BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — With the Super Bowl matchup set, soon people will be making their way to Las Vegas to watch the biggest sports event of the year.
It's a massive event that requires thousands of workers from around the world to help make it a reality, and some of those are coming from Bowling Green.
Bowling Green State University's Sports Management Alliance is sending a group of more than 25 students on their annual trip to the game.
"Pretty surreal when I found out I was going there," junior Charlie Nowinski said. The Upper Arlington native is also a member of the men's cross country team.
The group will spend about a week working at promotional events with fans, helping the NFL put on the biggest sports party in America. Events include "The Super Bowl Experience," the NFL's game-week theme park, as well as working on gameday itself.
"Still overwhelming, like, I'm still so excited as I was last year," said Reilly Harold one student making a return to the Super Bowl.
"I don't want to use the word chaotic but probably chaotic," senior Diaviana Gilliam said of her reaction to the news she was going to Las Vegas. This is Gilliam's first time going to the Super Bowl thanks to SMA.
"I really had to, like, come out of my shell," senior Owen Kalucki said. Kalucki is one of the few students who went on the trip in 2023 going again this year.
The group spent months in advance planning the trip, beginning in the fall raising tens of thousands of dollars through for travel, hotels and food. Sports Management Alliance advisor and professor Caitlin Shortridge estimates the cost per traveler to be $1200-1400.
Shortridge said the College of Education and Human Development, of which SMA is a part, the College of Education, and the Falcon Funded initiative, also provided funding for the trip.
"It's a beast to fundraise between $40,000 and $50,000, while they're also going to school," Shortridge said. "Some of them are interning. Some of them have additional jobs."
But it's not just about going to the game, it's about learning how to work in the sports marketing industry. The students have plans to run athletic departments and work in front offices after school, and there's maybe no bigger game than the Super Bowl to prepare students for the real world.
"A lot of people going there have invested a lot of time and energy into having the opportunity, making sure to provide a good experience for (the fans)," student Carson Crowley said. "I think they'll really appreciate (it)."
The group departs for Las Vegas on Tuesday, Feb. 6.
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