A 98 Year-Old, Member-Run Soccer Club in America? Meet Fort Wayne S.C. Plus: Eurovision!

A 98 Year-Old, Member-Run Soccer Club in America? Meet Fort Wayne S.C. Plus: Eurovision!

Author: Philipp Gollner May 26, 2025 Duration: 1:09:59
Fort Wayne is a city of around 260,00 in the very east of the northern half of Indiana. Like many mid-sized midwestern cities, it has been shaped by the industrialization of the late 19th century, immigration waves from Western, Central and Southeastern Europe until the 1920s and from the rest of the world today, deindustrialization after World War 2, the decline of urban America as well as revitalization more recently. It also has a soccer club, founded by German immigrants...

Hosted by Philipp Gollner, The Assistant Professor of Football: Soccer, Culture, History. is for those who feel the sport’s true depth lies far beyond the final score. This podcast digs into the rich soil from which the global game grows: the local histories, fan subcultures, and political undercurrents that shape its unique character, especially when viewed from an American perspective. Each episode functions like a seminar, with a different expert joining as a "visiting professor" to guide a deep, critical exploration of a specific topic. You’ll hear discussions that treat soccer not just as a spectacle, but as a powerful lens on society, place, and travel. The conversations are unafraid to examine the sport’s role within larger systems, including its operation as a massive commercial enterprise. It’s a European-guided journey through the complexities of the world’s game, designed for listeners who already love soccer but crave a more substantive understanding of its cultural weight and historical echoes. Tune in for a thoughtful, academic-adjacent treatment that connects the dots between the pitch and the wider world.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

The Assistant Professor of Football: Soccer, Culture, History.
Podcast Episodes
"Lost a Bet:" Soccer, Gambling, Addiction - and the Power of Recovery [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:54
Thomas Melchior placed his first soccer bet in 2005. He was addicted to gambling for 13 years, and imprisoned for the crimes he committed in his addiction. Now, he stands in front of stadiums on gamedays around Europe to…
Soccer History is American History [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:13:30
In the US, the big soccer boom is always supposedly around the corner. The most recent example: right now, in the lead-up to next year's World Cup. But that waiting until the beautiful game is the "number 1 sport in the…