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Tagging Along on a Sport Management Trip: Super Bowl 2025
Back in the late 1990s, when I began my study of sociology, I remember my mentor, Dr. Russell Heddendorf, joking that sociologists are the ones who go to football games but watch the crowd. And earlier this year, while tagging along with Professor Michaela Kourmoulis’ sport management trip to the Super Bowl, I did exactly that. Arriving in New Orleans the Wednesday before Super Bowl Sunday, our group, which included Professor Kourmoulis and students Nicole Graubard ’25, Sydney Jones ’25, and David Perry ’27, went through Super Bowl volunteer training including a walk-through of Caesar's Superdome, home turf for the New Orleans Saints, and the site of the 2025 Super Bowl. During training we were assigned various game-day duties at a location just outside the main entrance point into the stadium.
Game Day Anticipation
On game day, wearing ghastly teal-colored shirts, bright orange hats, volunteer credentials, and being warned that we would be visible on hundreds of unseen cameras at all times, we moved through the dense crowd directing people to different gates, depending on their ticket type. The mood on the street was celebratory as people anticipated the game. We saw more than a few superfan outfits representing loyalty on both sides of the gridiron.
People seemed genuinely grateful for our help as we prevented them from standing in the wrong line. With the average ticket price somewhat north of $10,000, it was surprising to see families of four—including young children—heading toward the entrance gates. We never came close to getting into the stadium on game day. Our shift started at 8am and was scheduled to end at 8pm.
Around 5pm or so we were pulled off the street and kept indoors until our bus brought us back to the parking lot where our day had begun. We think we were pulled off the street prematurely because President Trump’s motorcade was coming through and the security risk posed by a bunch of people wearing teal shirts and bright orange hats was too great. There were a lot of military personnel on the street and on various rooftops.
Presence of Opposing Christian Beliefs and Tactics
One problem we encountered while directing ticket holders here and there came in the form of several fundamentalist Christian groups who set up on the street just outside the main gate into the stadium. Using microphones and loudspeakers set on high volume, their leaders yelled at people as they moved toward the entrance. They held up signs that identified various vices that would ensure a person’s one-way ticket to you-know-where. These shortcomings included the usual suspects like alcohol and drug use, and one sign even suggested that tattoos would keep you out of the New Jerusalem!
Our group ended up in the odd position of trying to help people avoid these angry Christians. This felt a little strange to me, as I am a Christian, and like them, I have some critique of the Super Bowl. It was difficult to detect love emanating from these loud, hostile people. I even found myself chatting with a K-9 police officer about whether the high decibel preaching would harm her dog’s ears. The sound never abated the whole time we were out there. However, I did see a remarkable response from a presumably Christian man who passed by these angry street preachers. As he was moved by one preacher who was screaming at his face, he reached over and patted his shoulder in a sincere act of Christian charity as if to say, “God Bless you.” This small act of grace struck me as a breath of fresh air in a world where so many seem poised to insult, disparage, or do violence to anyone who crosses or slights them.
From NOLA Rugby Gold to Tulane University to University of New Orleans
Apart from the Super Bowl, Professor Kourmoulis had organized a host of outstanding educational experiences for her students, and I was glad to be along for the ride. We toured a professional rugby stadium, NOLA Rugby Gold, where Covenant alumna Makenna Dance ’24 now works. We even got to watch part of a practice. I found it quite interesting. Later that evening, our group had dinner with Makenna and her fiancé Solomon Crouch ’24, also a recent Covenant grad, who is employed as the motion graphics coordinator for the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans. We also toured Tulane University’s athletic facilities – which were remarkable.
After touring Tulane, we headed over to the University of New Orleans, where Covenant sport management alum Brooks DuBose ’21 just signed on as assistant baseball coach. They too had impressive facilities, and at our urging, David Perry got to sit up in the announcer’s box and imagine what it was like to provide commentary for a game in a large stadium.
Serving Athletes alongside James Brown, Tony Dungy, and Mike Singletary
One highlight of the trip was serving breakfast with Athletes in Action the Saturday morning before the Super Bowl. At the event, we worked security, helped set the tables, and did whatever else needed doing. A lot of Christian NFL royalty were there, including CBS Sportscaster James Brown, Tony Dungy, Mike Singletary, and others. During the breakfast we heard various Christian testimonies that culminated in awarding the 2025 Bart Star Award to New Orleans Saints’ Defensive End Cameron Jordan. It was a good event and we all really enjoyed being there.
Overall Appreciation for Sports Management
I’m not seeking a career in sports at the moment! So, what did I get out of all this? Several things. First, I came away with new appreciation for just how much expertise and insight Professor Kourmoulis brings to her students. She’s really remarkable for the breadth of knowledge she holds with regard to sports and the increasingly complex social structures that comprise and support them. This was the sort of trip that all sport management majors should try to go on sometime before they graduate.
Second, I very much enjoyed spending time with the group. I generally see students in situations where I’m grading them, giving them deadlines, and so on. It was really refreshing to be part of their group and to enter into the youthful enthusiasm that Nicole, Sydney, and David brought along on the trip. It was great fun to watch these students stalking celebrities – including Nicole bumping into (literally) Jason Kelce outside of a Beignet place in downtown New Orleans where we had just met with yet another Covenant alum, Jonathan Pelts ’10.
It was equally refreshing to see genuine Christian faith in these students, and it served to remind me of what Â鶹AV is all about. We had a great time, and I’m grateful to Professor Kourmoulis and these students for letting me tag along. I’m still not a superfan of the Super Bowl, but I am a superfan of what we’re doing at Covenant, and I’m grateful to be a part of it all.