Moritz Boehringer, Wide Receiver of Schwaebisch Hall Unicorns, during a match between Schwaebisch Hall Unicorns and Vienna Vikings in Vienna, Austria, 17 May 2015. With a 45:23 victory, the team qualified for the Eurobowl for the first time. Boehringer is said to have realistic chances to be drafted during the draft in Chicago on Saturday. The 22-year-old would be the first German from the German Football League to receive a contract. Photo by: Manfred Löffler/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images
Minnesota Vikings rookie wide receiver Moritz Böhringer, a sixth-round draft pick straight out of Europe, will need some time getting assimilated to the United States and the NFL.
For now at least, he'll get a Vikings uniform showing proper punctuation of his last name (as opposed to the Americanized Boehringer):
We know how the league typically reacts to uniform deviations, so it's wise to get approval.
Those two dots comprise an "umlaut," which are frequently used in Germanic languages to indicate a vowel alteration. In the wideout's case (based on my limited linguistic knowledge), the umlaut signals that the "o" isn't pronounced like it commonly would be. Instead his name sounds more like Buhringer or Brringer.
If you're a Vikings fan, a prospective fantasy football owner or happen to be an NFL announcer, go here to familiarize yourself with the pronunciation.
The 6-foot-4, 22-year-old appreciates the league's cooperation:
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