Sporting events are the base of American culture. The NCAA is a billion dollar industry in which it prepares hundreds of student athletes for a transition into professional leagues. For some Americans, it would be a dream to work in the sports industry. If any of them were like me, they wouldn’t care as to what department they’re assigned to, they just want the in. After my first season as a game operations intern for a minor league hockey team, there are aspects to the sports industry that many people don’t think about. I can contend that working for a sports team feels like being close to the action, something that tickets on the glass can’t get you.
Here’s what I learned:
1. No, the players are NOT your best friends.
2. Teamception: The people you work for are your own little team – it’s like a team within a team!
3. When you’re assigned a task, you are expected to complete it, no matter how it difficult or outrageous it might be.
*If your mascot needs to be Santa for the night, YOU are going to turn him into Santa!
4. It’s okay to take personal pride in the team’s success
5. You get to interact directly with the fans
*Sometimes, they even try to bribe you for the FREE pizza…
6. You start to rely on crowd noise to know what’s going on.
*Sadly, you really don’t get to watch as much of the game as you had hoped.
7. When you get home from a game, all you really want to do is SLEEP.
~
Bridget King, Junior
Finance and Marketing