Brooklynn Rios
Class of 2027
From growing up surrounded by the energy of game days to discovering the business behind the sports I love, I have always been drawn to moments where passion turns into purpose. At USC, I have transformed that passion into real experience by leading teams, building events, and exploring how innovation and leadership shape the future of the sports industry. I am guided by the words of my father: “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” That reminder guides how I show up, how I lead, and how I connect with others, both on and off the field.
What is Beyond the Game?
Beyond the Game is my digital portfolio, a look at the work I do off the field. I’m drawn to the business and operations behind sports, the planning, the people, and the logistics that make every event and team run. It brings together my projects, internships, and leadership, along with a clear sense of the value I’d bring to your team, beyond the game.
University of Southern California
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Sports Media Industries
Frequently Asked Questions
What is your professional background?
I’m a Business Administration major at USC’s Marshall School of Business, with a minor in Sports Media Industries. Most of my experience centers on the operations side of sports, the planning and logistics that keep players, events, and teams running. That’s spanned player-focused work at Steinberg Sports and Entertainment and USC Football, as well as game-day and event operations with USC Athletics, the Sports Business Association, and Kappa Alpha Theta.
Why sports business?
What really pulls me in is the uncertainty. On any given day, any team can win, and any player can have a breakout moment, and that’s where so much of the opportunity in sports lives. I run on structure, so I love that the one thing I can’t plan for, the outcome, is exactly what makes it exciting.
How do you balance everything?
A demanding workload doesn’t overwhelm me; it tends to be where I perform best. I stay on top of it through clear communication, organization, and honesty about my own limits, which keeps my energy focused where it matters most. For me, balance isn’t about doing less but about being intentional with where my time and focus go.
What are your career goals?
My goal is to work in sports operations, specifically player operations or game day operations, coordinating schedules, planning events, and keeping the moving pieces on track. I actually started out wanting to be an agent. But the more operations work I did, the more I fell for it, the planning, the pressure, and the moment it all finally comes together.
What do you bring to a team?
My strength is seeing a project through from concept to completion. I can develop the idea, coordinate the people behind it, perform under pressure, and execute with precision and attention to detail. That end-to-end capability is particularly valuable in events and operations, where the outcome depends on both careful planning and flawless execution.
What does leadership look like to you?
“Be firm, be fair, be consistent.”
That’s something I grew up hearing, and it’s the foundation of how I lead. To me, leadership is less about authority than about being someone people trust and turn to for guidance, so you can lead whether or not you hold a title. Add availability to firmness, fairness, and consistency, and you become the kind of leader people follow by choice.
With Gratitude.
I would like to take a moment to thank my parents, because none of this would be possible without them.
A few years ago, I told them I wanted to build something meaningful, something that would outlive me, and I asked what their version of that was. Their answer was simple: my brothers and I. We are what will outlive them, and it has always mattered to them that we become good, intelligent people with strong careers. We are, as they put it, their greatest joy.
They’ve encouraged my dreams from day one and sacrificed more than I can ever repay. More than that, they’ve shaped who I am, how I see the world, and how I get things done. They taught me that nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it, and I would not be the person I am today without them.