Students Cover the Super Bowl, Through New Pirates in the Field Program

Seton Hall seniors Farnsworth Hendrickson and Miguel Freire will be in New Orleans covering Super Bowl LIX as part of the Center for Sports Media’s new Pirates in the Field program. The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is one of six experiential learning activities the Center is offering during the 2024-25 academic school year. Others include the Final Four, Big East Tournament and NCAA Men’s East Regional.

The students, who went through a comprehensive application process, will work with Center for Sports Media Executive Director B.J. Schecter to produce content and pitch stories to local and national media outlets. 

“Our students should dream big!” says Bryan Crable, Ph.D., founding dean of the College of Human Development, Culture, and Media. Seeing that this type of program could differentiate Seton Hall from other institutions with outstanding sports media programs, Crable worked with Schecter to provide resources for these experiences. 

When the Philadelphia Eagles face off against the Kansas City Chiefs at the Caesars Superdome, Hendrickson and Freire will be there to chronicle Kansas City’s quest for a threepeat. They’ll also be in New Orleans all week to produce stories, videos and podcasts. When asked about his goals for the trip, Freire responded, “Number one, to familiarize myself with the media side of a prestigious American Sport, plus present Seton Hall as a go-to destination for anyone interested in entering the sports media field.” 

A selfless individual, Freire —  a visual and sound media major— is excited about the opportunity to expand his horizons in sports media while representing Seton Hall in a positive light. “I am so thankful for Seton Hall and B.J. Schecter for trusting me in this new experience,” Freire said. 

Visual and sound media-major Hendrickson is looking forward to being surrounded by prestigious media networks like FOX, CBS and ESPN. With a myriad of responsibilities during the Super Bowl week, Hendrickson will be laser-focused on “gaining a more educational experience about the entertainment industry.” One aspect of the role Hendrickson will look to keep improving is his communication skills. “You don’t have to be the smartest person in the world, as long as you know how to communicate effectively, you can go far,” he said.

The other prime event for the Pirates in the Field program will be the NCAA men’s Final Four in San Antonio. Senior Jackson Shank and junior Tim Lang were selected for that experience. “The Center for Sports Media has provided us with once-in-a-lifetime experiences, and to cover an event like the Final Four would be a dream come true,” Shank said. 

As a journalism major, Shank is involved with WSOU and Pirate Sports Network at Seton Hall. Lang, who is a visual and sound media major and also works for Pirate Sports Network, has built up his own photography company called TL Photos and is eager to experience the Final Four.

“I want to be able to meet as many people as possible that I can learn from, in such a fast-paced environment that every major news outlet in the country will be there for,” he said. 

“The Pirates in the Field initiative has done wonders for Seton Hall students, giving them the ability to cover big-time events with the national media,” said Schecter. 

Teams were assembled to cover Big East men’s and women’s basketball Media Days last fall and the Coretta Scott King Women’s Basketball Classic in mid-January. With the hopes of expanding this program to future events such as the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics, the Center for Sports Media at Seton Hall continues to evolve.

“We’re dedicated to helping students navigate this ever-changing media world and giving them a leg up on the competition,” Schecter added. “Giving them the opportunity to rub shoulders with the national media at some of the nation’s biggest sporting events will serve them in so many ways. We’re opening the door for deserving young media professionals and now it’s up to them to kick it open.” 
 
About the Center for Sports Media

The Center for Sports Media, which resides in the College of Human Development, Culture, and Media, was created to highlight the critical intersection of sports, media and society. Established in 2021 with a gift of $2 million from executive founder and ESPN icon Bob Ley ’76, the Center’s mission reflects Ley’s pioneering work on the long-running ESPN show Outside the Lines, which won multiple Emmys and a Peabody Award during his tenure. The Center’s activities provide students with an interdisciplinary foundation for academic training and theory with practical experience in the rapidly evolving sports media industry, while also drawing professional and scholarly attention to the industry’s impact on contemporary social life.

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