When many people think of Germany, the first thing that often comes to mind is its dark history, including the Nazi Regime that ruled during World War II. However, much has changed since then, and Germany today is one of the centerpieces of the European Union and economy. Today, the German economy, which is based heavily upon the American Wall Street, is a flourishing part of Europe. Like the United States, Germany has one of the most vast and broad media industries in the world. German-based print, radio and television deliver high-quality journalism that is widely respected by both the German public and international media experts.
             Sports take up a considerable amount of people's free time in Germany. There are more than 87,000 sports clubs affiliated with the "Deutscher Sportbund" (DSB; which is the German Sports Federation). Approximately 27 million people - nearly a quarter of the entire population - are members of a sports club, and another 12 million partake in sports independently. In all the various branches, there are approximately 2.6 million people working as coaches, trainers, physiotherapists or officials. At the 2000 summer Olympics in Sydney, Germany was ranked No. 5.
             The most popular sport in Germany is soccer, called "Fussball." Soccer is called "football" in most of Europe, while football from America is referred to "American Football". America is one of the few countries that calls the game "soccer." The German national soccer team has won the World Cup three times and came close in 2002 before losing to Brazil in the final. Germany is gearing up to host the 2006 World Cup. The all-time best-known German soccer player is perhaps Franz Beckenbauer, who is known today as the soccer "Kaiser" for his influence on the sport.
             The Grundgesetz (the German Basic Laws, which is the German equivalent of the US Constitution) guarantees freedom of faith and freedom of religion and declares that no one may be discriminat...