NBA in Paris: Talking Basketball Across the Pond

By Pat O’Donnell, Journalism Senior

If you told me a year ago I’d be in Paris for an NBA game through the UF College of Journalism and Communications, I’d never have believed you.

But I did exactly that in January. 

I’ve now crossed the pond for the first of hopefully many times. Needless to say, it was the experience of a lifetime.

For me, the highlight of the program was easily our group tour of Stade de France. I mean, come on, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal beat France to win the 2016 Euro there.

Going to Europe for the first time was enough for me, but this visit of France’s largest stadium sent the journey over the top.

The relationships I made with my fellow Paris classmates are something I’ll cherish.

I knew a handful of the other students before the program, but we all got to know each other and became friends fairly quickly. Without them, I can’t imagine I would have enjoyed this French week as much.

As for Paris itself, I can’t wait to go back.

I am a fan of the food for the most part, but there were a few things I simply couldn’t stomach, especially a duck filet crepe with goat cheese and caramelized apple. Still, it was worth trying.

One thing that stood out was the lack of water. Coming back to the States, I felt like I had just gone a week without water. Wine is the norm I guess, and the French seem to have no problem with that!

For my class project, I think there are a number of things I could have done better. First, I should have talked to more people. This experience was a solid reminder that one can never have enough sources.

Speaking with people in the lone Parisian NBA store was quite the experience, though. I learned about their perspectives of the game of basketball and the NBA in general. What became obvious is soccer is still king in France, but basketball has a unique popularity with a number of French NBA players and of course, Michael Jordan.

Just the idea of how different sports are perceived across the world is fascinating to me.

One other tweak I would make to my story is finding a more specific angle. I’m not sure what exactly I would have pivoted to, but I think there was something to make our story unique from the others. Instead, it felt like we had a relatively similar story to others, but it’s still something I’m proud of.

Moving forward, I hope to take my experiences from Paris to the real world.

I feel I handled transitioning to another culture and navigating a language barrier pretty well, both of which are very important in this field.

I realized I’d love to cover sports abroad. The pinnacle of club soccer is in Europe, and to cover it as an American would be an incredible opportunity.

Posted: March 13, 2023
Category: NBA in Paris
Tagged as: Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons, NBA in Paris, Paris, Sports Journalism and Communications, Sports@CJC, Study Abroad