12 Questions avec Selina Bank
Selina Bank est animatrice et rédactrice chez ENERGY Munich. Autour des Munich Ravens, elle a déjà vécu à quel point le football américain peut être fort comme expérience live, communauté et sujet média. Dans 12 Questions, elle parle de son parcours dans la radio, de la bonne animation, de l’ambiance football, des réseaux sociaux, de la Ravens Crowd et de son souhait de voir ce sport gagner en visibilité à Munich et en Allemagne.
Pour Selina Bank, le football américain est plus qu’un match : stratégie, événement, musique, fans et émotions se rencontrent. La proximité de la communauté et l’atmosphère autour des Munich Ravens l’ont particulièrement marquée.
Selina, you are a host and editor at ENERGY. How did you originally get into the media and radio world?
Like many people after school, I asked myself: What am I good at? The answer was fairly simple: talking. I like to talk, a lot, and I love entertaining people. So I thought: why not turn exactly that into my profession? That idea very quickly became my passion, and today I cannot imagine doing anything else.
What makes good hosting for you, especially when sport, entertainment and emotions come together?
Authenticity. I want to see or hear hosts who truly feel along with what is happening. People who celebrate a touchdown, get nervous during close decisions or are surprised by a moment. Of course, knowledge is part of it, but emotions are what make sport truly tangible. Small slips or mistakes are part of it too, and they make everything much more relatable.
You have already had points of contact with American football and the Munich Ravens. How have you personally experienced this sport?
At first you might think: why are these big players just running into each other? But the more you engage with it, the more exciting it becomes. The strategies, the plays and the many different roles on the field — every play has a plan. That interaction is what makes football so fascinating to me. And if you get the chance to experience a game live, you absolutely should.
What makes American football different from other sports for you when it comes to atmosphere, fans and event feeling?
Football is incredibly unpredictable. In one single second, a game can completely turn around. Sometimes one play is enough and suddenly the whole result looks different. That keeps the tension there until the end, and you constantly feel like you could miss something if you look away for a moment. On top of that, the football community often feels more like a big family than a classic fan scene. People come together before the game, celebrate and connect, even if they did not know each other before. That mix of community, event and sport creates an atmosphere you rarely experience like that.
ENERGY Munich is a media partner of the Munich Ravens. How important are radio and social media in getting new people excited about football?
Radio and social media are very important when it comes to getting people excited about football. On the radio, you can transport emotions through stories and ideally create a first feeling for the sport. Social media then makes it visible, with pictures and videos of spectacular plays and real stadium atmosphere. Many people discover new interests through social media today. If they stumble across such a moment, it can quickly become the start of a new sporting passion. Once you have seen it, something often stays with you.
You also hosted a Super Bowl watch party connected to the Ravens. What do you remember most about that event?
What stayed with me most was that family feeling. It did not feel like I was hosting in front of many strangers, but more like being in a big living room full of football enthusiasts. Fans, players and coaches all came together, celebrated and enjoyed the evening. That community is exactly what makes football so special for me — that closeness and energy in moments like that is something very special.
American football is strongly shaped by show, music, stadium feeling and community. Is that why this sport fits a station like ENERGY so well?
Yes, absolutely. Football has a huge event character for me. It is not only about sport, but also about music, emotions and the shared experience. In my view, that also fits ENERGY very well. When I am at a Ravens game, it often feels like a big event or concert: people come together, celebrate something they are passionate about and take shared memories home with them.
Many people in Germany are only just discovering football. What needs to happen for the sport to become more visible and easier to understand?
Football mainly needs to become something people can experience. People should have the chance to see the sport live or try it themselves. The Munich Ravens are already doing a lot, for example with campaigns in the city such as branded bicycle seat covers to make themselves and the sport more visible, or with camps where young people train with players and coaches and get to know the sport directly. At the same time, there need to be more explanations for beginners. Anyone watching for the first time often does not immediately understand terms like down or false start. But once the sport is explained a little, you quickly realise how much fun it is and that you automatically want to learn and understand more.
How do you perceive the football community in Munich, especially around the Munich Ravens?
If anyone knows how to create atmosphere, it is the Ravens Crowd. With raven costumes, blue-dyed beards, drums and chants, you get pulled in immediately. For Munich itself, I hope the community keeps growing and becomes even more vibrant. Football lives from energy, passion and emotions — and there can definitely be even more of that here.
Women in sports hosting and sports media are becoming more visible. How do you personally experience that development?
Passion has no gender. Of course, preparation and knowledge are important, but enthusiasm for the sport is the most important foundation. If that is there, it should not matter who is behind the microphone. I would like to see more women commentators and reporters in sport in general, because there is still a lot of potential there.
If you had to explain to someone why they should watch a football game live, what would you say?
Anyone who does not do it is missing out. Football live is a completely different experience than watching it on television. The speed, the physicality, the atmosphere, the music, the cheerleaders and the emotions on the sideline all feel much more intense on site. You can really feel the energy of the players and coaches too, and it immediately carries over to everyone watching. Sitting still is basically not an option.
What do you wish for the future of American football in Munich and Germany?
I wish for football in Germany to keep growing and establish itself long term. I hope even more people give this sport a chance, get to know it and discover how much passion, strategy and community it contains. For Munich, I wish for full stadiums, a growing community and future generations growing up with football as naturally as many grow up with soccer today.
Un grand merci à Selina Bank pour ses réponses ouvertes et son regard depuis les médias, l’animation et la communauté.