The constellation is unique: Anton Stach plays for Mainz 05 in the German Football League, his sisters Emma and Lotta are top basketball players, their father Matthias is a TV commentator. They have a lot to tell.
The disparity between football and basketball is stark in terms of media exposure and the resulting earning potential. The topic is the focus of a 90-minute video call with Anton Stach (23) in Mainz, Emma Stach (25) in Athens and Matthias Stach (59) in Buchholz in der Nordheide.
A sporty family
Anton is a U-21 European champion and Olympic participant, national player Emma moved from A3 Basket Umea in Sweden to Panathinaikos in Greece this year. Lotta (19), who was absent from the interview, plays for the Gisa Lions in Halle an der Saale in the Bundesliga and is an U-20 national player.
“The gap is extreme. Especially because the girls have invested just as much in their sport since their earliest youth! But everyone also knows that this is the market. The nice thing is that there is no envy at all, but rather joy and support. And Anton has already said a few times that of course it’s unfair?”, Matthias Stach describes the huge discrepancy between the sports.
Fatherly criticism in chat
When Emma became a senior international and Lotta an U-20 international, the public took little notice. When Anton made his U21 debut, was called up for the Olympics and became a Bundesliga player, the attention was all the greater. The stability in the family is not changed by this imbalance. After the matches, everyone exchanges ideas with each other, with father Matthias known for his critical words in the family chat.
The sport is in the foreground for all of them. The Stach siblings were born with it. The former ranked tennis player travelled to over 100 Grand Slam tournaments as a journalist, commentates on other sports on TV besides tennis, football and swimming.
