Duck shows she's got game at the Rose Bowl
Julia Goldstein's degree in sports business set her up to lead behind the scenes at "The Granddaddy of Them All"
On event days at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, Julia Goldstein gets her steps in.
As executive director - events for the Rose Bowl Stadium, the University of Oregon alumna often covers more than 12 miles over the course of a day at the venerable stadium. From the parking lot to the command post at the top of the stands and down into the bowels of the 90,000-capacity stadium, she covers a lot of ground.
“I look at my phone afterward,” she said, “and on a typical day I’ll probably do over 30,000 steps.”
It’s all in a day’s work for Goldstein, who graduated in 2012 with a bachelor’s in business administration and a concentration in sports business. The Los Angeles native returned home after graduation and almost immediately started working for the Rose Bowl as an assistant event manager. Today she leads a team that produces events ranging from music concerts with headliners like The Weeknd to rosé festivals aptly called “The Rosé Bowl” to helping plan “The Granddaddy of Them All” — which this year, happens to include her alma mater.
She credits her UO education as a big part of why she’s thriving in Pasadena.
“The Oregon brand is immediately recognizable,” Goldstein said. “When somebody asks me where I went to school and what I studied, and I tell them, they’re like, ‘Oh, I know why you went there.’"
Goldstein has fond memories of her time in the business school’s Warsaw Sports Business Center, the first program in the country to provide students with an immersive learning experience in sports business. She enjoyed participating in the Warsaw Sports Business Club. She networked with her classmates and industry professionals and took trips to Seattle for a Seahawks game and to Portland to see the Trail Blazers. She took advantage of the access and opportunities to enhance her education.
“Those (opportunities) are really memorable to me,” Goldstein said, “because they really put into perspective what we were learning in the classroom.”
It also gave her a well-rounded experience that has served her at the Rose Bowl. What started as a summer job has turned into a career. Goldstein rose to event production manager in 2018, planning her own events like run-walks, festivals and continuing the large soccer and football events. With her move to executive director - events, she now oversees a team of six that plans more than 200 events annually.
"The Rose Bowl has given me so much opportunity, leadership and guidance and the ability to kind of forge my own path,” Goldstein said.
The opportunity to do something different every day keeps Goldstein motivated. Some days she’s up at 4 a.m. for a day of filming. During big events like the Rose Bowl Game or a large concert such as Coldplay, she meets with vendors, coordinates parking and traffic and connects with janitorial staff and concessionaires.
“It’s like a puzzle,” Goldstein said. “It’s challenging and complicated, and yes, Rose Bowl games are fun, but I enjoy the music element too. Everybody’s out there having fun. I love the sports side, but I also love the music entertainment.”
This year’s 111th Rose Bowl will be Goldstein’s third showcasing the Ducks since she started working at the stadium.
“I love it,” Goldstein said. “Everybody’s hyped and my phone is blowing up. In 2020 I remember sneaking up into the stands for five minutes with my friends to take a quick photo, but then it was back to work.”
Goldstein has also adjusted as the game has shifted. With the change from the Bowl Championship Series to the College Football Playoff, the traditional New Year’s Day game is no longer one of the last of the year. Now it’s the quarterfinal of an expanded playoff of 12 teams. That created logistical challenges, considering her staff didn’t even know Oregon would be playing Ohio State until Dec. 21, after the Buckeyes beat the University of Tennessee Volunteers.
“This year was the biggest change,” she said. “You can’t rush things over Christmas, so our field manager planned for both Ohio State and Tennessee and ordered paint for both school’s colors.”
At this point in her career, the ability to be flexible and stay organized is second nature to Goldstein. It’s advice she would give to students eyeing a career in events and sports business, along with just getting involved because experience can’t be faked.
“It’s really finding out what you’re passionate about,” Goldstein said. “To do this job, there are a lot of weekends and a lot of holidays. You have to really like what you do. It’s not a clock in and clock out type of industry or role.”
But that sense of accomplishment makes it all worthwhile.
"When I think back at my most memorable days at the stadium, it’s those event days more than anything else," Goldstein said.
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