Students Presented ‘Opportunities of a Lifetime’ at Center for Sports Media Event

On April 28, the Seton Hall Center for Sports Media presented “Opportunities of a Lifetime,” hosted by CSM executive director B.J. Schecter and executive founder Bob Ley. The event was a celebration of the work students produced through the Center and a look ahead at many of the internships and partnerships with some of the nation’s top media companies that will offer unrivaled opportunities for experiential learning.

During the 90-minute event, Schecter and Ley highlighted the successful first year of the Pirates in the Field Program, which brought students to the Super Bowl and Final Four. They also previewed partnerships with ESPN and NBC Sports.

Seniors Belle Wiseman and Jackson Shank were honored as the Center for Sports Media’s Students of the Year.

Ley ’76, who spent 40 years as an Emmy Award-winning broadcaster at ESPN, conveyed the importance of digital consumption and how sports media appeals to the younger generation. In an ever-evolving sports landscape, Ley urged aspiring sports media students to use digital tools to their advantage.

Schecter implored students to take advantage of everything the Center had to offer. “We are here to cultivate opportunities and to help you all navigate this crazy world of media,” he said.

With many ways to get involved, the Center provides its students with several experiential learning experiences throughout the year courtesy of the Pirates in the Field Program. This fantastic initiative has allowed students to attend some of the most highly anticipated sporting events of the year, such as the Super Bowl and NCAA Final Four as credentialed media.

Producing content while furthering their communication skills, students have gained invaluable experience by participating in these events. The Center prides itself on student contributions and growth.

Showing the student-produced FOX Sports University Video on the new Men’s Basketball facility and recapping content creation from various Pirates in the Field events, it is evident how talented Seton Hall’s student body is.

Schecter detailed the Center’s new partnership with NBC Sports, which will extend from a classroom in South Orange to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. Schecter is teaming up with NBC Sports senior vice president of Olympics and Paralympics production Amy Rosenfield to teach a one-credit Live Sports Production class in the fall. The course will center around the 2026 Games and will go deep into all aspects of the production. What is more, four students from the class will have the opportunity to earn internships to work for NBC during the Olympics. Those will be based at the company’s headquarters in Stamford, CT.

The event concluded with Wiseman and Shank receiving their Student of the Year awards for their outstanding achievements in sports media. Wiseman, a leader with Pirates Sports Network on campus, has obtained a plethora of internships throughout her time at Seton Hall, most notably with the Big East. Shank, a mainstay at PSN and WSOU, has honed his craft with positions at the MLB Network and with the New Jersey Devils.

“It is up to the students to control their own destiny,” said Schecter.

With many “opportunities of a lifetime” available to students through the Center, there is no better time to be studying sports media at Seton Hall.

Categories: Athletics