EudoraNews.com

When Matt Spring started playing football, he never could have imagined it would take him to a whole other world literally.

But in May, the Baker University defensive lineman strapped on the pads and journeyed to Paris.

"It's amazing how important athletics can be in anyone's life," said the 1997 Eudora High School graduate. "You have a chance to go to college, and you have the chance to travel to different states and foreign countries to share American sports with them."

Eudora High graduate Matt Spring journeyed with his Baker University teammates to play football during his summer vacation.

Spring had the chance to travel to France with about 35 players and 15 coaches and personnel from Baker to play the Paris National Team.

"We had the opportunity through international sports," said Dan Harris, Baker's athletic director. "We were invited by the Paris Flash, which is the professional team in Paris. And then we played the Paris National team and Albany State played the Flash."

Although American-style football is becoming more popular in Europe, Spring said the teams were plagued by problems with athleticism and limited knowledge of the game's fundamentals.

"They had a little bit of knowledge of American football," said Spring, who is a senior and an education major at Baker. "But you could tell they had a lot of problems."

Although international play does not count toward the team's overall record, Harris said the easy 43-7 victory over the National Team was an important one for the team.

"It was a tremendous experience for the guys," Harris said. "The game didn't really count, but I promise you the kids keep score in their heads."

But there was more to football than the game for the French athletes.

Spring said the French players were more interested in the American sports craze and the whirlwind that encompasses the United States' football stadiums.

"When we got done with our game and came out in our stuff that said Baker on it, they wanted to trade us for our stuff, no matter what it was," Spring said. "They didn't understand that we don't even own (the uniforms), that they are issued by Baker."

And the fascination didn't stop on the surface. The French were interested in the intricacies of the game as well.

"Two little boys even came up to our offensive line coach and asked for the play books," Spring said. "They are just very interested in American athletics."

As the American football craze creeps into Europe, there will be more and more opportunities for American teams to travel overseas and play the inexperienced European teams.

"Now that we have made an appearance, I think there will be a lot of opportunities for us to play overseas," Harris said. "We hope to return every three or four years. We are already looking at other sites in Germany, Italy, and one in Sweden."

In order to go on those trips, the athletes would need to raise the money needed to pay for any expenses incurred, just as they did for the trip to Paris, Harris said.

While the French were learning more about American football and athletics in general, Spring said the Baker football team was fascinated with the culture and high-life in Paris.

"We went to Notre Dame, on a tour down the Seine. We had free time to go around to little shops or any other museums and things," Spring said. "We saw the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. I thought those were really really interesting."

Spring said he opted to make the trip for the experience of a new place and a new culture, and he said it was basically what he expected it to be.

"I thought it would be a great experience," Spring said. "The people were kind of rude, but I expected it to be like New York City."

And now, after seeing all that Paris has to offer, Spring said he would like to see more of Europe.

"It's a pretty nice place," Spring said of Paris. "I don't know if I would go back to Paris. I would probably go somewhere else."