For the second year in a row, Dr. Dexter Davis, a professor of sport management at the University of Tennessee at Martin, is bringing students to work at National Football League games in London.
The six UT Martin students selected to go on this special trip include:
• Tiana Brooks, a junior management major with a concentration in sport business from Memphis.
• Kole Hellmann, a a sophomore management major with a concentration in sport business from Centerville.
• Reagan McGee, a junior accounting major from Norfolk, Virginia.
• Mason Meyners, a senior management major with a concentration in sport business from Hixson.
• Haley Olsen, a junior management major with a concentration in sport business from Mount Pleasant. Olsen is making her second trip to London to work at NFL games.
• Dakota Reddan, a senior management major with a concentration in sport business from Munford.
The students will be on hand when the Cleveland Browns play the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Oct. 5, and when the Denver Broncos take on the New York Jets on Sunday, Oct. 12. Both games will be played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in northern London.
As they did last year, the UT Martin group will be working in customer service at the NFL games, handing out gifts to the official staff and welcoming staff members to the games.
“It’s kind of customer service for the customer service people,” Davis said. Many of the gifts are collectibles provided by the NFL like a special coin or key ring.
Being able to work at an NFL game overseas is a rare opportunity for any college student.
“We’re the only college crew that’s going to be working there that I know of,” Davis said. “It’s an opportunity for the students to see the value of customer service and how rewards help make performance better.”
When they aren’t working at the games, the UTM students will tour London, with planned sports venue visits of London Stadium, where Premier League member Westham United plays; the Queen Elizabeth II Olympic Park, which hosted the 2012 Olympic Games; and the All-England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at Wimbledon.
The group was invited to attend lectures at Leeds-Beckett University. While there, the group will tour Headingley Stadium, which houses a cricket ground and a separate rugby pitch. The tour will be led by Jamie Jones Buchanan, the former captain of the Leeds Rhinos rugby team who now works at Leeds Beckett University.
The selection process that Davis uses to select the participating students has several steps.
“We have an informational meeting, and then, we have people who express an interest in taking part,” he said. “Over the summer, I contact them and have them send a cover letter and resume, and the cover letter addresses how this activity will impact their career plans.”
Davis then takes into account the student’s grade-point average and their major.
Students of sport management at UT Martin have had several working opportunities over the years with Davis, including the last 12 Super Bowls and the 2023 Little League Baseball Classic. Davis said he has selected students to work at Super Bowl LX, being played Feb. 8 in Santa Clara, California.
Students are given opportunities to work at these venues to witness sports marketing at the highest level of sports and become familiar with their chosen field once they enter the working world.
For more information about UT Martin, visit www.utm.edu or call 1-800-829-UTM1 (-8861).
PHOTO: The group working at two NFL games in London this month are (l-r) Tiana Brooks, Dakota Redden, Reagan McGee, Dr. Dexter Davis, Mason Meyners, Kole Hellmann and Haley Olsen. Olsen will make her second NFL working trip to London.
