On day three of the trip we visited the university of Miami (go hurricanes!). They had just played a major final in college football against the University of Indiana and were going to show us how it came about that college football is the second most watched sport in the country after the NFL. This statement shocked me to my core because to my European mind it just does not compute that anyone would rather watch a bunch of barely legal kids throw a ball than adult professionals who have been honing their craft for a lot longer. But I guess the US just loves American football that much and therefore consume it in all its forms.
We got a whole tour of the training facilities and grounds that the university offers to their student athletes- not just American football but basketball, baseball and tennis too. It is fascinating to witness the power of money and sponsorship first hand in these examples because without donations this form of support of sports would simply be impossible. Again comparing these lived experiences by thousands of students across the states to my experience in Germany was astonishing. My university has lucky if 15 people willingly came together to play under their name. People would rather join a local club than represent a university because there is nowhere for that to go. But in the US student athletes are set up to succeed. In Europe you kind of smile at them pityingly. It is crazy how different these career choices are considered by the two regions. In Europe if you haven’t made it as a professional athlete by the time you finish high school the general consensus is that it’s too late, whereas the US will not allow children into the pro leagues without at least attending two years of university. I think this is actually a great initiative due to the high risk of injury. This way the athletes have something to fall back on should they not be able to play out a long career in their respective sport.
After that tour we took a private trip to Miami Beach. The weather wasn’t great but it was nice to see the ocean and walk along the beach. We also experienced some of Miami’s most iconic landmarks so it was very cool to see those in person.
