PARIS (AP) — Hugo Tekedam hopes Sunday’s game between the New Orleans Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers provides inspiration to French youngsters.
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game → hop → youngsters
Tekedam plays for the Paris Musketeers and though he’s a star wide receiver, he knows he’s probably past the point of having NFL dreams.
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he → play → dreams
But he’s hopeful for the next generation.
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he → ’ → generation
“It’s a great opportunity.
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It → ’ → ?
You’ve got to get the people interested,” the 24-year-old Tekedam said.
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Tekedam → get → ?
American football is barely on the French sports radar, which is dominated by soccer.
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which → dominate → soccer
The Saints-Steelers game could nudge the sport forward as well as shine a light on the Musketeers, who bill themselves as France’s first fully professional American football team.
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who → nudge → team
The Musketeers play in the European Football Alliance, which recently completed its inaugural season.
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which → play → season
“What we have experienced the last four years, once you get somebody interested, they remain interested,” Musketeers general manager John Booker said.
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Booker → experience → What
“They really enjoy the sport, they enjoy the atmosphere.
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they → enjoy → atmosphere
“And obviously the NFL is the best in the world at that, in this sport, the atmosphere and everything that comes with it,” he added.
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he → come → it
“So I really believe the number one thing that’s going to come out of this is awareness of the sport.”
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that → believe → sport
The French federation of American football has reported growth in recent years, but its number of clubs is in the hundreds.
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number → report → hundreds
By comparison, France has an estimated 12,000 amateur soccer clubs.
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France → have → clubs
Getting introduced to the sport at a younger age — even through flag football, which the NFL has heavily promoted internationally — will lead to more U.S. college prospects, Booker said.
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Booker → introduce → prospects
“Athletically, they just start the sport too late,” he said.
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he → start → sport
“So it’s very important that we get guys playing earlier so that they do get those opportunities.”
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they → ’ → opportunities
Booker, a former offensive lineman who played for San Jose State, said Tekedam “definitely would have played college football if he grew up in America.”
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he → play → America
Tekedam had eight touchdown receptions last season.
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Tekedam → have → receptions
The Musketeers, founded in 2022, were coached by former NFL linebacker coach Jack Del Rio for the past two seasons, but his contract has expired.
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contract → found → seasons
The EFA, which in late August appointed former NFL player Markus Kuhn as president, is adding a new team — the London Guard — for its 2027 season, which begins next spring.
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which → appoint → season
Each team can have a limited number of Americans — the Musketeers’ quarterback last season was Zach Edwards, who played Division III college football in Minnesota.
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who → have → Minnesota
The imported players receive housing and expenses paid as well as 2,000 euros per month after taxes, Booker said.
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Booker → import → taxes
Another team, the Paris Lights, plays in a different league: the American Football League Europe.
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team → play → league
Soaking up opportunities
What the French players lack in experience they make up for in enthusiasm, Booker said.
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Booker → soak → enthusiasm
“The French players love the sport differently than the Americans do,” he said.
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he → love → sport
“The French guys, it’s like they’ve won the lottery.
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they → ’ → lottery
When they get a really good coach and they’re able to learn more, they’re so excited because they don’t have that in their country.”
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they → get → country
Tekedam started playing the sport at age 12, but infrastructure and coaching were limited.
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infrastructure → start → age
Still, he excelled and enrolled at a prep school in Florida in hopes of playing for a U.S. college.
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he → excel → college
“I had some offers, but they weren’t full rides,” he said.
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he → say → offers
I couldn’t afford the other part.”
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I → afford → part
So, he returned home to Paris and joined the Musketeers, who last year struck up a partnership with the Saints in marketing and youth development.
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who → return → marketing
The French players typically have other jobs, too.
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players → have → jobs
Tekedam works as a football coach on the side and sees that as a long-term career path.
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Tekedam → work → path
“A lot of kids have potential and talent,” he said.
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he → have → potential
“I’m trying to work on that, to see where I can help them.”
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I → try → them
The Aporia
