The Denver Broncos have one of the more active STEM presences of any team in the NFL, apart from the Silicon Valley-based San Francisco 49ers. The reigning Super Bowl champions created a program called Tackle STEM, in conjunction with Arrow Electronics, which aims to cater towards the next generation of students whose interests might lie away from the actual playing field.
Just last Thursday, the Broncos hosted students from Montrose High School, a more than five-hour drive away from Sports Authority Field, after their teacher won the February Tackle STEM Coach of the Month award.
But, the students did not come to see the Super Bowl trophy or even any of the players on the Broncos’ roster. The pre-engineering students were shown around the backroom of Sports Authority Field, and were introduced to much of the staff behind the scenes.
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They saw how the Broncos maintain their turf, in addition to how they operate the scoreboard and video monitors. The students met video editor and 3-D animator Luis Miranda, who makes Lego-like highlight reels of Broncos’ games, along with a number of other digital media and control room employees.
The Broncos introduced the students to certain careers they could have if they graduate college with a degree that focuses on science, technology, engineering or mathematics.
The 49ers have done something similar since starting the construction of their new Levi’s Stadium. The 49ers museum inside Levi’s stadium has a special classroom setup that gives students hands-on exercises in STEM education. Additionally, their two-year old STEM program has taken up the practice of inviting students from all over the area.
With the rapidly expanding landscape of sports technology, teams like the Broncos and 49ers are smart to get students excited about STEM. Not only are they doing a service to the surrounding community, but by getting students excited at this age, they could be building a farm system of young talent that looks at their organizations as valuable career opportunities.