For the second time this year, NFL regular-season games will take place on German soil. The energy-sapping journey is not only viewed positively by the players of the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs – but there is still anticipation and gratitude.

The sky over Frankfurt is gray, the wind whips mercilessly through the PSD Bank Arena. In the stadium in the Bornheim district, US rap star Meek Mill is blaring deafeningly from the speakers – probably also to give the players a boost on the pitch. Because they look heavy.

The Miami Dolphins made the almost 8,000 km journey to Germany on Monday, but they don’t seem to have really arrived yet. The part of the training session that media representatives are allowed to attend seems more like a relaxed warm-up without the final intensity

“I’m struggling, man. I’m struggling with my sleep schedule,” admitted full-back Alec Ingold candidly to the assembled media. “The travel schedule sucks,” said the newly crowned AFC Player of the Week about the long flight time including departure on Monday.

The plan to arrive much earlier than the opposing Kansas City Chiefs, who don’t board the plane to Europe until Thursday, doesn’t really seem to be working out so far. The Dolphins’ professionals across the board emphasized that they are all still struggling with the new time zone. Currently, the difference to Miami is five hours, as the clocks in the USA will not be changed until next Sunday.

While the games on home soil are the absolute highlight of the season for German NFL fans, these business trips are not only met with approval by the NFL stars. Last year, there was still the incentive to write NFL history. Everything new, everything exciting. German fans had been eagerly awaiting this day for years – and that carried over to the players. The high is now slowly being followed by everyday life – a phenomenon that is also familiar in the UK.

The London Games have been a fixture in the schedule for years. It is no secret that they are not popular with all NFL stars. The same concerns also apply to Germany. A trip to Europe is associated with travel stress and jet lag – and yet the performance on Sunday has to be just as good as at home.

“Yes, it’s annoying. I mean, we have to travel nine hours for a home game, even though our stadium is right down the street,” Chiefs receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling grumbled on “CBS.”

NFL in Frankfurt: Regeneration instead of sightseeing

Some fans might think of business trips to Europe a bit like an exciting trip with their school class. The players spend more time together than usual, strengthening team spirit and even getting to know a new culture and the sights of the host city. A romantic idea, but the reality is much more sobering.

Hill was asked what he thought of Germany so far. “I haven’t been anywhere, man. I’ve just been hanging out here and taking care of my body. I’ve been trying to drink a lot, relax and watch a bit of German TV.” The “Cheetah’s” cultural voyage of discovery is therefore at least expandable. In the end, one thing took priority: sporting success on Sunday.

However, there were also more conciliatory tones to this trip to Germany. “It feels like something we’re not really entitled to, that honors us – and that we want to live up to with full commitment and diligence,” Dolphins Head Coach Mike McDaniel said back on Wednesday.

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For McDaniel, the trip to Frankfurt is even a “historic” event. “That’s what I told Tua and the team. They should take the experience with them and enjoy being here. I also hope to see a lot here, after all, I once studied history and can experience history here. “

Defensive tackle Christian Wilkins is apparently having less trouble adjusting than his teammate Hill. He reported with shining eyes on a walk through Frankfurt’s city center.

He was particularly taken with one dish: the kebab in Germany. “That was great! I really liked it. The only small point of criticism: the portion size. “The seller warned me ‘we have smaller portions here than in the USA’. Then I looked at him and saw him put a little bit of meat in the bread. That’s when I said. ‘Come on man!””

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Defensive end Bradley Chubb, who played with the Denver Broncos in London last year before his trade to the Dolphins, would even be in favor of further expansion of the league: “I hope there’s a division here in Europe at some point.”

Hotel stool Hill also sees opportunities in the NFL’s International Games: “I enjoy every chance to play the game I love – no matter where. I love it. We have the chance to become global stars. It’s a chance to expand our personal brand. The travel schedule sucks, but we have to look at the positives.”

In the end, it’s mixed signals the Dolphins’ team is sending this afternoon. They hate the travel hardships that almost everyone is dealing with. But they also see the great opportunity that football gives them. Some seem stressed or tired, but no one is rude or ungrateful.

And they still have the experience ahead of them, which perhaps leaves the biggest impression: The German NFL fans in the stadium.