Summer travel blog: Georgia State tours Real Madrid’s home and Jordan Tyson performs

This summer, Mid-Major Madness is teaming up with schools across the country as they travel overseas to compete against elite competition and soak up the culture. Student-athletes will blog their experiences for us via written posts, photos, video, and just about anything else they want.

Here’s more from Georgia State senior forward Jordan Tyson, live from Madrid...

MADRID — It’s GAME DAY!!! Well, technically it’s about 4 a.m. and I can’t sleep because my mind is racing from the anticipation. We play the Madrid All Stars (Intimidating name. I KNOW) at 7:30 p.m. CET, 1:30 p.m. ET back in Atlanta. I’ve been anticipating and visualizing this day all summer long.

Through the long, strenuous weight room sessions we had as a team the last eight weeks, to the intense individual/team practices we had as well, it’s all been a process, and a great one. This will be a huge test not only for the team, but for the seniors. Spain has some extremely competitive basketball leagues, and for myself and the other seniors, this will prove/reveal whether we are ready for this level of competition or not. I personally feel prepared. I’m also feeling super pumped and inspired thanks to the tour we took today of the Real Madrid Stadium.

While I love basketball more than any other sport, I can’t deny the global popularity of soccer. It’s considered by most to be the number one sport in the world. I personally am not a fan, but one thing I can respect is legacy. Real Madrid’s soccer team has an OUTSTANDING legacy. As I mentioned, we took a tour of the soccer stadium that the team plays in, but we were also able to see the museum area where all of their trophies are displayed (Key point: In order to dedicate an entire museum that displays ONE team’s trophies/awards, you have to win A LOT). I couldn’t believe the amount of accomplishments of Real Madrid’s soccer team. It was almost breath-taking.

Georgia State athletics

The stadium tour was a life-changing moment for me. I said to myself when first entering the museum, “I want to leave a legacy like this one day. It’s possible right?” By the time we were leaving the museum, I was saying “I WILL leave a legacy like this one day!!! ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!!!!!! (In my Kevin Garnett voice).

I’m so thankful that we took that tour because now I have a much deeper appreciation for the sports culture here in Madrid, and the impact that a legacy like the Real Madrid soccer team’s can have on an entire nation.

In other just as exciting news! (Not really) I had the opportunity to perform live in front of an approximate crowd of three people on the rooftop of the hotel we’re staying in. IT. WAS. LIT! (picture above). Looking forward to sharing more of our experiences here in Spain as we have about five days left before we return home. Talk to you guys soon!