From the chill of the Holocaust Memorial in the heart of Boston it was difficult to imagine anything further from a meaningless venture.
Eden Hazard and David Luiz stood and listened in a reverential hush like everyone else, spellbound by the stories passed down by the survivors of the Nazi death camps.
It mattered not that it was cold and drizzling and some had been smart enough to bring a waterproof jacket while others shivered in light training gear.
Chelsea's squad visited the Holocaust Memorial in Boston on Tuesday ahead of their Final Whistle on Hate match against MLS side New England Revolution
The Chelsea players listened to stories from descendants of survivors of the Nazi death camps
The memorial has six glass towers to represent the six million Jews killed during the Holocaust - with each inscribed with the numbers branded on the skin of the prisoners
Nor did it seem important that there was no segregation from the Bostonian public, bustling towards the station in rush hour at the end of their working day, some pausing to shout 'Come on Chelsea' or reach for smartphones to record the occasion.
Aside from the hired vehicles with tinted windows there was no hint of VIP status; no velvet-rope treatment for the multi-millionaire sports stars from London.
And, although it might have been tense for the security team charged with keeping these valuable athletes safe from harm, this was what it was all about.
Reject discrimination. We are all the same.
The message was clear enough as Luiz, Hazard, their teammates and club officials including chairman Bruce Buck and the New England Revolution squad, accepted an invitation to walk the path through the centre of the memorial and reflect.
Six glass towers reached up to the sky to represent six million Jews killed. Each inscribed with the numbers branded on the skin of the prisoners.
Andrew Tarsy of the Boston Jewish Community Relations Council speaks to Chelsea players
The players also heard from Shoshana Edelson from Boston JCRC about the Holocaust
Everywhere, details and short personal messages and stories from inside the camps, personalising the horror of murder in the name of discrimination.
It was not only Jews who were removed from society and sent to the camps.
So too were gypsies and homosexuals. Slavic races were considered by the Nazis to be sub-human.
Water vapour released from the base of each tower make it impossible to walk through without the shiver of how it might have felt to step into the gas chambers.
The hissing sounds crowded into your thoughts, smothered the mind and the mild claustrophobia made it difficult to think clearly or appreciate the words.
The memorial is an emotional force and Chelsea's determination to embark across the Atlantic Ocean at the end of a difficult season really ought to be applauded not ridiculed.
Chelsea assistant manager Gianfranco Zola pictured at the Holocaust memorial in Boston
The Chelsea players were joined by the New England Revolution squad for their visit
In the confines of football's bubble, it
