Bold Moves Are the Best Moves

When we traveled to Germany recently, I wasn’t sure how we’d be received by the Europeans.  It’d been 8 years since we traveled abroad.  Given all that has transpired in the world during that time, I planned to proceed with caution.  I repacked multiple times and debated how much Chiefs attire to take, not wanting to call too much attention to us.

When we reached Customs in Frankfurt with 200 other fans and cheerleaders proudly donning red & gold, the only question we got was, “Do you have an extra ticket to the game?”  The agent told us how difficult it was for Germans to get a ticket to the first-ever NFL game played in Frankfurt, the Chiefs vs Dolphins. 

As Chiefs season ticket holders, we were lucky to have the first opportunity at the presale in June, but we didn’t realize how sought-after the tickets were in Germany.  Deutsche Bank Park only seats 48,000, about half the size of most NFL stadiums in the US. Within 2 minutes of tickets going on sale, 1.4 million were in the Ticketmaster queue, and it sold out within 15 minutes.  

The first night we found a quaint pub and met 3 NFL-crazed fans with no apparent team loyalty.  One was wearing a Packers’ hat with a Bill’s sweatshirt.  They clearly weren’t Americans.  We soon discovered Chris & Eddie, two Germans from Bremen, traveled over 5 hours by train without tickets to the game, only to enjoy in the NFL-atmosphere of the weekend.  Carlos was on a business trip from Mexico and just met the friendly, NFL fanatics outside the pub.

We shared stories of NFL experiences over beers and soon started learning about their families.  When Carlos Facetimed his wife and asked all of us to wave hello, I told him I’d hang up on him.  There’s nothing worse than a bunch of drunks telling me to have a good time when I’m sober, not to mention over 5,000 miles away with no chance of partaking in the fun.

We eventually learned Chris’ wife, Karin, probably wouldn’t appreciate that call either.  She was meeting their first foreign exchange student in the morning which conflicted with this boys’ trip that was planned months in advance.  I found it funny her name was Karin, even though she doesn’t spell it like the stereo-type meme that has become associated with the name in the US.  (Apologies to the awesome birth given Karens I do know!)

Chris was intrigued and wanted to learn more.  While his English is better than some Americans, it was difficult to translate the meaning, especially without offending his wife.  We exchanged contact info, and he said he was going to research it to share with his Karin. We texted each other multiple times the day before the game and decided to meet outside the stadium for a beer before kick-off, since they couldn’t get inside. 

That evening in our hotel bar for our usual final, final, a fellow Chiefs fan told us Germans didn’t have access to the secondary ticket market because their IP addresses were blocked.  If they missed their 15-minute opportunity in June, there was no other avenue for tickets.  I quickly jumped on StubHub and found just 400 tickets for sale.

My brother-in-law suggested we buy 2 tickets for our new German friends.  After a couple of clicks, I texted Chris to let him know we could now meet “inside” the stadium.  It was 1am, and they were already in their hotel.  He immediately responded asking if this was some cruel joke made by a “Karen.”  He eventually believed me and said we should all wait to surprise Eddie at the game. I turned off my phone and went to sleep only to wake to a plethora of messages from a man crying with tears of happiness.  He couldn’t keep it from Eddie any longer.

They made it inside the stadium before we did and sent numerous videos of gratitude until we finally met them.  To see and hear the excitement they felt was beyond anything I could put into words.  I wanted so badly to buy a ticket for the Customs agent and the other fans we’d met that just wanted a chance to see an NFL game, something we take for granted every Chiefs’ home game.  The only other moment that came close to that during the game was when the entire stadium belted out “Country Roads” in unity.

Every Chiefs’ gameday since, I receive texts and voicemails from Chris & Eddie reminiscing about the time we gifted them with what they remember as an experience of a lifetime, even when it is 2am in Germany.  We’ve shared family holiday traditions and discussed the places and times we will meet again.  A simple gesture has created friendships across the pond. Friendship and good times are universal.