Quote:
Originally Posted by CliffFletcher
Do you think players look forward to these overseas pre-season trips? I'd guess most see it as an irksome obligation to the league that disrupts their normal training routines and takes them away from their families. They aren't sight-seeing tours - teams typically fly over the day before their first game, and fly home immediately after the second.
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Certainly not every player would relish the opportunity, but who can say how most would respond? On the contrary, I think players would value these trips not necessarily as sightseeing adventures, but as excellent opportunities for distraction-free team bonding. It is like an extended road trip during training camp, and given how teams who play overseas in the pre-season tend to perform once the season starts it seems that these are consistently very positive experiences.
Hanifin is new to the team. I suspect that he feels some urgency to both make a great first impression, and to be part of a "team-only" experience.