Students Score With Super Bowl Opportunities

“What excites me about being part of the Super Bowl experience is the opportunity to be part of a global event that is in my hometown of Los Angeles,” said Jose Ledesma MA ’22.

In addition to helping TV crews report on the Super Bowl, Ledesma will oversee the NFL player autograph area, managing a team of 10 to 20 volunteers.

Other students in the Master’s in Sport Management program will assist ticket holders at SoFi Stadium, provide community relations for the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission, and work at an immersive fan event at the LA Convention Center.

For Ledesma, it’s his second Super Bowl as a sport management student. “I had the privilege to work last year’s Super Bowl in Tampa Bay with some of my colleagues [from USF],” he said.  

Emily Ducker MA ’22 will work as a fan/media liaison, moving people where they need to go during the game. “I hope to continue my career in events and this will be a great way to get a whole lot of useful hands-on experience in one day,” she said.

Ducker and Ledesma are taking part in a new sport management curriculum in which students manage sporting events on a local, national, and global scale, said Ashley Sloper, associate director of the program. Students are required to work at the Super Bowl.

“This opportunity helps my academic development in the program by having a leadership experience at a Super Bowl,” Ledesma said.