LONDON (AP) — They’ll toil and sweat but hopefully without the blood and tears.
A London game is more than just a typical road trip for NFL teams. It’s a chance to learn about local history, too.
In fact, the New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars — who play Sunday at Wembley Stadium — don’t even need to leave their practice facilities to do so.
The Patriots will train Friday at the exclusive Harrow School, whose most famous alumni is Winston Churchill. Farther out in the countryside, the Jaguars use a practice field that is nearly on top of a maze of World War II air raid shelters.
Harrow consists of 324 acres on a hill overlooking London where Churchill spent his high school years before entering politics and leading Britain through World War II as prime minister.
“If any of the Pats players take a break from practice, they should walk around and see the school grounds because they’re quite grand," said Lee Pollock, a director and senior adviser to the board of the International Churchill Society.
A highlight is the Speech Room, where young Churchill recited 1,200 lines from the poem “Lays of Ancient Rome” from memory and won a prize for the feat.
“At Harrow, he learned what he called the most noble thing in the world: the construction of a sentence in the English language,” Pollock said.
Pockets of American politicians have long admired and quoted the cigar-chomping Churchill, and that's spilled over into sports too. San Diego Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh is a big fan. Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker cited Churchill in a social media post about courage, though he's not the first to misattribute a quote to him.
New York Jets owner Woody Johnson had a large Churchill portrait in his office at the U.S. embassy when he was ambassador to the United Kingdom under then-President Donald Trump. Outside of his wartime leadership, Churchill’s legacy is more complex.
The Jags are close to history, too. To avoid German bombing in WWII, the Midland & Scottish Railway bought the Grove estate in Watford and moved its headquarters there. It was called “Project X.”
Air raid shelters were built and are still intact — explorers have posted videos online even though the entrances appear to be at least partially blocked. At one point they were being used as “bat roosts,” according to historical records. The Grove luxury hotel where the Jags now regularly stay opened in 2003.
Several entrances to the shelters are visible in the woods next to the Jags' practice field.
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, speaking generally about the team's annual London trip, says he's always up for learning more about the region.
“I do enjoy history and learning about things," he said on Wednesday. "I don’t know a ton about the area, to be honest. Usually when we’re here it’s pretty busy and we’re kind of focused on the game and trying to win that, but I am intrigued and I think it’s cool just everything here at the Grove but also just in London — it’s so much older than in America.
“The history behind it,” Lawrence continued, "you pick up bits as you go ... it is interesting hearing different things about it.”
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New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye passes the ball during the second half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Patriots to practice on Winston Churchill's old stomping grounds in London
Patriots to practice on Winston Churchill's old stomping grounds in London
ROME (AP) — Workers in Italy’s troubled automotive sector are holding a national strike on Friday for the first time in 20 years, with a massive demonstration being held in the center of Rome.
The strike, called by the sector’s three main unions, comes as tensions rise between global automaker Stellantis and the Italian far-right government, which accuses the car-making giant of relocating assembly plants to low-cost countries.
Stellantis, the world’s fourth largest automaker, is under pressure globally to provide clarity about its future production plans as it faces growing competition and financial strains.
The multinational group, which was created in 2021 from the merger of Fiat-Chrysler and PSA Peugeot, recorded a sharp drop in output at most of its Italian plants in the first half of 2024. Over the past 17 years, the carmaker has slashed its Italian production by nearly 70%.
CEO Carlos Tavares has recently blamed EU carbon emission rules for raising production costs, suggesting that the group may be forced to close some assembly plants to face competition from China. He said he “could not rule out” job cuts, reiterating a need for additional state incentives to spur demand for electric cars.
Stellantis, which makes Jeep and Chrysler vehicles, has been in the spotlight following a profit warning in which it said it expected to finish the year with a loss of up to 10 billion euros ($11.2 billion).
Tavares has also been under fire from U.S. dealers and the United Auto Workers union after a dismal financial performance this year, after being caught off guard by too many high-priced vehicles on dealer lots. He has been trying to cut costs by delaying factory openings, laying off union workers and offering buyouts to salaried employees.
The group in September announced that it was looking for a successor for 66-year-old Tavares as part of a planned leadership change. Tavares’ five-year contract was a little over a year from its expiration date in 2026, but the company hinted at the time it was possible he might remain in the job beyond that.
Workers of automotive sector march during a demonstration in Rome on the occasion of their national strike, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Workers of automotive sector march during a demonstration in Rome on the occasion of their national strike, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Workers of automotive sector burn flares as they arrive in Rome's Piazza Del Popolo Square during a demonstration on the occasion of their national strike, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Workers of automotive sector gather in Rome's Piazza del Popolo Square during a demonstration on the occasion of their national strike, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Workers of automotive sector burn flares in Rome's Piazza Del Popolo Square during a demonstration on the occasion of their national strike, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Workers of automotive sector gather in Rome's Piazza del Popolo Square during a demonstration on the occasion of their national strike, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Workers of automotive sector march during a demonstration in Rome on the occasion of their national strike, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Workers of automotive sector march during a demonstration in Rome on the occasion of their national strike, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Workers of automotive sector gather in Rome's Piazza del Popolo Square during a demonstration on the occasion of their national strike, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
