Hier geht's los: Sport in Bern

Bernese flag image by T. F. Mills, from FOTW Flags Of The World website at http://www.fotw.ca/flags/

From September 1998 through August 2000, I lived in Bern, Switzerland. I found no shortage of real-world sports diversions in the Swiss capital, thanks in part to two organizations:

SC Bern

This is the local Swiss Ice Hockey Federation National League A team. With a stadium full of standing, shouting, chanting, singing fans, it reminds me of a college game, but on an even bigger scale. This is what professional hockey should be like, not the half-bored when-are-we-gonna-see-a-fight atmosphere you get at most NHL games.

Cardinals Bern

This is the local club in the Swiss Baseball and Softball Federation. Swiss baseball is strictly an amateur operation. The SBSV runs four adult baseball leagues, two youth baseball leagues, a women's softball league, and a "seniors" (30+) baseball league, all "playing for the love of the game" as we used to say back in my youth. In addition to lending my infielding services to the Cardinals senior team (Joe Schlobotnik, old timer; as if turning 30 weren't bad enough), my primary contribution to the club was running their web page.