Visiting associate professor Wayne Drehs led 11 journalism students to downtown Chicago for the winter class Chicago Sports Media Experience.  

“We wanted students to go behind the curtain a bit to see what life is really like for people,” Drehs said. “For all the super cool studio and arena tours, the most impactful thing is for the students to truly talk with these professionals, get to know them a bit and learn from their success, as well as failures.” 

Students visited Marquee Network, which houses all broadcasts for the Chicago Cubs, Sky and Bears. They also visited the Big Ten Network and United Center to cover a Chicago Bulls game and attend a career fair.  

This class stemmed from the shared goal between Drehs and SJMC Director Melissa Tully to give students more hands-on learning experiences and to get their feet wet with the ever-changing sports media market of Chicago.  

“But beyond that, students begin to understand the hard work and sacrifice it takes to succeed in sports media in a market like Chicago,” Drehs said. “They hear the stories of late nights, lost weekends and the passion it takes to succeed in this business, whether it's sports writing, podcast hosting, play-by-play, behind-the-scenes television production and social media execution.” 

For the students, the week was eye-opening and a once-in-a-lifetime experience. 

Christopher Meglio, a third year journalism student, said the week gave him a glimpse of what his life could look like post-graduation.  

“I feel like seeing all that I’ve seen on the trip, I came back to Iowa more motivated to stack my resume and learn as much as I can because I can truly see myself in those environments,” Meglio said.

Jacob Worthen, another student on the trip, said the week in Chicago helped him learn the behind-the-scenes steps in producing a broadcast.  

“As someone who wants to be in front of the camera, I learned a lot about the behind-the-scenes production aspects that make the show run. It was very interesting to watch the producers work with the on-air talent to get ready for the next shots for shows,” Worthen said.  

On top of learning new things and being able to meet the best in the sports media industry, Drehs’s favorite part of the trip is seeing every student forming friendships through the course of the week.  

“Both years, many of the students don't know each other when the class begins. But a day or two in, they build this bond and relationship between them that is so cool to see. And I remind them each year — this is networking!” Drehs said.  

For Hannah Hogan, a fourth year journalism student and Katrina Arsenijevic, a third year student learning to network with each other and the professionals was the highlight of the trip.  

“I'll definitely take with me networking skills and the ability to communicate with professionals in a way that isn't super stiff, but is also professional, kind of toeing the line between professionalism but being you as an individual and letting that speak for itself,” Hogan said. 

While the class focused on the sports media industry in Chicago, anyone was welcomed to take the course. Arsenijevic has no sports background but saw the trip to familiarize herself with the professional world. 

“I have not taken any sort of sports media classes and I still got a lot out of the class,” Arsenijevic said. “So I think if someone has opportunity to take this class, definitely take it. Even if it's not something you're currently interested in, I still got a lot out of it.”