Here in the U.S., football is one of the most popular sports -- but this is the time of year where it's 'off season' or vacation time for athletes and teams like the Cleveland Browns or the Cincinnati Bengals. The spring spotlight shines on our other sports like baseball and basketball.
But it's not vacation time for all of our favorite players. A group of current and former professional football players traveled to Cairo, Egypt to help spread the sport around the world. As Ian Lee reports -- more than 400 people signed up to learn from some of the best in the field, on the field.
--REPORTER PKG-AS FOLLOWS--
THIS IS HOW YOU GET INTO BEAST MODE.
LEARNING TO HIT FROM FORMER NFL RUNNING BACK MARSHAWN LYNCH.
BUT THIS ISN'T A CAMP NEAR YOU.
AMERICAN FOOTBALL IS GOING ABROAD.
IT'S AMERICAN FOOTBALL WITHOUT BARRIERS OR A-F-W-B FOR SHORT.
10 NFL PLAYERS HELD A THREE-DAY CAMP IN EGYPT.
(Gary Barnidge, Cleveland Browns) "Here is a sport that is new and is different in their culture, but it's a fun sport, it's a huge team sport, it is really the definition of a team sport, and it builds friendships, lifelong friendships, and this is something that we want them to live with."
FOOTBALL ISN'T COMPLETELY UNKNOWN IN THE LAND OF PHARAOHS.
EGYPT ALREADY HAS TWO LEAGUES AND A DOZEN TEAMS.
400 PEOPLE SIGNED UP WITHIN HOURS TO LEARN FROM THE BEST.
INCLUDING EGYPT'S TWO ALL-FEMALE TEAMS.
(Haydeer Ayman, Pink Warriors) "I have a dream for the sport, especially for women here in Egypt."
BUT THERE'S MORE TO FOOTBALL THEN THE HITTING, DRILLS AND PUSHUPS.
(DeAngelo Williams, Pittsburgh Steelers) "We want to polish it up from the standpoint of that you have to eat right, you have to be healthy when you play this sport... you have to make sure that you have the right equipment… because when you have these pop up sports in other countries they're not always doing it right."
IT'S UNLIKELY THE GRIDIRON WILL OVERTAKE THE PITCH AT LEAST ANYTIME SOON.
SOCCER IS STILL KING IN EGYPT.
BUT WHO KNOWS, FOOTBALL COULD MAKE AN INTERCEPTION... AND LEAD TO A TOUCHDOWN HERE...
IAN LEE, CNN, CAIRO.
Cleveland Browns tight end Gary Barnidge and safety Johnson Bademosi were among the players. The American Football Without Barriers organization has held similar camps in China, Brazil and Turkey -- with the goal of creating a positive impact on and off the field.
That brings us to this week's survey question. Teamwork is a big part of football as well as many other sports and activities.
But we'd like to know from you, which team building activities do you participate in? After you vote, be sure to write in and let us know how this activity helps you learn to work better with people.Instructional Links
Website: American Football Without Barriers
Website Article: American Football International, Egypt
http://www.americanfootballinternational.com/category/africa/egypt-africa/
Website Article: Time for Kids, Egypt