The September 28th edition of the University Record included an article describing the International Center's American Football 101 program.
For students arriving at the University of Michigan from around the world, a fall Saturday in Ann Arbor can bring up lots of questions.
Why is everyone wearing yellow and blue? What’s the Big House? And what, exactly, does “second and 8” mean?
John Prescott and Jake Koelzer are there to help.
The two International Center staff members — Prescott is a senior international student and scholar adviser, and Koelzer is a program manager and adviser — have developed American Football 101, a 90-minute program designed to give international students a crash course in a sport and culture that can be difficult for newcomers to decipher.
At this year’s session Sept. 10 in North Quad, about 40 international students from countries including Japan, South Korea, India, China, Germany, Spain and France gathered for an American-style meal from Satchel’s BBQ and an informal lesson that covered everything from first downs and field goals to tailgating, U-M’s biggest rivalries and the importance of owning the proper U-M wardrobe.
“If you’re a new student, it’s important that before the drop-add deadline you own at least two maize or blue shirts with a block M,” Prescott joked at the beginning of the session.
He and Koelzer then solicited suggestions for colors students might want to avoid on fall Saturdays in Ann Arbor. Green, they explained, is associated with Michigan State. Red belongs to Ohio State.
The humor sets the tone for a program that is less about turning international students into football experts than giving them enough knowledge to participate in one of the most visible rituals of campus life.
“My sense is that when new international students first arrive on campus, many of them quickly recognize that something culturally significant takes place on Saturday afternoons in the fall,” Prescott said.
“The maize and blue colors everywhere, the busy streets, the tailgate parties … our goal with this workshop is to give students some understanding of and some purchase on this culture. It is a portal through which they can connect to and engage with their new home at U-M.”
A tradition of football tutorials
American Football 101 began more than a decade ago, changing locations over the years, including stops at Rackham and the Michigan Union.
One move was prompted by a memorable close call. During a session at Rackham, Prescott was tossing a football with the young son of an international student when the ball sailed perilously close to an old glass chandelier.
After that, they decided a “less historic” setting might be wise.
During the workshop, food added another element to the lesson. Students were encouraged to help themselves throughout the presentation because, as Prescott and Koelzer explained, eating with friends and family is part of the American football experience, too.
Each student also received a handout written by a reporter at the Michigan Daily, “10 tips for football gamedays,” offering another primer on local traditions — including a warning that at some point in the third quarter, they should be prepared to join more than 100,000 fans in singing The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside.”
Then came the football itself.
Starting simple
Prescott and Koelzer began with the basics: the 100-yard field, offense and defense, running and passing, touchdowns, field goals and punts. They spent considerable time on the concept they considered most essential for understanding the sport — an offense gets four attempts, or downs, to advance 10 yards.
“If there is one key takeaway from today, this is it,” Prescott told the group.
Rather than relying solely on diagrams, they showed clips from Michigan’s recent game against Western Michigan so students could see the rules in action. A Michigan fumble illustrated how possession can suddenly change. A quarterback’s elbow touching the turf just short of the goal line prompted an explanation of what constitutes a touchdown.
Making foreign concepts familiar
The students’ questions frequently led the discussion in unexpected directions: Could someone other than the quarterback throw the ball? Can a player run out of bounds and still retain possession? Why might a receiver decide not to run with the ball on a kickoff return?
The questions also revealed the challenge of teaching an unfamiliar game without overwhelming newcomers.
“Every question you ask requires a five-minute explanation because this sport is so complex,” Koelzer joked, reminding the group that this was American Football 101.
To make unfamiliar concepts more accessible, the two routinely reached for comparisons to sports their audience might already understand. Michigan’s rivalry with Ohio State was likened to FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. A punt was compared with a soccer goalkeeper sending the ball downfield. Different body types among wide receivers prompted comparisons with soccer players Lionel Messi and Erling Haaland.
Off the field
The lesson also moved beyond rules.
Koelzer, who grew up in Michigan as a U-M football fan, explained the history and traditions surrounding the program and the rivalries with Michigan State, Notre Dame and, most intensely, Ohio State.
Prescott, who grew up in the Los Angeles area, told students that before he knew much about U-M as an academic institution, he knew about the Big House, the largest stadium in the U.S.
For both, that larger culture is a key part of what students should understand.
More than 100,000 people regularly gather at Michigan Stadium on fall Saturdays, Prescott told the group, but most of them can’t explain every fine point of the game. Football Saturdays are as much about marching bands, fight songs, food, tailgates, friends and the communal atmosphere as what happens on the field.
“A lot of the energy is being a part of the atmosphere, being a part of the university,” he said.
Koelzer encouraged students to go out and experience a football Saturday — visiting restaurants, walking along State Street or Hoover Avenue — even if they don’t go to the game.
“A recurring theme in my conversations with U-M international students is their desire to connect with American students on a deeper level,” Koelzer said.
“Since American football is so ingrained in the culture of both the U.S. and U-M, we hope that understanding the game just a little better will open the door to greater connections — and, ultimately, friendships — with their American peers.”
That message may be the most important lesson American Football 101 offers. Knowing every rule is beside the point. But understanding a few of them can provide an entryway into a tradition that surrounds the U-M community throughout the fall.