In the Locker Room with Icke Dommisch

Max and Rob are joined by Icke Dommisch of Steelers Nation Germany to discuss the growth of the game.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, Guten tag ish Bin, Rob King, Mitt Max Starks.

Speaker 2 (00:06):
I don't know how that.

Speaker 1 (00:07):
I don't know how that works. We're joined by Ikadamish. Now, Ika,
how is my German?

Speaker 2 (00:15):
That was? That was pretty good? I thought I called
it in German show? What is happening? Oh? Please? So?

Speaker 1 (00:22):
Ikadamish is the host of the Steelers German Podcast, one
of the main on air personalities for pro Seben, one
of the main networks in Germany. He's been the NFL
guy for many years, one of the most respected voices
for the game in Germany. And before we ask you
a little bit about football in Germany, can you get

(00:43):
us caught up on what it is you're doing here
in Pittsburgh.

Speaker 2 (00:47):
This is this is a trip of a lifetime. I
think I just doing the podcast from Germany normally, but
this week I'm here in Pittsburgh for a couple of
recordings for the podcast. Had a chat with Nick Krbig
Christian kul season media person as well. That was fun.
And today I will meet, of course Germans finest with

(01:10):
the Pittsburgh selist Juius Welschow, And you know it's gonna
be fun. Sunday, the game against the Bengals. This is
a fun week for me. Yeah, it can.

Speaker 3 (01:22):
This is a fun week indeed, and uh, you know,
as you just kind of think about it, like being
able to come over here, you know, go to the team,
and like you said, having having a native countryman and
Julius west yall uh there, I know he's come over
to Germany and and done some stuff with the NFL.
You know, I believe in the off season, the past

(01:44):
off season, can you just talk about what that means
having a player from Germany on one of the teams
that you're coming to visit and uh, you know, just
that experience with them, and and the exposure of Germany
to American football. Obviously we had we had, we had
the NFL Europe in World Football leagues over there, but

(02:05):
now really seeing an earnest effort and investment into Germany
with the NFL.

Speaker 2 (02:11):
Yeah, the game is growing internationally. I think everybody knows
that even here in the US, there are games overseas,
and we had a couple of those in Germany in
recent years, starting in Munich. This year, we have been
in Berlin, the capital city of Germany, and there were
a pack stadium more than seventy thousand fans in the

(02:33):
stands and a lot of people they follow their German
homegrown players. And that's why it's so sweet that the
Steelers have Urius Vaghofs because he's from the state of
Bavaria where I live, and I met him, like you said,
in the off season when he's been to Germany, and
a lot of people are asking hosts and commentators like me,

(02:57):
how is Julius doing. And that's why it's so cool
to have access to Julius, and he tells in the
podcasts we did already together, how it is being a
Pittsburgh Steeler, how it is sharing the field with greats
like TJ. Watt, Aaron Rogers this year and this is
this is such a cool insight, and that's why people

(03:18):
start following even more with the Pittsburgh Steelers. They know
about the success in the years before, but they start
to focus following the Steelers in recent years in Germany
with the player like Julius even more.

Speaker 1 (03:32):
Well, you know, and h Ika Domishes our guest and
Ika just just I know you talked to herbig. That's
a German name Koontz, That's a German name. Welschaff obviously,
is German. Max's middle name is Weisner, mineus Schaefer. So
we've got we've got the Germany covered from this end,
I think here in Pittsburgh. So which leads me to

(03:53):
the question of how popular are the Steelers in Germany.
We know they are hugely popular in our ireland and
I know you've you've got a deep connection with everything
you've done for this year's podcasting and so on. Are
this you there's a popular team in Germany?

Speaker 2 (04:10):
They are. I can tell you I'm a Steelers fan
because when I started watching, they won the Super Bowl
with Mike Tomlin two thousand and eight. That was that
is my personal connection with the Pittsburgh Steelers because when
you start watching from overseas, you of course experienced the
successful teams first. And we started free to air American

(04:33):
football in German television around ten years ago, twenty fourteen.
That was the time when the Steelers had Big Ben
Antonio Brown Bell as the running back, the great defenders
like James Harrison. Those were impact players, those were characters,
and that's why when we started broadcasting, a lot of

(04:55):
people fell in love with the Steelers and with the
history of the city. That's the steel City. That really
connected with Germany because we have a lot of industry
as well in our country and a lot of people
really feel that the Steelers are one of the authentic
franchises in the NFL. And of course I'm right now

(05:17):
in the stadium, in the Echroasha Stadium. H Germans has
a have a big heart for stadiums and we love
that stadium and I have the view right now. It's
so beautiful. I like it well.

Speaker 3 (05:31):
And also I know that the that the Steelers had
the watch party in in the BVB Stadium in Dortmund
and you know, a couple of weeks ago against the Colts.
Can you just talk about that experience and and the
Steelers having a partnership with a team with another club
in Germany and how unique that is to be able

(05:52):
to have that. And also the Colors happen to match
as well, so we are definitely on the same page,
you know with with color choice. But just talk about
that part having a team there as a supporter of
your squad and kind of vice versa.

Speaker 2 (06:07):
Yeah, that fits right with the black and yellow and
black and gold. This is so sweet. Yeah, we had
that watch party in Dortmund and the connection is pretty strong,
and I think that is one of the key reasons
while the game is growing internationally because soccer is the
most popular sport in Germany and Borsia Dortmund is one

(06:30):
of the most popular teams and there are a lot
of players. Even Nick Herbik told me yesterday when he's
playing FIFA, the video games are big. When he's playing FIFA,
he always plays with players from Borussia Dortmund, and I
think this is the connection where both teams getting to
know each other. Players from each team following each other

(06:52):
because they're interested in different sports overseas, and the connection
with Borissia Dortmund is pretty SUCCESSFU So we had a
couple of players from boris Adortmund over here in Pittsburgh
visiting the stadium and vice versa with Miles Killerbrew. He
has been at the yellow wall. It's called we have

(07:14):
that is a special thing. We have people standing in
our stadiums. There are not seats for everyone. There is
the yellow wall where about eighteen thousand people are standing
and watching the whole game and they are jumping and singing.
And Miles Kilbrow had that experience and he said that
was one of the most impression, most impressive experience he

(07:37):
had ever in a sports venue. And I think that's
where both franchises really connect. It's the passion about the team.
It's in Dortmund, it's the same. This is the team
of the city Dortmund, and this is where the connection
really really is, really is good and makes sense.

Speaker 1 (07:57):
Well, I know you have a very tight schedule. Thank
you for your time today. We give you a donka
Shane Uh for your time today with us. Thank you
very much. Enjoy the rest of the U of your trip.
Are you going to be up in the Are you
going to be up in the press box on Sunday?

Speaker 2 (08:15):
Sure? I will look out for you guys, and Uh
make a quick make a quick hello Will. I will
look forward for that game. This is nice. The Uncle
bowling number two, the first one was was impressive. I'm
looking forward for that.

Speaker 1 (08:30):
Petersay, my friend, thank you very much.

Speaker 2 (08:35):
It was a blessing. Joe, thank you very much.

Speaker 1 (08:40):
Ikodamas