JOB SHADOWING: Brian Padilla at NFL Headquarters

New York City HS student Brian Padilla along with two other classmates spent an afternoon at the NFL headquarters, gaining exclusive insights into the behind-the-scenes business operations of the League. Below he talks about the unique experience and the impact it had on them:

My experience at the National Football League (NFL) office was unique and different from any other offices I’ve visited. I personally enjoyed my visit because I learned the different things they do there and what they plan to do in the upcoming years.

One thing I enjoyed from my experience at the office was that each floor had a different designated meaning and purpose. For example, the NFL occupied the 5th, 6th, 7th floors of the building; the 5th floor’s meaning was the game, 6th was the fans and the 7th was executive (I believe that’s the order).

We also met a former player, Roman Oben, that day. While talking to him, we learned of the duties of an NFL player and the process of getting drafted and traded throughout his 12-year career. We also got a chance to observe the 49 Super Bowl rings – all the way from the first one ever. Each ring was designed differently, even if the team won consecutively. There we learned that the team with the most Super Bowl rings is the Pittsburgh Steelers.

We also got the opportunity to attend a photo shoot, where they were shooting teams’ accessories and meals to eat throughout a football game. We learned that there is a lot of different merchandise sold to fans that can be used throughout a football game. We were also shown how the League designs new logos and were given a look of the new designs for the next season.

During our visit we were also given gift bags with football gloves (of our favorite team), a notepad whose cover is made up of the same material as the football (which was my favorite gift!) and two hats (one of the NFL and one of our favorite team).

I was truly happy to visit such a successful business and hope to work in the same offices or somewhere close to that field one day.