By Alyssa Infante, Advertising Junior

Alyssa Infante 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.

Though traveling around the world has always been one of my main aspirations, it has never been something I have had the opportunity to do. Before this study-abroad trip to Frankfurt, Germany, I had only ever left the country on a cruise, leaving my passport alone on my desk longing to fulfill its purpose. This past summer, when I saw the post for a CJC trip to Germany for the Kansas City Chiefs vs Miami Dolphins game, I knew this was my chance to finally give my passport the action it deserves.

I was nervous before class started because I wanted to make sure I wasn’t completely clueless regarding everything about football. So, I decided the first step would be listening to a podcast. Luckily, the New Heights podcast featured one of the Chiefs players, Travis Kelce. With each listen of the latest episode, I fell down the wormhole of American football. 

Preparing, Pitches and Packing

Soon after the class started, all my nerves were put to rest. Everyone in the class felt familiar and quickly accepted me into their family. This is led by Media Production, Management, and Technology Department Chair  Roxane Coche, who allowed me to feel at ease by reassuring my parents that this trip would be one of the best experiences of my life. 

The biggest part of preparation for this trip was coming up with a pitch for my project. I knew that I wanted to do something that hit close to home since my home team — the Miami Dolphins — would be playing in the upcoming game. Lucky for me, my teammates Rebecca Friedman and Ryan Hirsh had the same idea in mind. 

We all decided that the best way to pay homage to our home team would be to write a paper comparing a Dolphins home game in Miami to a Dolphins game in Frankfurt. The game against the Carolina Panthers at the Dolphins home stadium was quickly approaching as we decided on this project. Before I knew it, tickets were purchased, and I had an excuse to go visit my family for the weekend. 

Traveling, Tapas, and Tours

The first aspect of travel required a route I was familiar with. I have made the drive from Gainesville to Miami more than I can count, but this journey came with its own excitement. Once we arrived, we quickly got into action, dividing and conquering who would interview who and what were the key points of the game to focus on. I decided the best place to see a real Miami Dolphins fan would be no other than Flanigans. Now if you’re from South Florida, you know that besides the stadium itself, Flanigans, with several locations across the county is the next best place to watch a game.

Nothing reinforced my excitement for the trip to Germany than to see the electric energy that consumed the entire building. I became eager to experience a game in a foreign country.

Before I knew it, two and a half weeks passed and I was meeting half of our class at the Gainesville airport leaving for Frankfurt. From meeting the Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleaders at the airport to finally landing in Frankfurt I felt as if I was living a dream.

Once we landed, all of the jet lag subsided, and we jumped right into a bus and walking tour, where we continued to build that excitement that had been festering for so long. We started with a tour just to get to know the city and the following days would be filled with tours and conversations I will never forget. 

Looking back on this trip, I think that it has helped me to grow professionally and personally. I have always wanted to work in advertising, but I never knew what I wanted to focus on or what a future career looked like to me. This trip provided me with a much better perspective of the world I hope to find myself working in. 

It amazes me to see how far I have come throughout this class. It is crazy to me to think that only a couple of months ago, I had barely traveled out of Florida or even the U.S. to dive into German culture trying new foods, meeting lifelong friends, and gaining an unforgettable experience. 

As a rising senior, I am not sure what the future holds for me, but I do know that one thing I will bring up in every interview is how this trip shaped me into a well-rounded individual with a new appreciation for the world around me. 

This opportunity was one that I will always be grateful for, and the experience and perspective it gave me is one that I will cherish for the rest of my life.

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