LIMA – The hands-on learning Abigail Meyer has experienced through the University of Northwestern Ohio, which included working at Super Bowl LIV, has been invaluable as she prepares for a career in sports marketing and management.
Meyer, a 2016 Jackson Center High School graduate, was one of 10 UNOH sport marketing and management students selected to volunteer at this year’s Super Bowl in Miami, Florida.
“When the opportunity arose, I was like of course (I want to go),” Meyer said.
“It’s awesome. You get to meet so many people and talk to people and actually see what goes on to get those big events running.”
Meyer’s internship included working at the Super Bowl Experience at the Miami Beach Convention Center, an event offering participatory games, youth football clinics and autograph sessions with NFL players in the days leading up to the Super Bowl.
Meyer worked at the interactive zone where fans could kick field goals and throw footballs at targets. She met former NFL players such as quarterback Doug Flutie and other celebrities including rapper Lil Jon during her time at the Super Bowl Experience but most enjoyed interacting with children.
“My personal favorite was the little kids that came through just because of how excited they got when they hit the target,” the Jackson Center alumna said. “It was fun getting to meet all these people from everywhere.”
On Super Bowl Sunday, Meyer worked as a guide just outside of Hard Rock Stadium and helped direct fans to pre-game parties.
She couldn’t go in the stadium for the Super Bowl, but last summer Meyer interned at the MLB All-Star Game in Cleveland and was in Progressive Field for those festivities. The trip to the All-Star Game also was through UNOH and included working at the Celebrity All-Star Game, Home Run Derby and All-Star Game.
Working at some of the premiere sporting events in the world, Meyer has established contacts she hopes could help her land a job in sports marketing and management.
“I’ve been able to get those opportunities and connect with people,” the UNOH senior said. “The chances I’ve got and the connections I’ve made have been amazing.”
In addition to taking classes and playing softball at UNOH, Meyer interns at a creative marketing firm in Elida, NOW Marketing Group. She does a lot of blog writing and imagery creation for that internship.
Meyer is scheduled to graduate from UNOH in June with a bachelor’s degree in sport marketing and management. Ultimately, she wants to work in sports with a focus on creative marketing and social media management.
“I’ve always been a huge Reds fan,” she said. “That would be my dream, to work with the Cincinnati Reds.”
When she enrolled in college, Meyer initially planned to study criminal justice and psychology. However, her love of sports caused her to change majors and led her into the sports marketing discipline.
UNOH’s sport marketing and management program emphasizes hands-on experience with students volunteering at events including the Super Bowl and MLB All-Star Game. In 2019 Lehman Catholic alumnus Austin Arnold was among the students who volunteered at Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta, which was UNOH’s first trip to the Super Bowl.
“I want them to see what goes into executing a huge event like this, to be able to experience it first-hand and gain experience on a large-scale setting like the Super Bowl,” UNOH professor Julia Etzkorn said in a press release. “The best part is that they will be able to make connections here that could help them obtain jobs within the sports industry when they graduate.”
