeats as lessons to guide them to the finals. Yet that creed has come into question after Germany’s defeat by Mexico at their first match in the World Cup 2018.
After the defeat, the squad under coach Joachim Löw faced an onslaught of criticism. The 58-year-old coach was urged to change his strategies to bring the team to the finals. It seems that he needs to be reminded of an old German sociological maxim: If someone fails, it is not because he truly fails. Instead, it is because his way of thinking is obsolete and outdated.