For the seventh consecutive year, UTM will be represented at America’s biggest sporting event. Dr. Dexter Davis, associate professor of sport business, will take 11 students this year, including three international student-athletes and two graduate students, to work hospitality at the big game and gain the kind of hands-on, real-world experience that can be found nowhere else.
“For many of these kids it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Davis. “It’s also a powerful brand to have on your resume. They can legitimately say that they have worked for one of the most valuable brands in the world at the largest single-day sporting event in the world.”
The group will leave Tennessee on Jan. 24 and spend that afternoon touring Roger Dean Stadium and FITTEAM Ballpark – the annual spring training site for the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals Major League Baseball teams. The group will also work the 2020 Pro Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida, on Jan. 25 before returning to Miami to work the Super Bowl Experience, Super Bowl LIVE and associated media events leading up to the big game.
Davis and his students will also attend the University of Miami’s Sport Industry Conference on Jan. 30, a unique opportunity for them to hear presentations on a variety of industry issues and network with students, faculty and professionals from schools and networks across the country.
On game day, students will work with On Location Experiences, the National Football League’s premium hospitality business, serving as talent concierges. This role includes coordinating player appearances, escorting players between venues and helping with on-field activities. Davis is annually involved with player coordination and aspects of the halftime show, and this is his 15th Super Bowl.
Students attending this year are Leighton Chappell, of Flushing, Michigan; Jodie Duncan, of Munford; Mary Harmon, of Dickson; Lauren Hutchinson, of McEwen; Lucas Istre, of Centerville; Chase Prescott, of Milan, Jon Ward, of Centerville; Peyton Wolfe, of Ramer; and international students Amelia Campbell (Great Britain); Mizuki Sakurai (Great Britain) and Jule Streif (Germany). Chappell, Duncan, Harmon and Wolfe have all attended the event in previous years.
For more information on the trip or the UTM sports business program, housed in the College of Business and Global Affairs, contact Davis at ddavis78@utm.edu.
