Springfield College professor to send back big lessons from football’s biggest game

SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) -- The finale to the NFL season is coming up as the San Francisco 49ers take on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LXIII, which will be played in Las Vegas. One professor at Springfield College is once again heading to Radio Row, where he will be teaching his students and handling other media-related duties.

“There is nothing quite like it. It is an enormous room filled with hundreds of media outlets, podcasts, TV stations (and) radio stations all sitting at six-foot by three-foot tables with their equipment. The buzz is electric,” said Kyle Belanger, assistant professor of communications and sports journalism at Springfield College.

It’s an ultimate touchdown experience is happening soon for Belanger. For the tenth straight year, he will be heading to Radio Row to do some media work for several outlets all leading up to this year’s big game to cap off the NFL season. However, most of all, the former ESPN Radio host is going to be teaching his students virtually from Sin City.

“This is something that is incredibly valuable for so many students, to know all of the different career paths that you can take with a journalism, with a media, with a public relations, with a strategic communications degree,” Belanger added.

The 14-year Springfield College professor will also send videos to students showing how active he is throughout the week, which could include interacting with well-known people and celebrities. One of whom possibly could be Kansas City Chiefs Defensive Coordinator and Springfield College alum Steve Spagnuolo.

“Those are the moments, though, when you can find a little slice of home in these places,” Belanger explained.

As a first-generation college student born in Pittsfield, Belanger told Western Mass News his end goal is to show other aspiring journalists and sports broadcasters that storytelling can occur in different ways.

“You want to work in lifestyle. Well, the Super Bowl has an event for you. It’s a lifestyle event. You might be a person who doesn’t want to work in sports, but you want to work in current events and politics. Well, I’ve got some good news: the Super Bowl is that, too,” Belanger said.

Belanger is looking forward to connecting with many people. His busy week will kick off as soon as he touches down in Las Vegas on Monday.