The unlikeliest of teachable moments began in one of Max Pircher's high school classes. He was watching an American football video during teacher Matteo Braghini's lesson and got caught. However, rather than punishing Pircher, Braghini – a former tight end for the 2009 Italian Bowl-winning Giants Bolzano – instead decided to take him to a Swarco Raiders game in Innsbruck, Austria and introduce him to the sport.

"I was really lucky, I would say, that I met him, because he took me to a game, and without him, I wouldn't have even known there is some (American) football back home," Pircher, a native of northern Italy, said during a video conference with local and international media in early June.