nfl experience

This weekend my team had the opportunity of hosting a football tryout for the NFL. Everyone affiliated with the program was excited all week because American coaches were coming to teach and evaluate players from all over the globe. I was excited to be able to see the NFL´s foreign relations that Roger Gooddell has publicized in his first year in office.
Saturday morning I went with the coach of our program to escort the players and training staff from their dorms outside of Barcelona to our facilities in Barbara. We are one of two clubs that have a football field in Spain, and it is due to the community support.
Barcelona like many other Mediterranean cities and towns is a family oriented society. The grandparents pick up their grandchildren from school, while it is not uncommon to live at home into your thirties. People believe that sports are an integral part of a child’s development and like everything else they make it a family affair. In contrast to the United States were the games are competitions between schools and private foundations, sports in Barcelona are held in the town community centers that contain fields, gyms, pools, archery rings among many others sports. Games are traditionally held on Saturdays, a day reserved for family and friends to get together. Matches become small parties were after the game everyone goes to the local bar (café) to eat, drink, and relax.
This weekend the NFL had the opportunity to help salvage a little of the support they lost after the failure of NFL Europe. One could see the day would be a long one when all the players against instructions from the town staff marched from the buses across the town’s brand new track with their cleats. The coaches immediately started drills; the culturally diverse players were suited up in their respective club uniforms and had an air of arrogance about them. The only NFL offices in Europe are currently located in London, so they took care of providing the all English training staff. The training staff upon arrival proceeded to order the town staff around to fulfil all of their needs, while chastising in English the incompetency of their work. Over the course of the day many people from the town showed up to watch with their kids. I have to give respect to a DB´s coach from Monroe, Louisiana during breaks would interact with the people and try and teach the kids how to throw a football. All other coaches and staff displayed the royal treatment to everyone in attendance. Practice concluded with the buses pulling up at the back of the field and everyone leaving as quickly as they came. The town was left with a torn up field and a track strewn with trash and debris.
Sunday hoped to provide a little excitement on my part, wishing the last day of camp would enable the coaches and players to correct their mistakes, I was dead wrong. The players and coaches showed up earlier then expected trampling the track and had their practice. Practice concluded and everyone left for the airport to catch their planes back to were they came from.
This weekend I had false hope for the American identity abroad as well as for the positive steps that the NFL could make in Europe. Players on my team only wanted footballs because you are not able to purchase a good one here in Spain. I believed that the town wanted a show, which they should have received for their efforts. Instead of spreading the game we love and cherish Americans and the British showed indifference to the people of Spain.
One thing really got me thinking, why do these people that represent the NFL have such an arrogance about them in a foreign country? 1 player at the tryouts played on the practice squad of the Seattle Seahawks and as Allen Iverson so eloquently stated, “practice, were talking about practice”. 1 of the coaches was reportedly the quarterbacks coach at Notre Dame and after last year’s performance he might as well be coaching penguins to fly in Antarctica. What have the British provided to the game? Two of the trainers in attendance of the Giants vs. Dolphins game this past season were to drunk to remember anything that happened. Cheers! (they do have a shirt) Instead of a celebration of sport and a great chance to educate the world, the people of Barbara received a bunch of pompous Rudy’s.(the glorified practice player in the movie of the aforementioned name, played by an actor better known in his role as the Hobbit Sam Ganji in the Lord of the Rings). The field now cannot be practiced on for at least a week, while the track will remain with the holes as the only way to remember the people of the NFL. It seems that the NFL has moved into the realm of many large businesses were money and profit secede their values and product. As I kid I looked up to NFL players and I still do in a lot of ways, the work that many of them do on and off the field should be applauded. For an NFL tryout the same conduct should be expected as for the players in the league. If you want to be an NFL player learn to act like one from the very beginning because if you ever make it you are going to be a role model for kids everywhere.
Not one player/ kid received a ball during the weekend which is the simplest gift to give. In the future if the NFL actually wants to spread globally put some time in and study the culture and be gracious to your hosts. This weekend I was ashamed of the presentation of football in Spain and the people of Barbara deserve an apology. This small culture of football in Europe only wants to be recognized and most importantly learn. If the NFL intends to have a super bowl abroad I hear that Moscow is nice in February and they can include a bottle of Smirnoff and one of those cool looking tank hats with the ear flaps in their gift bags, I will be front and center.

nfl experiance

update

I just wanted to add a little tid bit we lost our first game by 7 to number one team in the league. i have pictures and video to load and a full write up on the week that i will post in a bit, i do not have the correct converter for my electronics so anyone trying to reach me i will be checking my email at a cafe once every couple of days until it gets here. i am having a great time and the people are great, saturday me and some guys are going to the presidents of the teams disco you are only allowed to wear underwear and it is 4 stories, should be pretty interesting. catch you all soon.

first run

This is my firs entry into this blog, i am giving this a test run to see how it works out. I am leaving in a few days and have just found out that i am participating in my first game in 7 years two days after i arrive. I will be tired, but i believe it will be an opportunity to gain the confidence of my fellow teammates. To be honest i am somewhat nervous, but very excited to see what the competition is going to be like. I am so excited to have the opportunity to participate in an organized sport once again. Lets see how it goes. I will be updating this regularly while i am playing and coaching as well as uploading videos and pictures from the team and the sites.