The Deutschlandfunk think tank made working conditions a topic this year. And while regulated working hours, paid vacation and employment contracts are a matter of course for normal employees, professional athletes are mostly on their own. And very few athletes are millionaires. In addition, her body is her capital.
Various associations have been founded in recent years to represent the interests of athletes. One of them is the VDV, the association of contract football players in Germany. It was founded in 1987 by Benno Möhlmann, a former professional soccer player and coach in the Bundesliga. “Basically, the approach was that it bothered me that a player was occasionally asked about all kinds of football topics and was able to contribute his opinion, but it wasn’t coordinated at all. And so I just wanted to create a position that we can exchange ideas within the group of players,” said Möhlmann in the Deutschlandfunk sports talk.
Ex-basketball player Johannes Herber also campaigned more and more for the rights of athletes towards the end of his active career. Today he is the managing director of the Athleten Deutschland association, which represents the interests of German squad athletes. “There are simply power and information asymmetries between employers and associations and those who are ultimately on the pitch and perform and of course create the actual value.” He is now working with athletes in Germany to “balance the power imbalance bit by bit,” said Herber. The basic impulse, however, was “to create a platform that creates transparency among each other, that also brings athletes together and also gives a kind of feeling of solidarity.”
No unions
But neither Athletes Germany nor the VDV see themselves as a union. Also because the word union was an emotive word at the time, said Möhlmann. “I also had talks with the DAG, who would like to include us as a separate department in the trade union federation. And we didn’t do that because we wanted to remain an independent body. And we also moved away from that a bit on our own the word union because we had no intention of including collective agreements in our list of demands.”
Athletes Germany also do not use the word union in their own language. However, Herber is “not at all afraid of contact” with the term: “It has to be said that we take on tasks that are very similar to a union.”
Angry that athletes do not enjoy the same rights as other employees, Herber is not. The situation has grown historically. Nevertheless, it is the task of athletes Germany to work to ensure that professional sport is perceived as a profession. “It’s not just a hobby they’re pursuing. It’s a job they choose. It should also be provided with the appropriate security.”
“Meanwhile many trade union tasks”
Möhlmann used to hear that as a professional footballer you should actually be happy about your situation. “And that wasn’t wrong at the time either,” he said. “And it was also the case that we were doing quite well at the time, but we still had problems.” Ultimately, the VdV wanted to ensure “that those who are ultimately the main players can also contribute with their points of view and their own opinions. And now the VDV also does a lot of trade union tasks, but also tasks that go beyond that. “
On the other hand, both Möhlmann and Herber do not consider an organized strike to be feasible in sport at the moment. “So far, strikes have not been an issue, also with regard to the Olympic Games, because of course we know how much depends on these Games for the athletes.” However, Herber does not want to exclude the topic of strikes, especially in team sports. “But of course it must also be a very important concern that the athletes can be mobilized emotionally and maybe even existentially.”
Load control is an important issue
An important topic for both associations is the topic of stress control for the athletes. According to Möhlmann, while football is “already very well taken care of today”, Herber can state “that the calendar for team sports is getting fuller and fuller”. The top teams in the basketball league would play 70 to 80 games a year, but would still be in cramped buses after away games. “We simply haven’t really defined occupational safety in professional sport. Even if a national player comes back after a long summer with a national team with a six-week training camp and two or three weeks of a tournament, he has to start training again straight away at his home club. That’s what it is then the situations in which injuries happen. And there are simply no binding rules. And I would really appreciate it if you thought about it again.”
Another big issue is gender equality. It is true that men and women are equally supported by the federal government and the Bundeswehr in Germany. However, prize money in international competitions is not adjusted. “Although one has to say that there is a greater sensitivity to this and that progress is being made,” said Herber.
But especially in the major sports, the difference in prize money is striking. “Football is the best example. And the association’s argument is always that women can’t get as much of a big cake because they also generate much less. But it’s also certainly a chicken-and-egg problem because the associations up to now have also done precious little to properly promote women’s sport.”
VdV “really stabilized”
In retrospect, it was important for the VdV that the association “has really stabilized,” said Möhlmann. “It’s nice, for me too, that something like this, which was initiated at the time, is also recognized by the DFB and DFL, is part of the committees and can always bring in the players’ opinions.”
Herber’s goal with Athletes Germany is “that the framework conditions for athletes gradually improve. Of course, this also means that they have the opportunity to participate more in the income from major sporting events in order to be more socially secure. And it gives a wide range of tools on how athletes in Germany can influence these improvements. And I’m sure we’ll find good solutions.”