Student-created documentary 'The Hidden Sport' wins Emmy

Creators of "The Hidden Sport" stepped into the limelight as they received the 2025 HBCU Sports Emmy in New York City on Tuesday, May 20.  

The student-produced film highlights the legacy of the Southern University "Human Jukebox" Marching Band and its cultural impact on sports and athletics at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. It earned national recognition for its storytelling and cultural impact, capturing one of the top honors in collegiate sports media.

Loren Sullivan, the documentary’s director, accepted the award on behalf of “The Dream Team."

“This isn’t just a win — it’s a call to action to invest in the arts,” said Sullivan, a senior from Chino Hills, California, majoring in mass communication.

Sullivan, who is a member of the Human Jukebox Media Team, thanked Southern University Athletics and the Human Jukebox for allowing the team to bring their ideas to life.

Joining Sullivan are recent Southern graduates Sydney Cuillier of Houston; Ashley Lovelace of Moorestown, New Jersey; and Eric White of Donaldsonville, Louisiana — all former members of the Office of Student Media — and Verbon Muhammad, a senior computer science major from Monroe, Louisiana, who is also a part of the Human Jukebox Media Team.

The documentary was submitted as part of a $40,000 national HBCU sports broadcasting grant competition sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company and the Foundation of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

The students say they plan to create scholarships and also donate a portion of the grant to the Human Jukebox and the Southern University Department of Mass Communication.

The full documentary will be available on YouTube later this summer.