Let the Germans Win? Israeli Attitudes towards Die Mannschaft during The 2014 World Cup Tournament

To contribute to analyses of the sport-politics nexus, the study examines Jewish-Israeli attitudes toward the German soccer team and Germany. The analysis reveals that more Israelis root against the German soccer team than support it, despite the team’s impressive achievements. The analysis of attitudes toward Germany surprisingly reveals that the 18–20 age group expressed the strongest animosity towards Germany, which may indicate that Israeli government attempts to instill the Holocaust memory in the young generations perpetuates animosity between young Israelis and Germany. The study strengthens the notion that international sport games represent and extend rather than reduce international tensions.