BETHLEHEM, Pa. — On Thanksgiving Day, Ashley Rodrigues was sitting at her kitchen table when she got an email with the subject line “You’re going to New Orleans!”
As a senior at Moravian University studying communications in media with a track for writing for public audiences, Rodrigues worked hard for such an opportunity.
Living Sport, a sports experience company, offered Rodrigues the opportunity to work at the Super Bowl as an intern on the digital media team.
Not only was the opportunity a chance of a lifetime for a college student, but Rodrigues said it renewed her passion to pursue what she loves to do as a career.
And it even made her a Most Valuable Player — more about that later.
“I grew that confidence, and I hope when I go back to school it stays with me because I really felt like I was here for a reason.”Moravian College student Ashley Rodrigues
“I grew,” Rodrigues said of the experience. “I really grew. I grew that confidence, and I hope when I go back to school it stays with me because I really felt like I was here for a reason.”
With multiple short-term programs offered each year, Living Sport provides young professionals interested in the sports business field the chance to step outside their comfort zone, and travel to sports events around the world.
The Super Bowl LIX program got more than 100 applicants, from which it onboarded 17 interns for an 11-day venture that began Feb. 1. Rodrigues said.
Throughout the week, she said, she had the chance to attend several high-profile events, interview Olympic gold medalists and work as stadium fan service teammate on game day.
The journey
Rodrigues, who is from Rockaway, New Jersey, said she comes from a big sports family.
She’s been a track athlete since her freshman year of high school and continued into college.
Growing up, however, she said she dabbled in a little bit of everything, as she also played soccer, basketball and softball.
When Rodrigues got to high school, she said, she started to take an interest in the communications world and took a TV production class.
She said that during her senior year, she had an assignment to create a project reflecting her dream job, but had a hard time pinpointing what that was.
“I was really thinking of what to do and my dad was actually helping think of ideas,” Rodrigues said. “He goes, ‘Why don’t you do what they’re doing on the TV?’ And it was commentating.”
Rodrigues said she decided to give it a shot and found a recording of one of her old soccer games. She recorded a voiceover and said she found she had a natural knack for the job.
Once she got to college, she joined the sports publicity team, which is run by Moravian's Department of Athletic Communications.
Finding a calling
Mark Fleming, Moravian's director of athletic communications, said Rodrigues has taken on a number of roles — reporting live stats, photography, being a member of the video streaming crew and as a commentator.
“She’s been great,” Fleming said. “She’s one of the top workers we’ve had over the years.”
Eventually, the sports information director left, and the team needed to train someone to take over post-game interviews.
“You could tell it was something she was good at, and she progressed over the years.”Mark Flemming, Moravian's director of athletic communications
In Rodrigues fashion, she said she would give it a try.
“She was nervous, like all of our student staff is when they first start out, but she was a natural right away,” Fleming said.
“You could tell it was something she was good at, and she progressed over the years.”
As more doors opened, Rodrigues said she knew she wanted to work in the sports media industry and realized just how versatile the sports world can be.
“I realized I loved talking to people," she said. "I love making these connections."
In the fall, however, Rodrigues said she was having a hard time finding job and internship opportunities and even started to consider changing her major.
'About to change my major'
Rodrigues said she went to Christine Fox, the assistant director of Athletic Communications, for guidance. Fox suggested she apply to a Living Sport program.
Fox is a Living Sport alumna, having completed two programs with the company, one of which was Super Bowl LIV and another program in Glasgow, Scotland.
“I think I was told no so many times so I could get this opportunity. When this happened, I was like, there is a reason this happened.”Moravian College student Ashley Rodrigues
“They were both very good experiences and opened up a lot of different opportunities to meet different people in different positions in sports,” Fox said.
“I figured that would be a good way for [Rodrigues] to get into the business and see what it has to offer.”
Rodrigues said she applied shortly after and patiently waited for a response, not wanting to give her hopes up.
“I’ve been told no or, ‘Sorry, we’re not looking for your skills at this time.’” Rodrigues said. “I had been told that so many times in the past, I was about to change my major.”
When she got the offer to travel to Caesar Superdome, all of a sudden, the pieces seemed to fall into place.
“I think I was told no so many times so I could get this opportunity,” Rodrigues said. “When this happened, I was like, there is a reason this happened.”
Gameday
Rodrigues described the day of the Super Bowl as surreal.
As a fan service teammate, she and her cohort, who worked together in a certain section of the stadium, helped fans find their seats and answer questions.
“Being around all that energy [was the] best experience of my life. Hearing all the fans at the end spelling ‘Eagles’ when they won, the whole stadium was shaking.”Moravian College student Ashley Rodrigues
“Being around all that energy [was the] best experience of my life,” Rodrigues said. “Hearing all the fans at the end spelling ‘Eagles’ when they won, the whole stadium was shaking.”
She said the most interesting part of the day was getting the inside scoop, spending time in the media rooms with the auxiliary press.
“Doing that and seeing what they do behind the scenes, it was so amazing to see how much really goes into the Super Bowl,” Rodrigues said.
Rodrigues said every detail was carefully tracked, with every staff member equipped with a walkie-talkie.
She said she was given updates on how many fans were in the stadium and when the teams departed from their hotels to head to the field and was alerted when President Donald J. Trump arrived.
Only those with specific credentials can access the service level, which is the area on ground level, near where players reside when they are not on the field.
Rodrigues said that when Trump arrived at the Caesars Superdome, the level had to be cleared out.
“They actually had to step outside of the service level, close all the doors, put the barricades up and it was only him [Trump] and his Secret Service,” Rodrigues said.
Opening Night
Earlier in the week, Rodrigues said, she got the chance to hear speeches from Olympian athletes who are ambassadors for Living Sport.
Living Sport "brings them in to talk with us and inspire us and really motivate us to be ready,” Rodrigues said.
Track and field gold medalists’ Moushaumi Robinson and LaShawn Merritt were there, she said.
“Making these connections was just amazing and it helped me build my confidence.”Moravian College student Ashely Rodrigues
She said each intern had to come up with three questions to ask Robinson.
Athens, Greece, was where the first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896, which is where Robinson won her gold medal in summer 2004.
One of the questions Rodrigues asked her was what it felt like to win in Athens, given the historical context.
"I was really happy to do it because that was my niche,” Rodrigues said.
Opening Night, where Super Bowl players and coaches make their first public appearance of the week, took place on Feb. 3.
As a member of the digital team, Rodrigues said, when there was a special event, there was an assignment
“Our first assignment for Opening Night was to interview fans, get their interactions, interview anybody we can and see how well we did,” she said.
When they weren’t making digital media content for Living Sport, Rodrigues said they got to network.
The chief executive officer "brought us to all these events, connecting with NFL alumni and I actually connected with a sports reporter from Fox News,” she said.
She said she also got the chance to work at The Leigh Steinberg Super Bowl Party. Steinberg is a well-known NFL sports agent and has held the event for 37 years.
“I actually met the sports reporter there again, and she remembered me,” Rodrigues said. “Making these connections was just amazing and it helped me build my confidence.”
Ending on a high note
A closing ceremony was held Feb. 10. There, Rodrigues got an MVP award, voted on by the fellow interns.
With only three awards handed out, Rodrigues said she was touched, especially considering how she felt before getting the opportunity.
“It really built my confidence in the sports industry. I really owe it all to Living Sport.”Moravian College student Ashley Rodrigues
“I always had a confident bone in me, but there was always a voice in the back of my head saying, ‘You’re not good enough for this job,’ or ‘Change your major, this career path for you,’” Rodrigues said.
She said that going into it, she was nervous she wouldn’t meet Living Sport’s expectations and was worried she wasn’t going to find what she was looking for.
She said she's grateful she stepped outside her comfort zone.
“It really built my confidence in the sports industry,” Rodrigues said. “I really owe it all to Living Sport.”
