Steps to get the internship: I emailed the director of marketing and media communications.
Day to day activities: I held office hours and had game night responsibilities, which included taking official USHL stats (shots on goal, goals, assists, penalty minutes, etc.), recording the shot chart, playing music, delivering information to coaches and referees, and other odd jobs.
Most rewarding: I loved learning about the game of hockey and being involved with such an influential organization. My bosses and co-workers also made the internship a fun environment.
Biggest challenge:
The fast-paced environment was difficult to adjust to. Every action is very time sensitive.
Most important thing learned: It is very important to enjoy what you do!
Key advice: Don't settle for something that is not related to what you want to do.
Claire D.
Major: Sport Management
Company Name: Players Sport & Social Group
City: Chicago, IL
Paid/Unpaid/Course Credit: Paid
Steps to get the internship: A family friend told me about the company and gave me contact information. From there, I sent in my resume and had a series of phone interviews/in-person interviews.
Day-to-day activities: The company is run by just 4 people so I had a lot of responsibilities. I worked under the head of marketing and sponsorship, so I went to all related meetings, activated for the current sponsors, came up with promotional activities, helped organize/run events and leagues, and managed social media.
Most rewarding: I really liked how much responsibility and authority I had. It wasn't an internship where I was babied; I was treated like a real employee.
Biggest challenge: Sometimes it was tough to have so much responsibility. It was overwhelming at times how much I had to do. Seeing as how I had only completed 2 years in my sport management program, I didn't have all the skills necessary to perform some of the tasks that were thrown at me.
Most important thing learned: I learned the importance of details. Simple things like keeping a marketing table clean at an event or personally helping a customer solve a problem make a huge difference. Everything you do represents the company so it is important that everything you do, even the smallest of things, represents the company in a positive light.
Key advice: Take your job seriously. You get out what you put in, so if you work hard you can end up learning quite a bit.