“The Big Game” means big opportunities for students at Baldwin Wallace University. 20 Sport Management students the spent Super Bowl week in San Francisco gaining hands-on experience in various activities, from touring athletics facilities of the Golden State Warriors, helping with the Merlin Olsen Hall of Fame Luncheon, to finishing the week with working fan engagement activities on Super Bowl Sunday.
Taking the “Super Bowl” name out of the equation, experience-based trips are critical for students to get real time exposure on how working in sports realistically looks, and to build networking opportunities.
Nicole Meadows, assistant professor of hospitality, tourism, and event and sport management, who went on her third consecutive trip to the Super Bowl, says it’s not just about what you know, but who you know that impacts the success students have after graduating.
Meadows talked about trusting the process when networking, saying students must put themselves out there to really reap the benefits of these opportunities. She said that while these opportunities might not bring instantaneous results, they could pay off in five years when students apply for jobs.
“Understanding that there are various opportunities that will present themselves…if you [are] willing to learn and work with different organizations, it will open your opportunities in the future,” Meadows said.
Colin Kelemen, a sophomore who went on the Super Bowl trip, had a hard time just picking one thing from the trip that was his favorite. He gave credit to the faculty member and said that the trip overall was planned very well.
“I generally didn’t have a bad day when I was there” Kelemen said.
Kelemen also went to Super LIX in New Orleans and shared how he has grown to handle unpredictability aspect of sports better his second time working The Big Game. When the fast-paced and spontaneous nature of Super Bowl Sunday kicked in, Kelemen said that the students working the trip had each other’s back and were willing to help with whatever roles were required of them.
“I wasn’t necessarily expecting all the moving parts that come in working for sports,” Keleman said. “As I got into my second year… I was more well-rounded and more well prepared for any kind of challenges.”
Looking into the future, Meadows hopes these bonds that the students made will continue to grow beyond the Super Bowl trip and into the workforce.
“In a year, five years, ten years, you all are going to be in different spots…how much more powerful is your network if you continue to build that relationship?” Meadows said.
Meadows also shared that going and working at the Super Bowl isn’t just for sports management majors, but for anyone who is willing to put the work in to fulfill the requirements to go on the trip, even if a student’s major has nothing to do with working in the sports industry.
Meadows and BW aim to continue to push their students to be the best at whatever their students hope to achieve down the road through hard work, leadership, and building connections.
