Stephen A. Smith (center) poses with Nick Chiarito '26, Luke Sassa '24, Dan Aulbach '25, Cara Lacey '26 and Gene Barbieri '26. Photo Provided by Prof. Bailey Carlin

Just days after Marist University donned its new title, Red Fox history was made again when five sports communication students were granted the opportunity to fly out to New Orleans for Super Bowl Media Week.

Students tested their journalism and social media skills, filming Instagram content for Marist’s sports publication and live-to-tape broadcast series Center Field and The Red Fox Report.

This trip was the first of its kind in Marist’s history as students stood alongside mainstream media moguls and interviewed giants of the NFL, such as Patrick Mahomes and Saquon Barkley. This endeavor was organized through the efforts of Dr. Andrew Elrick, Marist’s newly-appointed director of the Center for Sports Communication.
“My experience was more so like a parent’s,” said Elrick. “I would have taken [a credential] from a student had I gone. I’ve done nine of these; I don’t need it.”

While Elrick didn’t attend the trip himself, the students in question then found themselves in an unfamiliar setting with plenty of work to do and a feeling of sensory overload. Eugene Barbieri ‘26 described the experience as “both terrifying and amazing.”

“Everywhere you look, there’s a face you’ve seen on TV,” said Barbieri.

The interview process for student journalists was described as much different than that of those with corporate representation.

“Each big name had interviews booked out months in advance,” Barbieri said. “Nearly everything we did was on the fly.”

This need to be present and flexible served as great motivation, as Dan Aulbach ‘25 described what it felt like on Radio Row.

“Throughout the week, you get desensitized to the starstruck feeling,” said Aulbach. “There is work to do to create content. You’ve got to be ready.”

Nick Chiarito ‘26 spoke similarly about his experience while still navigating the adrenaline that comes with the stakes.

“For those 30 to 40 seconds, you’re interacting with somebody larger than life,” said Chiarito. “Throughout the week, it gets easier to remember they’re people with jobs to do, too. They’ll show you the respect you show them.”

One such experience was with Luke Sassa ‘24, who had the opportunity to interview ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith. They shared a contact with a Marist professor, Bailey Carlin, Smith’s social media manager.

“Professor Carlin secured the interview, and Smith gave him so much credit for his virality across social media,” said Sassa. “It really showcased his humility.”

Sassa recounted how this experience came together and what it could mean for the program’s inner workings.

“I remember sprinting off the beach at 2 PM to get on a Zoom call,” Sassa said. “It was such exciting news.”

The five students were quick to point out one another’s strengths, assigning one another to seek out an interview, edit large quantities of footage and take turns on the tedious jobs that lead to magic.

“Some of it was in the moment, on camera; other times, it was sitting down and sending dozens of emails to set up interviews,” said Sassa. “There were plenty of monotonous email chains.”

Each student described personal networking opportunities while maintaining their feelings of accomplishment based on their program as a whole.

“There was a feeling of encouragement and team spirit in getting each member of sports-comm on camera,” said Chiarito.

Now that history has been made, students are ecstatic to see what’s next for the sports communication program. Aulbach forebodes a bright future for incoming students following this trip’s success.

“Other schools had professional camera equipment, flashier displays. But there are avenues to get there through undergrad. We laid the foundation, and that was our goal,” said Aulbach.

Only a calendar year has passed since the Sports Communication program became eligible for club funding, and in those 12 months, their efforts led them to one of America’s grandest spectacles.

Sassa beamed with pride regarding his team’s success and dreams that are even bigger for future Marist undergrads. He closed by mentioning dreams of a similar trip for sports communication students to the Los Angeles Summer 2028 Olympics.

“I’m so excited to be watching students I’ve mentored become leaders,” said Sassa. “I know they’re going to take advantage of even greater opportunities down the line.

Red Foxes Take on New Orleans: Students Travel to Super Bowl Media Week

MARIST CIRCLE