From Reuters (via of something called the Macon Daily):

BERLIN (Reuters) - The combination of nail-biting soccer matches and crowds of beer-swilling males could mean hefty profits for Germany’s sex industry.

It is deploying an army of prostitutes to satisfy the needs of libidinous fans during the month-long 2006 World Cup.

Some 1 million foreign visitors are expected to flood into Germany from June 9 and many expect large numbers of male spectators to wind down after a match in the arms of a prostitute or in the red light districts of the 12 host cities.

Hamburg’s St. Pauli quarter, the country’s largest and most famous red light district, is bubbling with optimism that it could be a bumper season for the legal sex industry.

In a related story, the city of Seattle is bracing for six months of chronic weeping and alcohol-induced erectile dysfunction as the Seattle Mariners begin their 2006 season.