wiegie Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 When my wife first heard of Ben Roethlisberger she (proudly) announced that his last name was Swiss. Then today she was speaking with her parents and they told her that Roethlisberger's current trip to Switzerland has been in the Swiss news everyday. In case you are interested in what he is doing, here goes: 9. May 2006, Swissinfo "Big Ben" Roethlisberger comes home American football star Ben Roethlisberger has set many records in his few years as a professional athlete. He has recently added another: youngest Swiss ambassador. In his new role, Roethlisberger was invited to see his ancestral home for the first time by the organisers of the government:run campaign, Swiss Roots, designed to promote Swiss:American relations. The big day kicked off with a news conference called for 10am in a school gymnasium in the community of Lauperswil, which groups a handful of sleepy villages and hamlets set amid the green hills of the Emmental countryside. The Pittsburgh Steeler quarterback and his entourage showed up at 10.30am but his late arrival was a blessing in disguise. The American reporters had time to ask their Swiss counterparts about Swiss culture and customs, while the local journalists tried to come to terms with the alien sport of American football. Little attention was paid to the speeches made by Swiss officials, including the local mayor, who presented a laundry list of statistics about the community Karl Roethlisberger abandoned 133 years ago for a better life in America. But in a nod to the athlete, Bendicht Loosli, or "little Ben" as the mayor was dubbed for the occasion, said Lauperswil's pure air and high:quality local produce, such as its cheese, helped "produce strong men and women". The cameras started flashing when the 24:year:old got his turn to speak. Big Ben used superlatives to describe his first impressions of Switzerland. "Amazing" he said, and the scenery was "like out of a dream or movie". One in a million Roethlisberger is, quite literally, one in a million, which is the number of US citizens who reportedly have Swiss ancestry. But only a few are household names, making the quarterback a public relations dream come true. The pictures Americans will see of Roethlisberger's brief tour of Switzerland will reinforce the positive, albeit clichéd, image most still have of the country: Ben sightseeing with his family in Bern and Lucerne, holding up a slab of Swiss cheese, and shaking hands with locals outside the broad:roofed farmhouse in the picturesque hamlet where his great:great grandfather lived. "It helps Americans to see that there are different cultures out there and different worlds and thank goodness there are places that aren't so crazy about American football and places that put sports into perspective," said one of the American journalists, David Fleming, of the US sports network, ESPN. But without the fame and fortune that comes with being football's premier playmaker, nobody would have gone to the trouble of re:opening the slim chapter on the life of a poor 19th:century émigré. Blue:eyed and balding The original document permitting Karl Roethlisberger to travel to the United States shows that he was 32, blue:eyed and balding ? and more importantly had no outstanding debts. "When we came over the hill, we realised he probably looked at these very same things," said a clearly touched Ken Roethlisberger, Ben's father. "I can see how a person could live here, it's amazing." Overlooked by most of the journalists was the presence at the farmhouse of Otto Roethlisberger. The 95:year:old was one of the distant relatives invited to the event to be introduced to the American celebrity. "My father knew his great:great grandfather and we were aware that part of the family emigrated but we didn't keep in touch with them," the elderly man said of the time when poverty was widespread and many Swiss had no choice but to start new lives abroad. He said he did not get much of a chance to speak with the American and that a translator had to aid in the introductions, but he did get to present the young man with a family heirloom, a small watch from 1912. "I heard he likes watches," he said. In return, the organisers of the event hope that Big Ben's visit will pay dividends, inspiring others with Swiss roots to rediscover their homeland. http://www.nzz.ch/2006/05/09/eng/article6700189.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menudo Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 When my wife first heard of Ben Roethlisberger she (proudly) announced that his last name was Swiss. Then today she was speaking with her parents and they told her that Roethlisberger's current trip to Switzerland has been in the Swiss news everyday. In case you are interested in what he is doing, here goes:http://www.nzz.ch/2006/05/09/eng/article6700189.html 1458766[/snapback] Read this in the Post-Gazette earlier this morning, but, decided not to post it, as part of my 8-step plan of recovery in Not-posting-everything-I-See-About-The-Steelers Anonymous or NPEISATSA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randall Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 (edited) "One in a million Roethlisberger is, quite literally, one in a million, which is the number of US citizens who reportedly have Swiss ancestry. But only a few are household names, making the quarterback a public relations dream come true. Only 200-250 american are Swiss? This town in Wisconsin has more than that. Edited May 9, 2006 by Randall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godtomsatan Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 Read this in the Post-Gazette earlier this morning, but, decided not to post it, as part of my 8-step plan of recovery in Not-posting-everything-I-See-About-The-Steelers Anonymous or NPEISATSA. 1458769[/snapback] I bet you clipped out the photo of Ben and the cheese though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Menudo Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 I bet you clipped out the photo of Ben and the cheese though. 1458966[/snapback] You're starting to get on my nerves...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godtomsatan Posted May 9, 2006 Share Posted May 9, 2006 You're starting to get on my nerves...... 1458971[/snapback] I know, I'll stop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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