Nichols College Students Headed for Super Bowl LV

Experience of a Lifetime for Sport Management Students

by Jillian Riches

Dudley, MA (10/27/2020) — Nichols College students studying sport management will be headed to the Super Bowl for the second consecutive year, but the experience will be markedly different.

A group of 10 students and two Nichols faculty members will travel to Tampa, Florida, for the event, which will be hosted at Raymond James Stadium on February 7, 2021. The trip is incorporated in the Super Bowl Practicum course, which aims to provide students with insider access and hands-on field experience in sports.

Priscilla Alfaro-Barrantes, Ph.D., assistant professor of sport management, leads the practicum. "My hope for our students is to learn and have fun," she says. "The Super Bowl is one of the world's largest sporting events. The ability to attend not as a fan but as a volunteer employee gives our students an incredible opportunity to connect their coursework to the business of sports." Students work directly for both the Super Bowl Host Committee and the NFL, volunteering their services at Super Bowl Live, Super Bowl Experience and the main sporting event itself, Super Bowl Sunday.

"This year will be very interesting," shares Alfaro-Barrantes. "Our students will have a unique perspective to see how such a well-established event will pivot their offerings to meet the current challenges due to COVID-19. I consider this to be a unique and valuable experience for students, giving them a competitive edge for their future job prospects."

As part of the experience, each student will be expected to host a social media take-over on the Nichols College accounts, in addition to submitting a reflection paper on their top takeaways, lessons learned, and connections to their coursework.

Alfaro-Barrantes muses, "Last year, I was so proud of the students that attended the Super Bowl experience. They worked 12-hour days, had 3 a.m. wake-up calls and requested more challenging tasks from our volunteer coordinator. They were not distracted by sports legends. They were professional and got the job done. This maturity and a sense of business professionalism in students is something I have found to be unique at Nichols College."

Students participating in the Super Bowl Practicum this year include:

Thomas Budzinski of Gardner, MA.
Michael Butler of Tewksbury, MA.
Sean Carrignan of Millbury, MA.
Hunter Clements of Whitensville, MA.
Timothy Crandall of Dunstable, MA.
Ian Cusick of Greenwich, RI.
Benjamin Ian of Guilford, CT.
Austin Paul of Middleton, MA.
Eliza Phillips of Simsbury, CT.
Brendan Stierli of Cronton On Husdon, NY.

To follow the student's journey, be sure to follow Nichols College social media accounts.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Nichols.College
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nichols_college/