Cary-Grove alumna Jenna Stayart earns ‘surreal’ experience at Super Bowl

Cary-Grove alumna Jenna Stayart developed an interest in the business side of sports as a student-athlete at the University of Tennessee and wanted to find a way to see just what her future could look like.

She couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity, getting a chance to go to Las Vegas for the Super Bowl last month to get a behind-the-scenes look at everything it takes to put together a world-renown event.

“Being able to be at such a large event and see that there are so many opportunities and places and areas you could work in sports,” Stayart said. “That was one of the coolest things, just being able to see that there are so many jobs, so many things that you could be doing to help an event.”

Stayart, a redshirt sophomore on the Tennessee women’s soccer team, got that opportunity through a university program called “Big Orange Combine.” The joint effort between the school’s business school and athletics student life center takes 10 students each year to the Super Bowl to get a behind-the-scenes look at the event and meet people in sports business.

She learned about the program as an incoming freshman and made sure to apply this year as soon as she saw applications were available. After answering a series of questions and going through an interview process, she was one of five student-athletes selected to make the trip.

They arrived Wednesday and started a weekend of fun experiences. Stayart was impressed right from the start with what it takes to put together such an event.

“It was even bigger than I imagined,” Stayart said. “I knew going into the Super Bowl, obviously, one of the biggest sporting events in the world, but being there and seeing all the moving parts that go into making the event happen was surreal.”

The group had a chance to watch CBS Sports record a show live in front of the Bellagio Hotel and then talk to some of the people involved with the production. Stayart also attended a networking event at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where the group heard from a panel of people involved in sport business and took part in another networking event to meet other students.

Being able to be at such a large event and see that there are so many opportunities and places and areas you could work in sports. That was one of the coolest things, just being able to see that there are so many jobs, so many things that you could be doing to help an event.”

—  Jenna Stayart, Cary-Grove alumna

Stayart and her classmates also helped with the Super Bowl game, aiding fans at the entrance to figure out where they’re supposed to go. She was grateful to be part of a program that offers students a cool opportunity to learn about prospective careers.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get a close look at how all aspects of business come together,” Tennessee assistant director for student-athlete development Joshua Liddell said in a news release. “We’re excited to provide this opportunity to growing professionals and allow them to network and gain experience in business and sports.”

While Stayart got a chance to see some celebrities from a distance, she was more impressed talking with people such as CBS Sports HQ Production Vice President Tracy Anderson. Anderson and others helped Stayart, who’s majoring in marketing with a minor in entrepreneurship, learn how much work it takes to put together an event like a Super Bowl and what it takes to get there.

After leaving Las Vegas, Stayart can’t wait to make her return.

“It’s so motivating,” Stayart said. “Being there and being able to experience it, take it all in was super cool, but now it makes me want to be back there eventually, having a bigger role like the professionals that we met.”