When we think of Red Bull involvement in sport we think of New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer and a little of Red Bull Salzburg of Austria. Outside of soccer the involvement in racing now boasts two teams on the Formula One circuit but in 2009 the corporation purchased the playing license of then fifth division side SSV Markranstadt and suddenly RB Leipzig was formed with the desire of playing in and winning the Bundesliga title.
In the seven years it has taken for RB Leipzig to reach the Bundesliga many clubs from all divisions have filed complaints as to the way the club is run.
Currently there exist two clubs that were founded by corporations that ply their trade in the Bundesliga. Wolfsburg, backed by Volkswagen. Bayer Leverkusen, backed by Bayer.
Each earned their way up over the years and Leverkusen has been in the top flight for decades and has even reached a Champions League final.
With the funds at the disposal to RB Leipzig an exceptionally quick rise ensued.
In 2013-14 they played their first season in the third division and with the arrival in an all professional league established players from both second and third division were bought to continue the sporadic rise.
They earned themselves promotion to the second division becoming the first team to do so in just one season in the third division finishing in second to Heidenheim and above third place Darmstadt, who won their playoff for promotion as well.
Moving to the second division meant needing big plans for making the jump to the Bundesliga. American Terrance Boyd moved from Austrian giant Rapid Vienna for two million euros and nearly eight million on other players which meant that they were outspending more frugal Bundesliga clubs.
Another promotion did not occur as a poor finish to the season meant a fifth place finish behind Kaiserslautern, Karlsrule, Darmstadt and Ingolstadt. Considering that this was their first season in the second division they looked primed with a young and hungry squad.
2015-16 another off season where Bundesliga talent replaced players who would not cut the grade when promotion would occur Leipzig only failed in winning the league finishing in second. Promotion to the Bundesliga ensured.
2016-17 will be the first year of Bundesliga football for RB Leipzig but it is more than that.
Since the relegation of Energie Cottbus there has not been a representative in the Bundesliga from the former East German state since the 2008-09 season. Mind that Hertha Berlin’s ground is from the West Berlin side of the city while second division side Union Berlin is from the East side.
This has been mostly down to the fact that when unification occured the best of the East were picked of their best players by the rich western clubs and the fact that cities in the former East still are behind the western half of the country.
For RB Leipzig to be the first East German in nearly a decade rankles the eastern clubs and the western both.
Most clubs obey the 50+1 rule which keeps oil barons from buying a club, spending money, changing clubs which are focal points of the communities that they serve. A Jordanian prince found this out when he thought be bought controlling interest in 1860 Munich and has been rankled that he needs wait two decades before being able to obtain full control, which has only just happened to Hannover 96.
2016-17 is the first opportunity for Leipzig to taste the Bundesliga. The rest of Germany will quiver but for those in Leipzig the Red Bull Arena, the only stadium in the east to have hosted World Cup matches, will be full of fans and full of possibilities.
Get ready for James Brown’s I Got You played every time RB scores a goal.
The East finally has a team back and its in Saxony.
