EVANSTON, ILL. - As a Wisconsin Badger fan, Northwestern University senior Kaitlin Jennrich never imagined she would make the journey to Indianapolis and be a part of FOX Sports production of the Big Ten championship game.
Jennrich got the opportunity to attend the Big Ten championship game as part of the winning team of FOX Sports University competition. Jennrich and two other students at Northwestern University were tasked with the challenge of developing a strategy to drive excitement and awareness of college football on FOX and Fox Sports 1.
"I was ecstatic and so excited because I was the only one from my team that had a stake in it because I was from Wisconsin," said Jennrich, a 2013 New Glarus High School graduate and New Glarus native now in her senior year as a communications studies major at Northwestern.
"I knew we were going to see the behind-the scenes production of a football game. It's an experience I'm glad I was involved in. We got to see how the magic happens."
The FOX Sports U program is a partnership developed by FOX Sports with about 38 universities across the country. The program is designed to provide a real-world experience to undergraduate and graduate students, while developing a pipeline of ideas for FOX Sports.
"Our overarching team idea was Big Ten football is more than just a game," Jennrich said.
It marked the first year that FOX Sports would televise a Big Ten Football game.
"There is a lot of tradition in the Big Ten," Jennrich said. "The one thing that stands out is the 'Jump Around' at Wisconsin football games at the end of the third quarter. Even if you are not from Wisconsin, you know they do that."
Jennrich was part of a three-person team that had to develop consumer interest, a mock advertising and marketing campaign for TV and social media. Her team from Northwestern beat out two other teams from Nebraska and Maryland.
As part of the winning team, Jennrich's team's advertising pitch of the Big Ten is more than just football will be part of a FOX Sports ad.
She made a 15-minute Powerpoint presentation to members from FOX Sports one week before Thanksgiving. After the Thanksgiving break, she and her team learned they had won the FOX Sports U classroom competition and would be headed to Indianapolis for the Big Ten championship.
"It was a lot of news in a short amount of time," she said. "We were told in a couple of days we would be going to the Big Ten championship game. We were excited and in disbelief."
As winners of the Fox Sports U competition, Jennrich got to attend the Big Ten championship game where Penn State defeated Wisconsin 38-31. She got to meet FOX Sports play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson and FOX college football analyst Joel Klatt. During her trip to Indianapolis for the Big Ten championship game, Jennrich got a behind-the scenes look at how FOX Sports prepared for the game, including the technical side. Jennrich also met Fox Sports President Eric Shanks and Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany.
When Jennrich isn't working on homework as a communications major, she spends time as a volunteer coordinating Northwestern's annual Dance Marathon. The Dance Marathon is in its 43rd year and features a 30-hour dance that raises money for various philanthropic organizations.
"We have raised over $1 million every year," she said.
Jennrich said her hobbies are following Northwestern basketball, football and exploring Chicago.
Jennrich has one more semester left at Northwestern. She's targeting a future in sports marketing or copyrighting.
"It's up in the air right now," Jennrich said about what her plans will be after she graduates in the spring.
"I'm interested in a career in sports marketing. As a senior, it was a really practical class that was relevant."
Jennrich got the opportunity to attend the Big Ten championship game as part of the winning team of FOX Sports University competition. Jennrich and two other students at Northwestern University were tasked with the challenge of developing a strategy to drive excitement and awareness of college football on FOX and Fox Sports 1.
"I was ecstatic and so excited because I was the only one from my team that had a stake in it because I was from Wisconsin," said Jennrich, a 2013 New Glarus High School graduate and New Glarus native now in her senior year as a communications studies major at Northwestern.
"I knew we were going to see the behind-the scenes production of a football game. It's an experience I'm glad I was involved in. We got to see how the magic happens."
The FOX Sports U program is a partnership developed by FOX Sports with about 38 universities across the country. The program is designed to provide a real-world experience to undergraduate and graduate students, while developing a pipeline of ideas for FOX Sports.
"Our overarching team idea was Big Ten football is more than just a game," Jennrich said.
It marked the first year that FOX Sports would televise a Big Ten Football game.
"There is a lot of tradition in the Big Ten," Jennrich said. "The one thing that stands out is the 'Jump Around' at Wisconsin football games at the end of the third quarter. Even if you are not from Wisconsin, you know they do that."
Jennrich was part of a three-person team that had to develop consumer interest, a mock advertising and marketing campaign for TV and social media. Her team from Northwestern beat out two other teams from Nebraska and Maryland.
As part of the winning team, Jennrich's team's advertising pitch of the Big Ten is more than just football will be part of a FOX Sports ad.
She made a 15-minute Powerpoint presentation to members from FOX Sports one week before Thanksgiving. After the Thanksgiving break, she and her team learned they had won the FOX Sports U classroom competition and would be headed to Indianapolis for the Big Ten championship.
"It was a lot of news in a short amount of time," she said. "We were told in a couple of days we would be going to the Big Ten championship game. We were excited and in disbelief."
As winners of the Fox Sports U competition, Jennrich got to attend the Big Ten championship game where Penn State defeated Wisconsin 38-31. She got to meet FOX Sports play-by-play announcer Gus Johnson and FOX college football analyst Joel Klatt. During her trip to Indianapolis for the Big Ten championship game, Jennrich got a behind-the scenes look at how FOX Sports prepared for the game, including the technical side. Jennrich also met Fox Sports President Eric Shanks and Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany.
When Jennrich isn't working on homework as a communications major, she spends time as a volunteer coordinating Northwestern's annual Dance Marathon. The Dance Marathon is in its 43rd year and features a 30-hour dance that raises money for various philanthropic organizations.
"We have raised over $1 million every year," she said.
Jennrich said her hobbies are following Northwestern basketball, football and exploring Chicago.
Jennrich has one more semester left at Northwestern. She's targeting a future in sports marketing or copyrighting.
"It's up in the air right now," Jennrich said about what her plans will be after she graduates in the spring.
"I'm interested in a career in sports marketing. As a senior, it was a really practical class that was relevant."
