by Geoffre Sherman, lecturer of sport management
It’s been right around a month now since I was blessed to have had the experience of traveling to Paris, France with the Indiana Pacers for a week in January. What an amazing week it was!
Departing from the tarmac is always a fun experience and this one was no different as we loaded up on the evening of Sunday, January 19 with an intended arrival of Noon on Monday at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. We arrived and were whisked through customs and into our charter bus for the trip to the Novotel Paris Centre Bercy right next to the Accor Arena. After quickly checking into the hotel, we didn’t waste any time getting out into Paris.
A trip to the Cathedral Notre Dame was on the docket first. With some good friends and their families, we piled into a couple of Ubers for our first tourist visit. Well worth the trip. While still under construction, wandering through this iconic church was beyond epic. It was unbelievably beautiful and I can see why it is a hotspot in Paris. I wasn’t ready to hit the road just yet. I needed to knock out at least one of the four things on my Paris to-do list. So, we proceeded across the street to the Café Panis where I grabbed a croque monsieur with frites and a café American crème as well as a fresh chocolate croissant (checked one off the list). It was a tremendous arrival day and it was only going to get better.
While waking up in some pain after hurting my hip on Monday (story for much later), I took it easy for the morning, but had the intention of aiding Dean Heaviland, senior vice president for game operations and TESM adjunct instructor, in teaching his course from inside the Accor Arena on rehearsal day. I had a big production planned, but Dean said “just use your phone” and that’s what I did. It still turned out pretty good. While Dean was on his headset walking through the Thursday game plan, I was live on Zoom with the students and would interject as they were able to see him and A.J. from the NBA and Ben, the PA guy, work through the script with ease. I’m not sure how much the students heard due to the volume in the venue, but after showing what Dean was doing and seeing the cues as well as the script, I had Alyssa Nelson, one of our graduates and game operations manager, talk to the students about what was happening and answer any questions they might have had. This was an extreme highlight of my trip as we were able to execute a class session during the rehearsal and really provide insight into what happens leading up to a game.
We finished day two with a private party for the travel guests and players at City Hall in Paris. Whoa. You want to talk about fancy. An elevated cocktail attire party with food stations and elite level drinks as well as a little time to talk with the players was beyond amazing. It was a great way to close the day, but, we weren’t done. Our first stop to the Terrasse Bercy for a proper dinner followed and it was outstanding. Just a diner across from our hotel, but the service was immaculate and the food was outstanding.
Wednesday was a complete tour day. The private boat cruise on the Seine River offered a surreal view of all of the sights from the river even though it was a little rainy and chilly. After disembarking at the Eiffel Tower, we went on a walking adventure to the Arc de Triomphe which sent us down the Champs Elysees. I never thought I’d be walking down the legendary road that closes the Tour de France. But, there we were walking past the Hotel Louis Vuitton (opening in 2026 and looks like a big travel trunk) to the flagship store, countless crossing streets with shops and restaurants, before hitting the Place de la Concorde and proceeding on the Rue de Rivoli past the Musee du Louvre. By then the rain had grown thicker and we decided to stop hoofing it and hit the metro at the Chatelet station (my first Paris metro ride) back to the Novotel. Walking close to five miles was not on my agenda, but it was well worth it and we proceeded to the Terrase Bercy where I was able to check off another box on my list: drink a bottle of Bordeaux (it was a Cabernet Sauvignon from Bordeaux).
Thursday was game day so we knew we had a truncated timeline for the day. However, that did not deter me and my colleague, friend, and former student Kyle from hitting the road again. We took the metro (I stopped being wimpy about it) to the Musee du Louvre and spent the next few hours seeing historical works like the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, the Code of Hammurabi, and numerous other iconic pieces of art. Never thought I’d visit the Louvre, but, having been to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, I was into it and soaked in every bit of it that I could. We followed that with a jaunt on the All. Centrale to the Musee de L’Orangerie to see Monet’s Water Lillies and works by Picasso and Matisse. It was at that point we decided to hit the road back to the hotel and get ready for game one.
I won’t spend a lot of time writing about game one because, honestly, other than the amazing crowd, flawless game operation execution, and the simple fact that I was there, it was a snoozer if you’re a Pacers fan. Dean led his team flawlessly. Scott Fishman, our supervisor, led us flawlessly. And, the crowd did not disappoint. Full house. Wembanyama hitting everything in front of his home nation. The environment was what you might expect it to be and it will be one I will never forget. A post-game trip to the Terrasse Bercy to visit our friends for a late dinner closed the evening.
Friday was a stall day for me. I had to catch up on work at home before heading to the arena for the 2025 Paris Jam featuring celebrities (excuse me if I hadn’t heard of some of them) and it actually was exciting. The game featured wacky scoring and odd bonuses that made our job more difficult, but Scott led us flawlessly through a double-overtime thriller before we went back to the Terrasse Bercy for another night of wine and fellowship. By now, they were holding tables for us and were excited to see when we walked in. It made for an excellent finish to each night.
Saturday was it. The final day and game day in Paris. I woke up with an energy I didn’t have throughout the week and I knew I had a couple of things on my list to knock out. I checked Google Maps for a local patisserie that I could go to and grab a fresh eclair and a fresh baguette. I couldn’t find anything nearby that seemed to hit my rating minimum until I went a little north of the Novotel. I found a patisserie 25 minutes from our hotel and embarked on the walk to Boulangerie Maison Letissier on the Rue de Charenton. Unbeknownst to me, I believe it was in a neighborhood of flats and it was virtually deserted at 9 a.m. on a Saturday morning. The whole area was deserted, but this place was a shining beacon because it had everything I was seeking. I grabbed a pistacho eclair, a chocolate eclair, and a fresh baguette … all the things I came for. I also grabbed up a vanilla cappucino for the walk back and it was all tremendous. Checked off the boxes and headed back to the hotel with no plan for the day.
I arrived back at the hotel and received a text from Kyle that he and Brian Totton, our scorebook guy, were embarking on a trip to see Napoleon’s tomb at the Army Museum. Walking through the museum, it hit me how unbelievably good the French are at preserving history. We spent an hour and a half in one section of the museum before heading toward the tomb. On the way, we stopped in the Saint Louis Cathedral for another really neat moment of seeing their services before heading to see the tomb. My understanding is the Napoleon was not the largest of men, but his tomb was enormous. It was a worthwhile trip for someone who never knew it existed. Now I know, and I’d love to go back and check out the three or four other museums on the same site. We marched to the Eiffel Tower for a few more moments and photos before stopping at Comptor Principal for lunch. I grabbed a burger and we walked to the metro station for the final trip to the Novotel.
From a Pacers perspective, game two was one we want to speak about. A nice 38-point win with the team firing on all cylinders and the crowd going crazy again closed out the trip, for me, on the highest of highs. I skipped out on dinner and had the last one-third of my baguette for dinner before I finished packing to get ready for the trip home on Sunday.
To say this trip was worth it is an understatement. I am so proud to be a part of the Pacers organization and to work with the folks I do makes it all worth it. While I would’ve liked to have had my wife on the trip like some others, she was unable so I’m sure I’m going to be asked to go back with her. My only two trips beyond North America and Hawaii have been with the Indiana Pacers and the NBA. I never thought I would ever being able to do things like take a chartered trip with the Pacers to Paris and Mumbai, nor did I ever think I would work the All-Star Game and the first-ever NBA Cup (in-season tournament). I am beyond blessed for the life I’m able to live and the people with which I am connected.
Beyond the blessing of being a part of the organization, I was able to tie my two jobs together like never before. Walking through Paris gave me a lot more perspective on tourism and hospitality as well as travel in general. I was able to capture moments on photo and video that I can bring to my classrooms and was able to teach a class from abroad. We are focused on using innovative tactics to teach our classes and I think I accomplished a few of those through this trip with Pacers Sports and Entertainment.
#Indy4Sports #SportManagement
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