Last week, Special Olympics capped off an exciting 13th year at Super Bowl Media Row. Alongside sports and entertainment network FanSided, a Unified team of reporters interviewed athletes, celebrities, and entrepreneurs in the lead-up to Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Although Special Olympics and FanSided have been partnering on Unified reporting for the past four years, 2025 marked a year of significant expansion in the size, scope, and impact of this initiative. FanSided funded not one but two athlete reporters on the Media Row this year.
Celebrating his third year on the Row was veteran reporter and Special Olympics Florida athlete, Malcom Harris-Gowdie, who started as Special Olympics’ first Unified reporter at Super Bowl LVII in 2023. Over the course of the week, Malcom conducted a variety of high-profile interviews with NFL legends like Drew Brees and Vernon Davis, and worked as a red carpet reporter at NFL Honors. Additionally, Malcom attended press conferences for the Eagles and Chiefs, where he was able to ask both Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes about the meaning of inclusion.
This year also marked the first time that Malcom was able to report on the game as a member of the credentialed media from inside the stadium. Attending Super Bowl LIX as a member of the media alongside FanSided, Malcom showcased his talent for reporting on the largest sports stage in the world and worked towards his lifelong goal of reporting on a game from every football stadium in the country.
This year, Malcom was also joined by Special Olympics Nebraska athlete and Sargent Shriver Global Messenger, Wyatt Spalding, who made his debut on Super Bowl Media Row as an additional member of the Unified reporting team. As host of Special Olympics Nebraska’s “Brave in the Attempt” podcast and co-host of the “Spalding Brothers Show” alongside his twin brother, Wyatt is no stranger to interviewing, but reporting at Super Bowl Media Row brought his interviewing expertise to the largest audience yet. Throughout the week, Wyatt showcased his interviewing skills, talking with everyone from NFL Hall of Famer, John Randle to actress, influencer, and former Miss Universe, Olivia Culpo.
In addition to celebrity guests, Malcom and Wyatt also teamed up to interview local Special Olympics Louisiana athletes, Hayes Alder and Taylor Daniels about their tips for healthy snacking as athletes and their experiences during Super Bowl week. Alder was also selected to represent the city of New Orleans as the NFL Play 60 Super Kid, delivering the game ball to start the third quarter during Super Bowl LIX.
Over the course of four days and 33 unique interviews, Special Olympics reporters demonstrated the power of inclusion in sports and media. Malcom and Wyatt’s dynamic interviews showed that their disabilities are not limitations but—in the words of Malcom—“superpowers.” As Malcom shared while being interviewed by Sports Illustrated, “I want to be a reporter. You know, my goal is to be a reporter. I know my stuff. I just need that opportunity, and I feel like FanSided has given me this opportunity. I’m grateful that Special Olympics has given me the opportunity as well… I’m able to have this platform where I’m showing everybody with ‘superpowers’ that if I can do this, they can do it too.”
