There's never a second to take covering your first Super Bowl media week for granted. One minute you're clocking Cam Jordan flying around radio row on his Segway scooter (topping out at 48 mph, as he'd proudly tell you). The next you're looking across a walkway at Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter recording on their own podcast set. I saw personal heroes in sports media operating in the same capacity as myself, and I don't know how anyone could be unappreciative of the opportunity and privilege of simply being there.
Yet, roughly a month after my week in New Orleans, none of that is what has lingered. If you told me then that my lasting impression of Super Bowl week wouldn't be talking to Reggie Bush, Eric Dickerson, Trey Hendrickson and Todd Gurley, or even being at the same table as Olivia Culpo, I wouldn't have believed you.
But while I'll never forget those flashes in time, I always circle back to two people: Wyatt Spalding and Aaron Jones. You know Minnesota Vikings free agent running back Jones, but here's where Wyatt Spalding, Special Olympics athlete, comes in.
Special Olympics athletes reporting at the Super Bowl
As part of our unified Super Bowl coverage, FanSided teamed up with Special Olympics for the third year, hiring Special Olympics athletes and reporters Malcom Harris-Gowdie and Wyatt Spalding to cover every major event with our team — from opening night and media row to press conferences, NFL Honors and Super Bowl LIX itself. The partnership is one I'm proud of, but it also highlights athlete-driven storytelling on one of sports' biggest stages.
I'd partner with Wyatt at various points in the week to interview athletes and personalities on media row, Jones being one of them.
I'd not met Wyatt prior to touching down in New Orleans. What I did know, even before shaking his hand and introducing myself, was that Wyatt was a big Minnesota Vikings fan. Because of that, I was prepared to ask Jones whatever the conversation led to, but I was also ready to let Wyatt relish in his own opportunity as he interviewed the running back for his favorite team.
Jones and Wyatt had far more in common than I expected. Wyatt is a Special Olympics athlete, Aaron Jones used to coach with Special Olympics. Wyatt's a twin, so is Aaron (and his twin brother used to coach with him). Wyatt's a Vikings fan, Jones obviously spent this past season in Minnesota. It was truly surreal to watch these two strangers form a bond, one that culminated with Jones telling Wyatt he'd get him to a Vikings game.
Two things were true coming out of that, though: First, Jones has a fan for life in me. While I might've loved him as a draft crush when he was coming out of UTEP into the NFL, seeing someone who wasn't forced to give Wyatt or me a sit-down interview be so gracious, open and genuinely engaged is something I'll never forget. Second, Wyatt also has a fan for life in me.
Had I been in Wyatt's shoes in that moment, I don't think I'd have been able to maintain an ounce of professionalism. That wasn't Wyatt, though. Even as the bond between him and Jones became more undeniable, he was still carrying on a normal interview. I was probably more in awe of the moment than he was — and this is my day job.
That wasn't just the case with Aaron Jones, either. Wyatt was exceptionally well-prepared for every interview we had together and, frankly, might just be better at interviewing people than I am (which I promise I mean as a compliment to him and not a commentary on my own ability). Beyond that, in the space between interviews, Wyatt and I would just talk ball, ponder the incredible opportunity at hand for both of us, and really just soak in those moments before they were gone.
What has struck me most after the fact though is that while Wyatt and I were both privileged, honored and appreciative to have been at Super Bowl week as members of the media and FanSided's Unified Reporting with Special Olympics, I'd be lying if I said we had even remotely similar paths to sitting at that table on radio row together. What Wyatt has had to overcome to get to that table is far greater than anything that I've ever even had to consider facing.
Wyatt, while reflecting on his journey and time at the Super Bowl, told us something that sums it up better than I ever could:
"Life is hard, life isn't always fair. If you want to succeed in life, you're going to have to face adversity every single day. When you reach the end, it's pretty worth it."
We could all learn a lot from Wyatt in that. It's especially true because those aren't empty words. Wyatt faces more adversity on a daily basis than I could imagine, yet that didn't stop him from being ready to tackle the job during Super Bowl week, do so with aplomb, and do so like a pure professional. While I had to remind myself at times not to take these moments for granted, that came naturally to Wyatt — and it showed every time he spoke in New Orleans.
I hope I can be more like Wyatt. When there is adversity in my life, I hope I'm able to better appreciate the sunny days that come after. I hope I'm able to appreciate the opportunities that come my way in the same manner. I hope I'm able to grab life by the horns when I can and be the best version of myself personally and professionally. I hope Wyatt and I are considering all of that sitting on radio row together at another Super Bowl in the future.
Because Wyatt, you're right. Sitting next to you in New Orleans, man, it definitely felt worth it.