Football is the most watched sport in The United States. 64% of the American population watches it consistently. However, since the birth of American football in 1869, it’s been virtually unheard of in other countries. Now in the 21st century, American football players, fan bases, and leagues are popping up all over the world. Russian, Chinese, and British teams have started to compete in their respective countries. This growth shows promise of football becoming an international sport.

George Maguire ’16 saw this development first hand, when in August, 2014 he left his home in Colorado and began a journey to Beijing, China, where he would live abroad his junior year and learn about Chinese culture. “I boarded a 12 hour flight with 40 other students I didn’t know.” For most people it would be hard to make friends quickly, but because of a common interest in soccer, it was easy for George to befriend the 40 other SYA (School Year Abroad) students. While he was there, his core classes were in English, but still had several classes geared towards learning the language.

George said the only thing that could have improved his experience would have been “learning and studying the language prior to the trip, instead of having to focus primarily that, I could have enjoyed and understood the culture more in depth.”

George was planning on playing football for Regis his junior year, but when he was accepted last minute to study in China for a year, he had to put that on hold. He resolved to practice in Beijing, so when he returned, he could play his last year at Regis Jesuit. He packed a few footballs in his bag, hoping to find time to train on his own.

Fast forward to after a month of living in China, George is practicing his kickoffs after school, and is approached by one of his schoolmates. “He was a really big kid, looked like he was probably 30 years old,” He asked George if he wanted to play on the football team. George took the opportunity, and for the rest of the junior season, he played kicker for the BNU High School #2.

Although George isn’t the biggest kid in America, his size was definitely an advantage in China. His plans of kicking for the team were slightly altered. “Because of my size, I was asked to play cornerback as well as kick.” George was happy to help the team in any way possible.

After a year of playing football in China, George Maguire returned to kick for Regis Jesuit, and will be challenged in the weeks to come as Regis Jesuit will rely on his kicks during their playoff run.