Four Cronkite students came together last week to cover the biggest sporting event of the year live from Los Angeles: Super Bowl LVI.
Cronkite students secured a spot on Radio Row, the sports media hub where journalists can interview NFL players, coaches and other celebrities ahead of the game. One student, Gareth Kwok, was credentialed as media for the Super Bowl itself.
“It was just an incredible experience,” said Kwok, a senior majoring in sports journalism. “I’m glad to have represented the school in that way.”
Kwok live-tweeted the game from his seat at SoFi Stadium and recorded content for the Cronkite News newscast. He and graduate student Edwin Perez drove to LA from Phoenix, where they reported for the Cronkite News Phoenix Sports Bureau.
Perez said he was grateful to be given the opportunity to network.
“When you’re out there, you can create so many relationships, not only with the players, but with other media members,” he said. “A lot of people might see it as competition, but you’d be suprised how much people were nice and helpful with us.”
Seniors Joey Vacca and Adrian Bascope didn’t need to travel far. As reporters for Cronkite News Los Angeles, the two have been covering sports in California all semester.
“There’s no better takeaway from these experiences than being right in the middle of it,” said Vacca, a sports journalism major.
Their action-packed week was filled with press conferences, including one which “handed off” the Super Bowl to the Arizona Super Bowl LVII Host Committee for next year.
Bascope, however, said the Pepsi Halftime Show press conference featuring Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige and Snoop Dogg was his favorite part.
“The highlight would have to be the halftime one because we got to see all these musical celebrities,” he said.
With the sheer amount of media involved in this event, Vacca said the most challenging part was trying to create unique content. The fast-paced scene taught him the value of being versatile, and making something out of nothing.
“You’ve got to put yourself out there, maybe something will come out of it, maybe not, but at least you tried,” he said.
Vacca, a Southern California native, was thrilled to experience such a grand win for the Los Angeles Rams.
“There was definitely a buzz within the city that was reflected within everyday people you’d see walking the street,” he said. “It was a big moment for the NFL, so to be a part of that was really exciting.”