NEW ORLEANS — Peabody resident Justin Saslaw, a 2022 graduate of St. John’s Prep and senior at Stonehill College, had the time of his life this past week. He’s even getting college credit and getting paid for it.
While most NFL fans watched the Super Bowl from the comfort of their living rooms, Saslaw was watching it up close and personal at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans.
And he didn’t even have to buy a ticket.
Saslaw was part of an eight-person team of college sport management majors who worked on site at Caesars during game week leading up to Sunday’s game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs. The group performed a variety of tasks, including working hospitality at NFL House, a swanky VIP members-only area that offers a variety of high-end amenities, including access to current and former NFL players, celebrities, and plenty of food, drink, and entertainment.
The highlight of the week was game day, when Saslaw was stationed inside of the stadium, where watched the first half and bits and pieces of the halftime show.
“It was awesome. I’ve never been around a Super Bowl before. Truly, there is nothing like it,” Saslaw said. “The atmosphere was incredible, to the point where you don’t have to be a fan of a team. It was just rocking by the time we got to the stadium. There is nothing like it. It was so loud the whole time because the place was full of Eagles’ fans, especially on the pick-six. It was deafening.”
Saslaw also spied Detroit Lions’ fans in the crowd.
“I think they bought their tickets a year in advance, thinking this was going to be their year,” Saslaw said.
Saslaw and the team arrived in New Orleans last Tuesday and reported for a series of training sessions throughout the rest of the week and promptly went to work at NFL House Wednesday through Saturday.
“We worked the access points during the night shift from 4:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., scanning people in and out of the party,” Saslaw said. “We were the first people guests would see when they arrived and the last they saw when they left. We got to see a lot of famous players and other people, as well as owners and coaches, so it was really interesting.”
Saslaw said the first big-time personality he encountered was NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
“It was funny because it was my first day and I didn’t know where to go and ended up in the wrong spot,” Saslaw said. “He was heading my way and, before I knew it, his security entourage had to stop me. It was pretty surreal as I was right next to him.”
Other notable encounters included Patriots receiver Pop Douglas, Panthers quarterback Bryce Young, Cardinals tight end Trey McBride, and former NFL, Xaverian, and Boston College quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.
“Matt was really cool. I was scanning him out of the party and told him I played football at The Prep. He immediately gave me the ‘X’ sign for Xaverian and I gave him the thumbs down, but he was great and even asked me to take a picture.”
Saslaw said he applied for the program in September, shortly after enrolling in a class taught by Annemarie Farrell, associate professor of sport management.
“I tell my students, ‘Anyone can buy a ticket to the Super Bowl, but you have to be invited to have access to the NFL House,’” Farrell said.
“She had this connection with the House and had been doing this for about 10 years. She’s amazing,” Saslaw said. “She told us about it on the first day of classes, so I applied. It all happened pretty quickly because there is a very long accreditation process for the game with security and background checks and setting up payroll.”
Saslaw said the training began almost immediately after learning he had been selected with online training sessions and several pre-trip meetings with the team.
Saslaw, a fullback who played two years of varsity football at The Prep, has grown up attending NFL games. His father, Joel, former Ward 5 Councilor, has had Patriots season tickets since “before Tom Brady.”
When Brady left New England to play in Tampa Bay, the Saslaws followed suit with Buccaneers season tickets.
While the Saslaws declined to renew their Pats season tickets for next season, Justin Saslaw believes the Patriots have a bright future.
“I guess you could say I’ve seen a lot of football. I do like the direction the Patriots are going,” he said. “I think you have to give them a couple more years to restore order and for them to remember what it’s like to win more than just four games a year.”
Saslaw isn’t sure what he’ll be doing after graduation and is still in the process of exploring possible job opportunities. His ultimate goal is to become a sports agent and plans to go to law school in a couple of years.
“I’m an outgoing person and love talking to people, and am not necessarily looking to end up in sports,” Saslaw said. “I’m pretty much considering everything – maybe even something in sales.”
As far as the game is concerned, make no bones about it – he was rooting for the Eagles all the way.
“I didn’t want the Chiefs to get that three-peat because I didn’t want them to do something the Patriots haven’t done,” Saslaw said.
Now that his New Orleans adventure has come to a close, it’s back to normal for Saslaw. He flew home with the group Tuesday.
“The experience was everything and so much more than I expected. We all expected to just be working and maybe meet a few celebrities. It felt great helping the fans and media. None of us thought we would be such an integral part of NFL House, but the staff kept telling us how appreciated we were. It got kind of emotional at the end,” Saslaw said. “But Wednesday morning, I’ll be back in class.”
