ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. — For Aliyah Giudice, the magnitude of the moment became clear almost immediately.
“Everything has to be perfect because it’s the Super Bowl,” she said. “There’s no room for error. You’re dealing with thousands of fans, media members and staff, so you have to stay calm and focused the entire time.”
“Everything has to be perfect because it’s the Super Bowl. There’s no room for error.”
Giudice was one of nine St. Bonaventure University sports management students who earned the opportunity to work Super Bowl LX, one of the world’s largest sporting events. The assignment placed students from the university’s School of Business, where sports management is a core academic program, into a professional environment that tested classroom concepts under the highest possible stakes.
A High-Pressure Classroom on the Sport’s Biggest Stage
The Super Bowl experience served as the culmination of months of observed learning, building directly off students’ work at Buffalo Bills home games earlier in the season. That hands-on preparation laid the foundation for what students encountered on the NFL’s biggest stage.
During Super Bowl week, students worked in event operations and fan services, assisting with crowd flow, stadium logistics and guest support. The responsibilities demanded professionalism, adaptability and constant awareness.
“We worked primarily in stadium and fan operations,” Giudice said. “We helped with crowd flow, assisted fans with directions, and made sure everything was running smoothly throughout the event. It was fast-paced and required us to be very professional and alert at all times.”
“It was fast-paced and required us to be very professional and alert at all times.”
From Bills Games to Super Bowl LX
Aiden Swayze, a graduate student in management and a returning participant in the program, said the scale of the Super Bowl was unlike anything he had experienced before.
“Once you’re actually in the stadium and you see how many people are involved — from fans to media to staff — it really hits you,” Swayze said. “Everything is done at such a high level, and there’s no margin for error.”
The opportunity to work the Super Bowl was not automatic. Students earned their place by working a set number of Bills home games throughout the season, gaining experience in security, ushering and event operations. Those games served as both a fundraising mechanism and a training ground, allowing students to apply coursework from the School of Business in real-world settings.
Learning to Handle Pressure Before It Counts
“Working Bills games really helped us understand how to handle crowds and unexpected situations,” Giudice said. “It also taught us how to communicate effectively and work as part of a team. By the time we got to the Super Bowl, we already felt confident in those skills.”
Swayze echoed that sentiment, noting how repetition built comfort under pressure.
“Working Bills games teaches you how to communicate, how to stay calm, and how to work as part of a team,” he said. “By the time we got to the Super Bowl, those things felt second nature.”
“By the time we got to the Super Bowl, those things felt second nature.”
Growth Through Experience and Responsibility
For returning participants like Swayze and Hayden Watt, the Super Bowl experience reflected noticeable growth. Watt, a senior sports management major and the program’s only three-time participant, said each year brought increased responsibility and trust.
“My first time, everything was new and I was just trying to learn as much as possible,” Watt said. “Now, I feel a lot more comfortable in those environments and trusted with more responsibility, which makes a huge difference.”
Watt said that familiarity allowed him to shift from reacting to situations to anticipating them — a key professional skill emphasized throughout the sports management curriculum.
“You’re not just reacting anymore,” he said. “You’re anticipating what needs to be done.”
“You’re not just reacting anymore — you’re anticipating what needs to be done.”
Swayze noticed a similar progression, particularly in leadership roles among returning students.
“You’re more confident in what you’re doing, and you’re able to help out first-time participants because you’ve already been through it,” he said.
Preparing for Careers Beyond College
While the story of the Super Bowl centers on the students, one faculty advisor mentions these opportunities reflect the broader mission of first-hand learning within St. Bonaventure’s School of Business. Dr. Tiffany Demiris, assistant professor of sports management, said the program is designed to move learning beyond theory.
“That’s the point of experiential learning,” Demiris said. “It’s recognizing a problem, maybe not having the solution yet, and knowing who to go to so you can learn how to handle it.”
For the students, the impact of the experience extended far beyond Super Bowl week. Many said it clarified career goals and reinforced confidence in pursuing professional sports careers.
“I learned that I’m capable of handling high-pressure environments,” Giudice said. “It really reinforced my confidence and showed me that this is the industry I want to be in.”
“It really reinforced my confidence and showed me that this is the industry I want to be in.”
Swayze said the experience helped him better understand his readiness for the industry.
“Being able to say you worked the Super Bowl is great,” he said. “But more importantly, it shows that you can handle responsibility at a very high level.”
Watt agreed, pointing to the long-term value of applying classroom learning in elite professional settings.
“Experiences like this give you confidence and show you that you can succeed in high-pressure professional environments,” he said.
As the students look ahead, Super Bowl LX stands as both a milestone and a reminder of what preparation can lead to. For Giudice, the experience offered clarity.
“It was an unforgettable experience,” she said, “and it confirmed I’m on the right career path.”
