Going to play in Marbella

I've kept a journal once before, and that was okay, but I've always thought 'blogging' was really lame. I mean, who wants to read about someone else's life? But the truth is, everyone does. First it was MTV's the Real World, and then Survivor, and now there are hundreds of reality television shows on every channel where people just watch what other people are doing. Most of the time, the characters are placed into unique situations, but other times they just follow them living their lives - though I still believe the producers set up fake drama. Most recently, I've been hearing all about 'The Jersey Shore'. Now, I've never been a fan of reality TV, but this show just sounds so stupid - follow a group of 'roided out, cocky punks who live on the Jersey Shore for a summer and go "clubbing" everynight. If so many people are interested in that, then maybe a few would be interested in hearing what I will be doing in Marbella, Spain, while playing American Football for the next three months. It was enough for John Grisham to write a book about it (Playing for Pizza is a fictional story of an American going to play American football in Italy) and at the very least, it'll be an easy way to update my family and friends about how my experience is going.

So, last week I accepted an offer to play football from the Marbella Sharks American football organization. I've had an interest in going to play abroad since my junior year of college upon hearing that a few older teammates of mine at Harvard were planning to play in Italy. (They actually played for the same team that Grisham based his novel on, the Parma Panthers.) And once I read that book I was sold. The whole concept is an amazing opportunity for young Americans, and it's becoming much more popular every year and much more difficult to find a team. Each country has it's own league and its own rules but most of them only allow somewhere between 2-4 players with American passports on the team. The Americans are expected to be the leaders of the team as well as player-coaches, so they are usually paid to play, while the rest of the players from that country or other European countries are unpaid. Like usual, I've made another stupid decision and accepted the one offer that did not provide a salary, but all kidding aside, I'm confident that I made the right choice.

I could have had an all-inclusive experience in Marburg, Germany or Belgrade, Serbia, with round-trip flights paid, an apartment, food stipend, cell phone, and a small salary of about 500 Euro (~$750)/month, but instead took the deal in Marbella where I only get a room and a promise that they'll help me find a job. Why the heck would I do that? Well first of all, I've been studying Spanish since 7th grade and have always enjoyed speaking the language with other people especially in front of people who don't understand it. So it will not only be fun to speak Spanish there, but I'll also be fluent when I get back. Secondly, open a new browser window or tab, and use google maps (not mapquest, it can't compare to google) and Marbella, Spain. Living on the Mediteranean Coast is a dream. Now, about a week after I accept the offer, I get a message on Europlayers.com (it's basically the facebook of American football in Europe) from a team who I had messaged twice, a month before, with no response. This team, the Badalona Dracs (Badalona, Spain is just outside of Barcelona) is the original Spanish team who started the league 20 years ago and are offering me flights, salary, food, phone, and apartment to come play for them. I've found myself with a big decision on my hands; my first two reasons for Spain - the language and the coast - are available in Barcelona, along with a spot an established team and a good chunk of money.

I decided to stay with Marbella and although it wasn't an easy choice, I think it was the right one for a number of reasons. First, you've got the Johnny Damon affect. While my stature is nowhere near his and I don't have any actual fans and I hadn't even signed a contract with Marbella yet, I still would have felt like a sellout. I hadn't planned to do this for money, I simply knew that a little money would make it easier to survive over there. I had made an agreement with a team and to back out on my word for a few thousand dollars would have been tough on me. (And luckily I've managed to save a bit of money while teaching at my alma mater, Dracut High School, for the past couple months as a permanent substitute for a teacher on maternity leave. However, if anyone out there is interested in sponsoring me, don't hesitate to contact me.) Second, the Sharks are a young team with a bright future. I've already been appointed defensive co-captain, along with another Massachusetts native, AJ Scola, who played football at Amherst College and signed on with the Sharks about the same time as I did. After talking with him and our QB from NY, I'm confident we'll win some games. Third, the president of the team, who happens to be a fellow Ivy Leaguer, has been very honest with me throughout the process and very proactive in helping me find a job over there, as well as stressing the fact that it's a really close, family organization. And finally, in Marbella I will be playing tailback. Everyone who plays football wants the ball, so a chance to get it almost every other play was the tipping point for me. I couldn't be more excited to get over there.

My flight is late next Thursday night Jan. 21st out of Logan, and I don't arrive in Malaga, Spain until the afternoon on the 22nd. We open our season against the Sueca Ricers at home on Saturday, January 23. That gives me about 18 hours of preseason camp, compared to the usual 3 - 4 weeks that most players have. Fortunately, the rest of the team has been practicing together for a couple weeks, and I've been training hard here on my own and have been helping to develop the playbook with the other coaches via email. It's not ideal, but that's how football in Spain goes.

So check back whenever, and I'll be sure to keep this updated during my trip.