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Sport Management Students at the College Football National Championship
Gaining Industry Insight
Recently, I was able to join a group from our sport management department as they spent a weekend in Atlanta working at the College Football National Championship. The first part of the trip was focused on networking and touring different sports venues around the city. The first day, we were able to tour Bobby Dodd stadium, where the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets play, and see a lot of the VIP areas and suites. While at Georgia Tech we were also able to connect with the ticket sales department and hear from the director of ticket sales. It was nice hearing from industry professionals who had real life experience in collegiate ticket sales. After Georgia Tech, all of us got the chance to go to the Atlanta Hawks corporate headquarters. There, we were able to get a tour of their offices which was pretty incredible due to the fact it was on the 19th floor of a skyscraper downtown. After the tour, the Hawks hosted a panel discussion with employees from various parts of their business and sales departments. They gave us a lot of insight into the professional world of ticket sales as well as tips on how to break into the industry.
Volunteering off the Field
After the first day, the real work started. Our first volunteer shift was at the Georgia World Congress Center. There, we helped fans find their favorite players around media day. It was fun being so close to the action as both teams interacted with reporters and fans. Later that same day we were back in action. Our next shift involved educating fans on the importance of being green and reducing waste while attending a concert at State Farm Arena. It was quite the experience trying to get people to recycle while listening to the concert. The next day was Sunday so we had a bit of a rest day. We attended church before heading to Mercedes Benz Stadium for pageantry team rehearsals. There we practiced for our big shift the next day.
Gameday!
The next day was gameday. In the morning we were able to take a tour of the Braves stadium. It was great to see the different ticket options and it really tied in well with what we learned on the first day. After the tour we headed back downtown. Our first shift of the day included directing fans to various tailgate areas and answering any questions they might have about the day's events. After that concluded, we headed into the bowels of Mercedes Benz Stadium for our final shift of the weekend. We would be holding the giant American flag on the field for the national anthem. Walking onto the field was almost everyone’s favorite moment of the trip. One student on the trip, Blythe Jelley ’27, described standing on the field as, “Chilling; it was so cool to see thousands upon thousands of people joining together in support of one big game.” She was not alone in this opinion, we all will never forget that moment.
The trip was a tremendous success. Not only did we gain valuable work experience, but we also connected with industry professionals who can help us as we move forward in our careers. Overall, everyone had a fantastic time and we are all deeply grateful for getting the opportunity.
This article was originally published in The Bagpipe, Covenant’s student newspaper.