“Being able to step into these professional environments, hear people talk about their journeys and connect with industry professionals showed me how important it is to simply be in the room,” says sport analytics major Janylee Paulino ’28. “Experiences like this make the industry feel much more attainable.”
Over spring break, two groups of David B. Falk College of Sport students traveled to two of the country’s most dynamic sports and entertainment markets: Las Vegas and Los Angeles. They toured stadiums, sat in on production meetings, met with executives and connected with Syracuse University alumni at some of the biggest names in sports business. Here’s what the week looked like from the inside, one day at a time.
Our guides:
- Lucy Zombek ’26, health and exercise science major (Las Vegas)
- Janylee Paulino ’28, sport analytics major (Los Angeles)
- Kaden Halboth ’28, sport management major (Las Vegas)
- Gia Becchi ’28, sport management major (Los Angeles)
- Mikayla Bengsch ’26, sport analytics major (Las Vegas)
- Mack Fisher ’28, sport management major (Los Angeles)
Monday, March 9
Falk College of Sport students begin their Las Vegas trip at the UFC Performance Institute.
LAS VEGAS — Our first day began early with a shuttle to the UFC Performance Institute. We spent the day listening to leaders across the organization, including Syracuse alum Peter Dropick ’94, vice president of event development for UFC and WWE, and Lawrence Epstein, senior executive vice president of UFC and ESPN. Each gave a presentation followed by a Q&A session. They then led us on a tour of the performance institute, showcasing features like a body composition scanner, a water treadmill and a plate that measures load. We even saw athletes like Charles Oliveira, Alexander Volkov and Cody Garbrandt training just feet away from us. Later, we attended the Syracuse University alumni mixer at APEX—a wonderful networking opportunity and an insightful look into various professional journeys. —Zombek
The Los Angeles group gets a behind-the-scenes look at NFL Network during free agency week, led by Syracuse alumna Sara Ries ’05. “Seeing how a live sports broadcast operates during such an important moment in the NFL calendar was really exciting,” says sport analytics major Janylee Paulino ’28.
LOS ANGELES — We began the morning at NFL Network, where Syracuse alumna Sara Ries ’05 from production operations gave us a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into producing a live broadcast. We were there during NFL free agency—you could feel how fast everything was moving as updates came in and the team had to react in real time. Next, we visited BMO Stadium, home of Los Angeles Football Club, where co-president Larry Freedman shared how events are managed within the stadium. As someone minoring in sport event management, hearing the logistics behind hosting major sporting events was really interesting. We finished at Intuit Dome for a Clippers pregame experience, connecting with Syracuse alumni Sky Regan ’16, Joe Carello ’20 and Jack Wentzell ’14. —Paulino
Seeing the number of women working in sports media was really inspiring and helped solidify my decision to pursue a career in this industry. As a woman of color entering the sports industry, being in rooms with other hardworking and successful women reminded me that with determination, resilience and tough skin, there is space for all of us here.
Tuesday, March 10
Students go behind the scenes at HyperX Arena Las Vegas, exploring the competition stage, production areas and technology powering live esports broadcasts.
LAS VEGAS — We started the morning with a tour of Allegiant Stadium, hosted by Syracuse alum Christopher Sotiropulos ’10, vice president of stadium operations for the Las Vegas Raiders. He took us through some of the stadium’s premium spaces, including the luxury suites, clubs and even down onto the field. Over lunch, we met members of his operations team and learned what it takes to manage a facility of that scale on gamedays. In the afternoon, we visited HyperX Arena Las Vegas, where we saw the competition stage, production areas and the technology behind esports broadcasts. We had a Q&A with staff and even got to play a few games ourselves. We finished at the Sphere, where sales executives walked us through the business and premium hospitality sides of the venue before watching The Wizard of Oz—experiencing firsthand how the Sphere uses immersive technology to transform entertainment. —Halboth
One of my biggest takeaways was how many different career paths exist within sports and entertainment venues. Seeing these environments firsthand made the industry feel much more ‘real’ and reinforced my interest in working within sports.
Wednesday, March 11
Sport management major Gia Becchi ’28 (second from left) sits at the Fox College Hoops desk during a visit to Fox Sports.
LOS ANGELES — On Wednesday, we visited Fox Sports and heard from professionals across different areas of sports media. The visit was led by Syracuse alumna Bonnie O’Donnell ’95, who introduced us to colleagues spanning marketing and brand strategy, media and broadcast operations, digital content and creative storytelling. What stood out most was hearing how all these roles come together to create a single broadcast. As a viewer, it’s easy to focus only on the athletes or announcers—this experience showed how many people work behind the scenes to make it possible. Later, we visited OneTeam Partners, where we learned about athlete licensing, NIL opportunities and brand partnerships. This connected directly to my interest in sports communications and athlete branding because it showed how companies help athletes manage their image and partnerships. —Becchi
I realized how important networking and versatility are in the sports industry. Many of the professionals we met started in different roles and built their careers by being open to opportunities and making connections along the way.
Thursday, March 12
Students gather at the Las Vegas A's Ballpark Experience Center, where they learn about the future of Major League Baseball in Las Vegas.
LAS VEGAS — We began at the Las Vegas Golden Knights practice facility, where a panel of employees spoke about their roles, career paths and the challenges they’ve overcome. Next, recent Syracuse grad Rajan Joshi ’25 led us through the Las Vegas A’s Ballpark Experience Center. We then had lunch with A’s president Marc Badain and his senior leadership team before heading to the stadium construction site to see it all coming to life. We ended at T-Mobile Arena for a tour of the arena and watched the Golden Knights beat the Pittsburgh Penguins. —Bengsch
LOS ANGELES — We visited Dignity Health Sports Park, where AEG General Manager Adam Duvendeck—a two-time Olympian in track cycling—led our tour. We walked through the home of the LA Galaxy, the tennis stadium and the VELO Sports Center, the only indoor velodrome in the United States, where we watched athletes practicing.
Falk College students explore the VELO Sports Center with Adam Duvendeck, a two-time Olympic track cyclist.
We then had lunch with Syracuse alumni Talia Rosenhaus ’17 and Joseph Feola ’17, both now at AEG. We finished the day at the LA84 Foundation, where the director and staff explained the foundation’s mission—preserving the legacy of the 1984 Olympic Games through youth sport—and their plans for the 2026 World Cup. —Fisher
A week inside the sports industry has a way of making the future feel closer. From broadcast headquarters to stadium construction sites, every visit reinforced the same truth: The industry is vast, the paths are varied and the people who built careers here started where these students are now.
