BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — The Super Bowl is one of the most-watched television events in the U.S. each year. A group of Bowling Green State University students won't be watching it though; they'll be working at it.
The job many football fans dream of is thanks to the Super Bowl's Teammate Program, which has been around for several years, BGSU professor of sports management Caitlin Shortridge said.
BGSU's Sports Management Alliance is a club for students interested in the sports industry. The group made trips to the annual gridiron showdown in previous years but missed out on the last couple due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"This year is the first year we got back to it where we got the opportunity, and it's a full go," junior sports management major Andrew Kemmer, who will be making the trip, said. "We've been planning this since August."
The trip, in total, cost about $30,000, with a huge chunk of it being raised by the students through various fundraisers. The students also plan the travel, lodging and all other accommodations.
Now, that all the preparations are in place, sophomore Carsen Hageman said the group doesn't have much else to do "except go to the Super Bowl."
Once they get to Arizona, the group will spend the week running promotional events leading up to the big game.
"So that Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, we'll have different shifts," junior Cassidy Sutton said. "It's fan engagement, marketing concepts and gameday service, stadium stuff."
For kids who dream of working in sports for a living, this opportunity is a dream come true.
"It's an unreal feeling to even go there in the first place because it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Sutton said.
The group leaves Sunday night for Glendale and will head back to Ohio on the Monday after the Super Bowl. The game will kick off on Sunday at 6:30 p.m. EST on FOX.
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