Students, attendees hear from some of athletics’ biggest names at USC Next Level Sports Conference

USC doctoral student nikki thomas wasn’t sure what to expect when she walked into a small locker room at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood on Thursday to interview NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

When thomas, who is studying communication at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, left that room, she had two thoughts: how personable Goodell was, and how surreal it was that she interviewed him in the first place.

“I was nervous, and [Goodell] came in and immediately was warm and welcoming in a way I didn’t anticipate,” thomas said. “I feel like that’s how it always is with these interviews — you’ve got these intimidating figures, and you get in a room with them, and suddenly you’re just two people having a conversation.”

She was one of around 100 student workers and volunteers at the second annual USC Next Level Sports Conference, hosted by USC Annenberg and the USC Marshall School of Business. The all-day conference, held at the home of the Los Angeles Clippers, touched on a variety of topics related to the business of sports and sports media. Speakers — including USC Annenberg Dean Willow Bay and USC Marshall Dean Geoffrey Garrett — discussed emerging technologies and sports brands, fan engagement and growth, and the global impact of both the NFL and the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

“L.A. is the perfect stage for this conversation — it’s a place where sports, entertainment, culture, technology, investment and entrepreneurship collide like nowhere else,” Bay said.

Star-studded lineup

Though last year’s lineup featured plenty of big names in the sports world, Thursday’s conference might’ve topped that. Shortly after opening remarks Bay welcomed NBA great — and current L.A. Clipper — Chris Paul, who spoke about coming back to L.A. for his 21st NBA season, his plans after retirement and his investment in women’s athletics.

The first panel discussion of the day featured two prominent women leaders of sports franchises. Jess Smith is the president of the WNBA’s newest team, the Golden State Valkyries, and Emily Prazer is the chief commercial officer of Formula 1 and the CEO of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

Following that discussion, tennis legend and recent International Tennis Hall of Fame inductee Maria Sharapova talked about her life post-retirement, building brands, and advice for students as they prepare to embark on a new journey post-college.

“Put yourself in rooms and situations where you’re not comfortable,” Sharapova said. “When I was injured and I was out of the game for over a year, I took several courses at Harvard Business School, where I was the one raising my hand, not having an answer, but asking a question.”

For students like Elijah Patterson, the anticipated event and lineup of speakers was even more impressive in person.

“We knew how many speakers there were, but it’s just impressive seeing back-to-back all the people that the USC network can bring in,” said Patterson, a senior at USC Marshall majoring in business administration and management.

USC and LA28

One of the highlights of Thursday’s conference was Bay’s talk with Casey Wasserman, chairperson and president of LA28. Wasserman spoke about the process behind LA28, and how he’s feeling with less than 1,000 days before the opening ceremonies.

“I am so excited for 2028,” Wasserman said. “We’re going to have the largest sports program in Olympics history, which means this is going to be the greatest collection of athletes the world has ever seen.”

Wasserman went on to talk about the venue list and the logistics of planning an event that features 17,500 athletes and is the equivalent of producing “200 Super Bowls in 30 days.”

“This will be the largest peacetime gathering in the history of the world,” Wasserman said. “At 7:30 at night on July 14, 2028, we’d better be ready, because it’s coming no matter what.”

Wasserman said that one of the first people he called once he was put in charge of LA28 was four-time Olympic Gold medalist and USC alumna Janet Evans, who spoke later in the program during the live-taping of the ESPN show Vibe Check. Evans currently serves as the chief athlete officer at LA28, a role in which she ensures that all decisions keep the best interests of the athletes in mind. She sat down with Vibe Check hosts Ari Chambers, Elle Duncan and Chiney Ogwumike to talk about how her experiences as an Olympic athlete have shaped her current role.

“[These athletes are] all here because they have a journey, and 90% of them aren’t winning a medal, but they’re here because their dads woke them up every morning before school to practice, or their country is supporting them — they’re here for their Olympic experience,” Evans said. “What I want from every athlete that marches into [SoFi Stadium and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum] is that they have that Olympic journey.”

Unparalleled access for students

Anthony Bottino was thomas’ partner in interviewing Goodell and said the opportunity to speak with the commissioner is something you only get at USC.

“There’s no school in the world that can rival what we’re doing here,” said Bottino, a senior journalism major at USC Annenberg.

Last year, Bottino watched the conference from the control room on campus as he prepped for an episode of USC Annenberg’s news broadcast. Though he said he enjoyed listening to the panels last year, it cannot be compared to what he experienced Thursday in Inglewood.

“It’s cool because I gain this really valuable experience and learn what it’s like to be a real journalist at these big-time events, while also still being a student and taking in all this knowledge and taking in all this advice from everybody,” Bottino said. “It’s a very cool intersection between the real world and still being a student.”

For students like freshman Camilla Laterman, who worked social media for the event, hearing from the biggest names in sports was a major highlight of her first year at USC.

“When I think of USC, I think about networking,” said Laterman, a journalism major at USC Annenberg. “When you come here, there are so many amazing people who are USC alumni who are here to just help you out and be there for you, and these events are a hot spot for it. Being able to meet all these people for the future and building that Trojan network is so important.”

Thursday’s event reminded thomas of why she came to USC in the first place. However, it wasn’t because of the big names and bright lights of the Intuit Dome, but because of the confidence the university instills in its students by placing them in the same room as these leaders.

“I really appreciated the students blending with the professionals and the sort of air that nobody’s too good to have a conversation with somebody — that was really important to me,” thomas said. “We were in there just trying to soak it in and be present, and honestly, I have a lot of gratitude for the place that I’m in to be able to speak with people I never thought I would speak with.”