Pictured above: Mikayla Sayle (left) and Karley Berry.
NORFOLK, Va. , Jan. 24, 2020 —When Super Bowl LIV Week arrives in Miami, Fla. next week, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) will have two staff members helping to orchestrate events surrounding one of the world’s biggest sporting events.
Karley Berry, who serves as Special Assistant to Commissioner Dennis E. Thomas, and Mikayla Sayle, the conference’s Marketing and Corporate Partnerships Intern, will assist the National Football League as part of its Experienceship Program. Both Berry and Sayle will assist with two NFL Player Engagement programs -- the Broadcast Bowl on January 30-31 and All Pro Dad on February 1.
They will also assist the NFL on gameday.
Berry, a native of Doylestown, Pa. who currently resides in Norfolk, is a 2015 Penn State graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a 2018 South Carolina School of Law graduate with a Juris Doctor degree.
“Representing the MEAC by working at this year’s Super Bowl in Miami is truly an honor and a privilege,” Berry said. “Professionally, the practical experience that I will gain by supporting Player Engagement Programming related to both football operations and player development is not only invaluable, but it directly aligns with my career aspirations.”
Sayle is a Hampton, Va. native and a 2018 graduate of Hampton University with a degree in Sports Management. She was a member of the women’s basketball team and helped lead the Lady Pirates to the 2017 MEAC championship and a berth to the NCAA Tournament.
“I have been around sports all of my life as an athlete and as I’ve grown older, I’ve always had aspirations to work in the sports industry,” Sayle said. “The Super Bowl will give me tremendous insight on how football operations are conducted at the professional level while also giving me a chance to showcase my knowledge, skills, professionalism and passion for sports in the process. I am super excited just to be a part of this opportunity and I am looking forward to making the most of it.”
Jashell Mitchell, the NFL’s Diversity and Inclusion Manager, calls Berry and Sayle “two well-deserving professionals” and says the NFL looks forward to the two attending Super Bowl Miami with the Football Operations Team.
“They were selected from over 90 participants that attended the 2019 HBCU Careers in Football Forum in Atlanta,” Mitchell said. “They will gain a wealth of experience from our NFL Player Engagement Department as well as being able to network at Super Bowl Miami with a wealth of sports industry professionals.”
About the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) begins its 49th year of intercollegiate competition heading into the 2019-20 academic school year. Located in Norfolk, Va., the MEAC is made up of 11 outstanding historically black institutions across the Atlantic coastline: Bethune-Cookman University, Coppin State University, Delaware State University, Florida A&M University, Howard University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, Norfolk State University, North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina Central University and South Carolina State University.