By Miguel Molina, Journalism Senior

Miguel Molina was one of 15 students who participated in the Globalizing American Sports study-abroad program from the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, held Nov. 1-6, 2023 in Frankfurt, Germany. To read other stories from the program, visit here.

The moment I heard “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver play over the PA system at Deutsche Bank Park during a timeout in the NFL game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins in Frankfurt, Germany, I knew that this study abroad trip was truly special. 

When the applications opened for the “Globalizing American Sports” course at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, I sent in my form immediately. In high school, I took two years of German language classes to fulfill a requirement for college applications. Learning a new way to speak sparked an interest in the German culture and I vowed to go to the country someday. Never did I think an NFL game would be the reason I went, but I would not change it for the world.

Misfortunes into Memories

Several of my presumptions of what Germany would look like were proven wrong my first day in Frankfurt. I did not think that the country would be filled with people walking around in lederhosen, but the area surrounding the airport was much more industrialized than expected. I have been to Mexico City several times and the tall highways and buildings in Frankfurt were very similar to what I have seen there. 

A few of us got to Frankfurt earlier than the rest of the group and we had hours to spare before everyone else arrived. Impatient, we booked an Uber to the group’s hostel. Unfortunately, the hostel denied us entry to our room because it was 7 a.m. and the rooms were not ready until 11 a.m. We decided to wait in the hostel’s common areas. 

However, I learned in this moment the value of being patient. The initial plan was for all of the students to check into the hostel and then go on an orientation tour. Right before the rooms were going to be made available to us, our professor, Media Production, Management, and Technology Department Chair Roxane Coche, told us we had to meet the rest of the group at a meetup point. Obviously, the group of us at the hostel already were frustrated at the circumstances, but if we had not decided to leave the airport earlier, there would have been no issues. Lesson learned.

The tour was interesting because it was my first time exploring the city of Frankfurt on foot. I learned a lot about the history of the city and tried some local cuisine.

We then went to the hostel for a buffet-style dinner. Unfortunately, the variety of food was not great. Because I am a picky eater, I ended up eating rice, bread and a large cracker. By no means was it terrible but a lot of us were still hungry. So as a group, we all decided to try a restaurant called Jesse James and it was fun, to say the least. Although we had to sit outside because of our 15-person party, everyone seemed to love it. With all things considered and how it ended, I would say my first day in Germany was solid.

Hanging in Heidelberg

The next day, we had the amazing opportunity to meet Jens Peter Krull of the TV station RTL and Michael Schirp of the German Olympic Committee, Der Deutsche Olympische Sportbund (DOSB). Touring the DOSB was a great experience for me because I have always enjoyed watching Olympic sports. The presenters talked about what sports matter to audiences in Germany and how they go about teaching children how to play sports. I could not help but compare their findings to what we have in the United States. For example, in Germany, the number of kids playing sports has declined over the past couple of years. That number has gone down as well in the U.S. Overall, I gained insight into what it would be like to cover international sports in a foreign country.

After checking out DOSB, we traveled to Heidelberg. This was one of the biggest highlights of my trip because I got to tour a castle. In my opinion, not a lot of things can beat a castle. Also, the town of Heidelberg had several buildings that reminded me of all the stereotypical architecture of Germany. But even though some of the buildings looked familiar, our tour guide did a great job explaining the history and culture behind most of what we saw. Once we arrived at the castle, I was in awe. It was incredibly beautiful. It looked like something out of a Disney movie and it provided a great backdrop for all of us to take Instagram photos.

Getting Social with Locals

The morning of day three was something I was looking forward to since embarking on the trip. We all toured one of the biggest local newspapers in Germany, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. My first impression of the tour was “Wow, this building is massive!” I assumed that the newspaper business had heavily died down in Germany but apparently, it has not gone away as fast as it has in America. 

The conversations that we had with some of the workers were really insightful. It was cool to see how news values and newsroom ethics in the United States are very similar to what German newsrooms value. When I write web stories for ESPN Gainesville, my biggest priority is telling the truth. The same principle of being factual applies to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. 

After we met with the newspaper, my work for the Globalizing American Sports program was about to begin. One of, if not the best, part of this particular study abroad course was that I was allowed to create a project of my choice. Because I want to work in the world of sports social media, I decided to create videos surrounding the NFL in Frankfurt for ESPN Gainesville’s social channels. With my partner Journalism junio Brooke Ginaitt, we started our content journey by going to the Kansas City Chiefs tailgate known as the ChampionShip.

The Chiefs’ boat was decked out in team memorabilia from Super Bowl rings to locker-room replicas. I also got to take a picture with cheerleaders so that was pretty awesome. Overall, the boat experience was great and I think the video we made came out nicely.  

Shortly after the ChampionShip, we started interviewing some local NFL fans about their experience so far in Frankfurt. To my surprise, most Germans spoke English. However, I did prepare my interview questions in German just in case… and it came in handy a few times! 

After interviewing some people, the group all waited in line to meet Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill for an autograph. But I again learned another lesson on this trip and that is to always try something, even if it seems improbable. While in line, several members of Hill’s team forbade people from taking photos with him. But I was set on getting an interview with the Dolphins player about Fortnite of all things. He agreed to do a quick back and forth, which resulted in Barstool Sports picking up my TikTok video. I was pretty stoked to see that. 

Germany’s Take on American Cuisine

The following day was given to us to work on our projects. Because we had already done some preliminary interviews about the football game, I was able to do a little bit of tourism. Where did I go to first? I have always been fascinated by how American chain restaurants differ in foreign countries. That said, the McDonalds in Germany are very good. I have to say the sour cream, Thai chili and curry sauces are some of the best sauces I have ever had, and we need to have those here in the states.

I also went to a Kansas City Chiefs-themed Burger King. Although I did not eat the food, I made a video where I interviewed a couple of fans about their thoughts on the place. 

Gameday Experience

To kick off our last full day in Germany, we all went to the Chiefs-Dolphins game. Brooke and I made sure to get there at least four hours before kickoff to get interviews for our video ideas. The moment I was right outside the stadium, I was in shock. The NFL decided to put on a large pregame experience for fans to enjoy. There was food, music and several American football-related challenges. For example, I made a field goal, caught a football and totally landed a broad jump (I did not). 

When it was close to game time, we all went inside the stadium to watch a very entertaining game. Seeing the German fans sing American songs throughout the game was very cool. That’s when I realized how much American football means to many in Germany. From my point of view, the result of the game did not really matter to those in attendance. Everyone was simply having a great time and enjoying the atmosphere of the NFL in Frankfurt.

Final Farewell

A multiple-day trip felt like a couple of hours because of the friends I made along the way. Beyond making new friends, this course allowed me to create memories that we will all cherish for a long time.

As I mentioned, there were several things that I did learn while abroad. But the biggest thing I learned is that every culture may appear similar in some ways but are very different. As Americans, we do things a certain way and Germans may do things the complete opposite. But having been fortunate to travel to several countries, I have learned to respect and enjoy cultural differences.

Moving forward, this study abroad course has helped me to understand that there is a serious possibility of me working in a foreign market. Yes, I will most likely need to learn the language of whatever country I could work in. But after seeing the number of people who speak English in this world, I have hope that I will be able to transition smoothly.

This study-abroad course was more than just the trip. I learned. I made new friends. But most of all, I made memories that I will never forget.

Posted: December 14, 2023
Category: CJC in Frankfurt, Sports, Study Abroad Projects
Tagged as: Frankfurt, Germany, Globalizing American Sports, Nfl, NFLGermany, sports, Sports@CJC, Study Abroad, Study Abroad experience