BLOG BY MIKE SPINNER / JULY 1, 2025
Fun fact about me: I was never supposed to work in sports for a living … which is kind of funny considering that my life has been consumed by working in sports for the last 25 years. At a young age, I became infatuated with the written word, and thought my life’s journey would make me the next great journalist, either covering the world of sports, or the world of politics.
I was a sophomore in High School, on the editorial staff of my school newspaper, when our advisor taught me one of the great lessons I learned as a journalist. He would often say, “Send me a story about a dog biting a man, and I’ll add it to the pile. But, send me a story about a man biting a dog, and you get a headline.”
Fast forward a few decades, and the world of journalism certainly has changed. There was a time when accuracy and credibility paid the bills. Today, journalism has become far more obsessed with being the first to report something, or finding the story that will get the most clicks, whether or not it is actually true. The bigger the fear factor, the stronger the panic, the more we are willing to read about it … truth be darned. If you don’t believe me, Google the name, “Richard Jewell.”
Where it used to be the case that a ‘man biting a dog’ was a rare event that allowed an intrepid journalist to make their mark, today the entire news cycle is dominated by a man biting a dog. The basic “Dog bites Man” story has pretty much faded away. It doesn’t pay. It isn’t click-worthy.
Why is this important at SAWUSA? For the last few months, I have received more questions about safety and security on our tours than I received over the last three years, combined. Part of me understands why. There will be no politics in this space, but whether you are on the left, right, or center, the truth is that our place on the world stage as a country is different than it was one year ago. Some news networks report this as a great thing. Others as a disaster. They’re telling us drastically different versions of the same dynamic for the same reason … they want us to click on it.
Depending on where you get your information, you could be reading that Americans are loved internationally more than any other time in world history, or Americans are putting themselves in danger if they visit any other country. Both narratives result in clicks, so the reporting continues. As a result, some travelers are concerned about their safety. And, as I work in the travel field, I am regularly getting called to ask about it.
My take: SAWUSA is now a month into our 2025 touring season. Not only have I been in close contact with our travelers and coaches alike for all of our tours, but I just returned from a European tour myself. SAWUSA has literally sent hundreds of travelers around the world already, and the report is the same from everybody who has gone: Nothing has changed. Americans are being greeted and treated on our tours no differently than they were in 2024 or 2019, or 15 years ago when SAWUSA made its debut. And, we’ve visited major cities (Barcelona, Seville, Lisbon, Vienna, Munich, etc.) and small towns alike. The reception has not changed from the way it was before. Despite anything you might be reading and viewing, in the real world – where clicks do not matter – being an American is no different now than it ever was in the past.
In fact, if anybody was going to have an issue on a tour, it would have been me. If you haven’t met me in person, I am that guy who will go out in public and express myself as I see fit. I am what you would call a New Yorker. I’m not going to curtail how I dress because somebody might not like what I am wearing. At home, if I am in public, I am almost always wearing something to represent one of my favorite teams. If I am on a tour, I am doing everything in my power to look like an American flag. You’ll never find me on a tour without a SAWUSA shirt on, and on a good day, the shorts and hat to match. It’s how I am. Heck, I’d rock USA socks and sneakers if I could find them in my size.
So, there I was in Lisbon, and Vienna, and Munich, announcing to the world that I am an American, speaking English, and being my usual American self. I took selfies, recorded videos, and ate or drank anything that seemed interesting. If something bad was going to happen to a single traveler of ours, it was me. And you know what happened to me?
Nothing. That’s what happened. Well, nothing different to be specific. I was ignored by most people, but approached by some. People wanting to know where I was from in the United States, or why I was visiting, or what my shirt meant. In some cases, people made recommendations about where to eat, or what to do. After dozens of interactions, I can report that not a single bad word was said to me about being an American, or the United States in general. In fact, there was a lot of warmth in my interactions with locals to where we visited. Vendors eagerly accepted my credit card. Eateries happily served me. The ‘locals’ were as warm and friendly as ever. At the United World Games, during the Opening Ceremony, when the Parade of Nations took place, the American delegation was announced to a chorus of cheers by thousands of spectators in attendance. Not an ounce of hostility. They loved that we were there, and we loved being there.
Bottom line: At no point did I feel unsafe for any reason. The vibe was the same as it was for any of my previous tours. I am quite confident that our other travelers felt the same way.
It’s almost as if the reports of areas of the world not wanting to accept American travelers are either overblown, exaggerated, or maybe even fabricated, in order to get you to read or watch. “Nobody cares about world politics, and Americans are being treated the same as always” is entirely too ‘Dog Bites Man’ for clicks. But, “Europeans lash out against American Tourists” is just enough ‘Man Bites Dog’ to inspire potential travelers to click on it, and then they call me in a panic.
So, let me be clear: Anytime you leave your house, you risk getting treated poorly by somebody else. It can happen anywhere. Having now completed most of our travel season, and done a tour myself, I can say with complete certainly that I was perfectly comfortable dressing as an American flag in Europe, and would do so on any one of our tours tomorrow. You should feel the same way.
By comparison, since our United World Games tour started and ended at Dulles Airport (just outside of DC), I decided to spend a couple of days upon our return seeing many of the sites I have never actually seen in person. Shame on me, but I had never actually been to the National Mall or Ford’s Theatre, or the Smithsonian. After a couple of days in DC, I ventured to the Philly area for a lacrosse tournament.
And, typical me, I was dressed at my best, meaning my favorite Mets, Rangers, Giants, and Knicks attire.
Let’s put it this way, I faced a heck of a lot more hostility wearing New York sports gear in DC and Philly than I faced wearing USA apparel in Europe. Not even close. People in those areas are just not into New York sports they way they are in, well, New York, and they are not afraid to express themselves. I found this one out first hand. Not that I ever felt unsafe in DC and Philly, but I felt far safer in Europe as an American than I did in DC/Philly as a New Yorker. Would this stop me from visiting DC or Philly again? Of course not. But, if I had to pick a place where I felt most harassed over the last few weeks, it certainly was not Europe.
The bottom line here is that no matter where you sit on the political spectrum, there is no country in the world more hostile towards Americans right now than the United States of America. The Giants fan wearing a t-shirt in Philadelphia is far more subject to the scorn of angry dissenters than the American wearing the red, white, and blue in Europe. And, don’t get me started with politics.
Concerned about how you’re going to be received on one of our tours? I’d be far more concerned about how you’re going to be received by one of your own neighbors.
Ultimately, while the media may attempt to put forth a narrative that the world has changed so much this year, when it comes to interpersonal relations while traveling abroad, I honestly think it’s all clickbait. If you are worried about safety on a tour, simply don’t do something stupid, and you’ll be just fine. If your concern is how the world feels about Americans, let me ask you one question: Who is more welcome in a major European city right now … the local who has no desire to spend a Euro more than what he or she has to, since they already has everything they need? Or, the international traveler who wants to spend money on all of the touristy swag they can find, and sample all of the local food they can eat?
Just follow the dollars, people. Which is why Americans are welcome all over the world, and will continue to be welcome, no matter what the article you clicked on has to say.
