With increased attention and traffic brought by Super Bowl LII to the University of Minnesota area, many students are taking jobs to help the festivities run smoothly.
Hundreds of temporary jobs have been created for the Super Bowl and surrounding events.
For example, 64 students were hired for the NFL Honors event on Feb. 3 held at Northrop Auditorium, said an NFL spokesperson in an email statement. NFL Honors is an annual awards show where awards such as the league’s Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year are given out.
Jobs at the awards event range from media and production assistants and red carpet assistants to trophy presenters.
“I think it’s super cool because … it’s right here, not only in Minneapolis, but right on our campus. Literally, I can walk right from my dorm to Northrop in less than five minutes,” said University freshman Graham Schneider, who was hired as a talent escort for the event.
Schneider will be assigned to a specific person or small group of on-stage personnel, mostly NFL players, to make sure they know how to navigate the venue, he said. Players such as Tom Brady, Carson Wentz and Case Keenum are up for awards.
“The first Super Bowl I can remember, I was five years old. All this time I’ve been watching it, so being involved will be super fun. I’ll be soaking it all in that week for sure,” Schneider said.
Two student athletes, former Gopher football player Steven Richardson and senior volleyball player Dalianliz Rosado, were chosen to be award presenters for the show.
Presenters will alternate giving out the ten on-stage awards and making short speeches, Richardson said.
Richardson, a defensive lineman for the Gophers from 2014-17, is flying in from California to attend the event, he said.
“I’m still kind of nervous but I’m really excited to meet a lot of people. … Be around some cool celebrities [and] rub a couple elbows,” he said.
Richardson said he will be provided with a tailored suit for the event.
Students are also working at the Super Bowl game on Sunday. Around 150 people were hired to be Pepsi green ambassadors, who help game attendees take pictures and advise them on how to properly recycle, said University sophomore Brie Bluhm.
This position is part of a larger push to make the Super Bowl sustainable, Bluhm said, who will get to the game by shuttles provided for employees.
“It’ll be crazy, but I’m excited for it. … I’m happy that we’re actually in the stadium rather than outside or anywhere else because a lot of volunteers are not actually in the stadium,” she said.
