Nine business students, who are also members of the Sport Business Club, worked directly with representatives from the Atlanta Football Host Committee at the 2018 College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship game, which saw the Alabama Crimson Tide beat the Georgia Bulldogs, 26-23, in overtime, on Jan. 8. Byrd School Assistant Dean of Student Affairs Fritz Polite, Ph.D., organized the weeklong trip and accompanied the students. The students gained sport management experience by observing and learning from professionals while performing tasks related to media credentialing, hospitality and fan experience, as well as additional tasks at Playoff Fan Central, Taste of the Championship, and the VIP section of Playoff Playlist Live on the day of the championship game. During Media Day they had the opportunity to interact with players, coaches and television personalities from ESPN, SEC Network, NBC and FOX Sports.
Here are some photo highlights from their trip.
The Mercedes-Benz Stadium opened on Aug. 26, 2017, at a cost of $1.5 billion.
77,430 fans attended the game, nearly 3,000 more than last year’s game in Tampa
“This experience was critical for me as a MBA student as I got to practice my management and leadership skills with hands-on experience. Not only did I learn different facets of event operations and sport management, but I got practice in leading a team to achieve a common goal and making sure that everyone in our unit was working cohesively.”
Casey Edsall ’16, ’18
From left to right: Brigitte “Kit” Gould ’18, Jason Euman ’21, Michael Nguyen ’19, Dr. Fritz Polite, Casey Edsall ’16, ’18, Jacob Shaffer ’17, ’18, Malik Henry ’18, Jared Lowry ’20, Weldon Gilchrist ’18, Mariah Graves ’20, visiting the College Football Hall of Fame.
MBA candidate Casey Edsall ’16, ’18 with an Alabama superfan at Media Day. Edsall, along with Jake Shaffer and Dr. Polite, required students to submit an application, and interviewed potential students when selecting their team for the trip.
“It was so amazing to watch so many broadcasters doing what I aspire to do in the future. Not to mention, I was able to take a picture with Tim Tebow. I learned if you want something you can’t just stand around and wait for someone to hand it to you, you have to take charge and go get it.”Mariah Graves ’20
Sophomore Jared Lowry leaves his mark at the Atlanta Host Committee Volunteer Headquarters. The group worked for the Atlanta Host Committee for four days leading up to the game. Shenandoah’s group assisted with Media Credentialing, Media Hospitality, Kendrick Lamar’s Halftime Rehearsal Concert, and Media Day.
The group was invited to attend an Extra Yard For Teachers event, hosted by the College Football Playoff Foundation. Former college football stars and NFL athletes Joey Galloway, Heisman Trophy Winner Desmond Howard, and DJ Shockley spoke about their struggles growing up and the importance of education.
“I learned so much this week, and after seeing everything firsthand, I know this is exactly what I want to do for the rest of my life.”
Jared Lowry ’20
Shenandoah students listen to former college football stars and NFL athletes Joey Galloway, Heisman Trophy Winner Desmond Howard, and DJ Shockley speak.
Close-up and personal: Joey Galloway, Desmond Howard and DJ Shockley
“The game-day atmosphere was outrageous and breathtaking. We assisted with many different tasks, such as delivering valuable game statistics to media personnel and assisting fans with directions. The game itself was notably the best football game this year and I was thrilled to be a part of that experience.”
Weldon Gilchrist, Jr. ’18
MBA candidate Casey Edsall ’16, ’18 working the auxiliary press box. Due to the size and magnitude of the game, the press box alone was not large enough to accommodate all of the media. An auxiliary press box was installed just for the game, to provide more workstations for the media.
Senior Kit Gould and sophomore Mariah Graves working in the press box during the game.
“I’ll never forget being able to walk out onto that field where so many great athletes – both college and NFL – have played. Overall this trip was a life-changing experience for me and I hope to be back in California next year for the game with Shenandoah’s Sport Management program.”
Michael Nyguen ’19
Michael Nguyen, Casey Edsall, Mariah Graves, Malik Henry and Kit Gould take a quick break to pose for the camera. During Media Day, students assisted the College Football Staff in setting up and breaking down the event. They also helped the media find players and arrange interviews.
Mariah Graves and Casey Edsall on the field after the game. Students worked with the CFP Media Operations team, and were assigned to various locations around the stadium. Sites included the press box, auxiliary press box, media workroom, postgame conference room, and the field-level tunnels.
“We were asked to work the Kendrick Lamar concert and we answered the call. It was cold but the concert was amazing and it was crazy to actually see Kendrick Lamar in person. Today taught me that there is so much more to this business than just going to a game. There is a whole function on just the media getting their credentials and getting their week sorted.”
Jason Euman ’21
Professionals in the sport industry are not always able to view the game. Dr. Polite and Michael Nguyen were able to catch some of the game in the auxiliary press box during their break!
After the game, students sat in on the postgame press conferences. The group got to see firsthand all of the behind-the-scenes elements for a successful news conference. This directly benefitted Mariah Graves, who is studying communications.
“In Philips Arena, [the site of Media Day] we were given the opportunity to work alongside College Football Championship Media and the staff that was in charge. For me it was one of the best experiences I’ve had. Being able to greet and approach high-caliber players that I normally only see on television and have brief conversations with them was the highlight of this experience for me.”
Malik Henry ’18
During Media Day, Kit Gould interviewed Paul Finebaum of the ESPN affiliate, SEC Network!
The group got to sightsee during some time off, which included a tour of the CNN Headquarters.
“This trip has definitely helped me understand that the entire CFP was a culmination of many smaller efforts. It was also great to see our team working very well together through simple coordination.”
Jacob Schaffer ’17, ’18
