PARIS — The United States will be abuzz with fanfare, passion, and fatty foods in 126 days.
On the first Saturday in September, college football returns: Michigan-Notre Dame, Auburn-Washington, Alabama-Louisville, Tennessee-West Virginia. It’s a bountiful feast of intrigue.
Almost 4,000 miles across the Atlantic, in this city of lights, a group of Michigan fans will partake in the pageantry at 1:30 a.m. local time. The late start in South Bend, Ind., will require a watch party at someone’s house, but it won’t impede on their fandom.
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Robust technological advances and the influx of channels has made viewing games halfway around the world as simple as turning on a television or computer.
“It’s been a life-changer for us,” said Michael Woolcock, a 1993 UM graduate. “I’m able to basically watch all the games.”
Woolcock, a native of Stockbridge, Mich., studied abroad in the south of France in the early 1990s and liked it so much he vowed to return. He’s lived in Paris for 22 years working in telecommunications.
During his study abroad experience, Michigan advanced to the 1993 Final Four, eventually losing to North Carolina in the national championship game after Chris Webber’s infamous timeout. He was able to watch on French television, but the process has become increasingly easier the past two decades.
“As an American, it’s just so much better,” said Jeb Bruner, who owns the restaurant Caveau Montpensier, the unofficial Saturday headquarters for UM fans. “My first year here [1998] I couldn't even watch the Super Bowl.”
Americans had to purchase a USA Today just to find scores.
Caveau Montpensier, The Moose, and The Great Canadian are the three establishments most-often frequented by UM supporters. Bruner, a Miami native, is a former NFL photographer.
“It feels like home,” Woolcock said. “It’s a very relaxed atmosphere. Everyone is wearing Michigan clothes. I typically bring a Michigan flag that they hang out in front of the bar.”
The gatherings attract approximately 40 people. Woolcock, the co-club president of UM’s Paris alumni group, said half the attendees are Americans traveling through Paris, including honeymooners who have sought out Caveau Montpensier.
The biggest turnout came in 2006, when No. 1 Ohio State and No. 2 Michigan played in one of the most anticipated games in college football history, and that extended beyond U.S. borders. In Paris, The Great Canadian was filled entirely with OSU and Michigan fans, Woolcock said.
About 400 alumni live in the Paris area, according to the school. And, no, the menu items are not crepes, croissants, eclair, cheese, and wine.
The flavors are decidedly American — wings, beer, pizza, ribs, and macaroni and cheese. Barbecue is growing in popularity throughout Paris, and American barbecue restaurants began opening in 2010.
“It’s packed here all season with Americans,” said Daniel Aguarre, who manages The Moose, a Canadian sports bar.
A decade ago, Aguarre and The Moose owners realized there was nowhere in Paris that showed American sporting events. So they decided to capture the growing market. Little by little — or 16 TVs later — it became the city’s American football hotspot. The bar recently played host to UM fans for the Loyola-Chicago game in the Final Four.
“At the beginning, I didn’t know anything about American football,” said Aguarre, a native of Mexico. “I’ve gotten into it. All my colleagues love it. I have a guy from New Zealand who’s very into it. He’s a Packers fan. A French guy is a Patriots fan.”
The Moose, which stays open until 2 a.m. (8 p.m. Eastern), was at capacity for the Super Bowl, selling 220 tickets at 20 Euro apiece. Establishments will keep their doors open later on special occasions, but the inundation of night games is causing problems.
A head coach with an affinity for noon starts isn’t a bad thing for Parisians with Wolverine tendencies. The Notre Dame start time isn’t cooperating, but if you find yourself in Paris on Sept. 7, stop by Caveau Montpensier, saddle up next to a Michigan fan, grab a cold beverage, and take in the home opener against Western Michigan.
You’ll be 3,959 miles from Michigan Stadium, but it’ll feel like you’re watching at the Brown Jug.
“It’s great for the bar,” Bruner said. “Sometimes the French walk in and they don’t understand what’s going on because American football isn’t so popular here. [Michigan fans] get as excited as French fans get when France wins the World Cup, and it’s just a weekly game. But then again, when Michigan loses, they’re the complete opposite. They get really passionate.”
Contact Kyle Rowland at: krowland@theblade.com, 419-724-6110, or on Twitter @KyleRowland.
First Published April 27, 2018, 5:46 p.m.
