Super Bowl Student Reporters

'Challenging, demanding and a whirlwind... but most of all, incredibly rewarding'

Harrison Rich '26
Feb. 8, 2026

Before this year's Super Bowl, I had only ever been to one NFL game: a Week 1 matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and the Houston Texans in 2024.

Safe to say this one was going to be different.

I had no idea what to expect heading into Super Bowl week. But as I look back on a tremendous five days in the Bay Area, I can safely say it was an experience I'll never forget.

Through a partnership between the Philip Merrill College of Journalism's Shirley Povich Center for Sports Journalism and the Sports Business Journal, I worked alongside and picked the brains of some of the most connected people in sports journalism.

SBJ’s talented staff — including Josh Barnett, Ben Fischer, Austin Karp, Terry Lefton and Abe Madkour — welcomed me for the week. Josh editedmy stories and treated me as a true member of the team. Terry connected me with agents and set up interviews with 49ers star tight end George Kittle and Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders. Ben helped me generate story ideas, and Austin introduced me to various sources.

I didn't just sit on the sidelines. From Wednesday through Saturday, I spent most of my days at the Moscone Center, the home of Radio Row and the hub for all media activity throughout the week. This is where I followed Kittle around for two hours on his media tour, sat down with Sanders and mingled with fellow media members. Outside of my reporting duties, I also watched Stephen A. Smith host an ESPN Radio show with Cam Newton, saw Puka Nacua on "The Pat McAfee Show" and toured the set of SiriusXM.

Beyond my work with SBJ, I worked closely with Capital News Service, producing a profile on Maryland native and Seahawks offensive lineman Christian Haynes. The story was picked up by the Baltimore Banner.

After spending four long, exhilarating days in downtown San Francisco, it was almost easy to forget that my duties weren't close to done. Sunday was the big day.

I took the media bus to Santa Clara with hundreds of other reporters that morning. As I walked up toward Levi's Stadium, it finally hit me that I was covering the Super Bowl. I took in all the sights and sounds before heading up to my seat in the press box and getting to work. After watching an entertaining game along with Bad Bunny's incredible halftime show, I went down for postgame interviews with players and coaches before filing my game story on Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald's arrival on the sport's biggest stage.

The week was challenging, demanding and a whirlwind. But most of all, it was incredibly rewarding, and I've come out of it with lessons I'll bring with me for the rest of my career.

Super Bowl 59: 'Most important experience in my career so far'

Sam Jane '26
Feb. 11, 2025

Covering a Super Bowl is exhilarating, hectic, productive and exhausting. I’ve never attended an event like it. Nearly the entire sports media industry piled into New Orleans, and the city's convention center became a hub for journalists, broadcasters, athletes and businesses.

I introduced myself to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini and high-level Fox Sports executives. I had a meal with the Washington Post's Sam Fortier, who covered the Commanders surprise playoff run. The Sports Business Journal team and I enjoyed oysters over dinner.

That didn’t even include the reporting. I attended team press availabilities, Fox Sports media day, Media Row and other events. I produced seven articles for the Sports Business Journal team and two for Capital News Service.

All of those events are prior to the game. That’s what makes the Super Bowl such a large event, a spectacle before the two teams even meet on the field.

The game itself is just as impressive. I went to the NFL’s official tailgate, which meant live music, food and drinks, along with plenty of opportunities to network. (The heat was sweltering, though, meaning I had a slight sweat problem.)

Sports Business Journal’s Ben Fischer showed me around the tailgate. He pointed out different high-level executives and team officials who attended the party. We listened to the music and chatted before I headed to the Superdome around 3 pm.

I like to arrive at stadiums around two hours before the coin toss. It allows me to feel the pregame energy, watch warmups and prepare for the game.

The Super Bowl’s pregame was highly sophisticated. On my press pass, a QR code presented the press box location, steps to get there and gave me certain access at different points in the stadium. I was not allowed to step on the field, but I was able to cruise around the stadium’s general perimeter.

Once I arrived at the press box, it hit me. I was covering the Super Bowl. The SBJ team was placed in the auxiliary press box, which is usually traditional seating. Fischer said the outlet prefers that location, because it’s open air and allows you to feel the stadium’s energy. I agreed.

The Superdome provided energy from the start of the game. The Eagles completely dominated, meaning a game story was easy to write. Before the game even started, I had an idea of I wanted to write about: Kellen Moore, Philadelphia’s offensive coordinator and the future New Orleans Saints coach.

It became much easier to write about Moore when the Eagles put up 40 points. I interviewed players after the game and filed my story for Capital News Service.

The days were long in New Orleans. It was a mentally draining week at times. But there’s also no question that it’s been the most important experience in my career so far.