The days of interns fetching coffee and sitting quietly while everyone else works are over. I have had the amazing opportunity to intern at AdSport for the past nine months and be just as part of the team as everyone else here. I have been able to be hands on in every project that has come through the office. I have had the chance to sit in on negations, plan for seasons, recap for seasons, work on hospitality events, and much more. I get to work on deals from the start to the finish.
I had always known I was learning a lot here but I did not realize just how much until I was back in classes. When my spring semester started, I sat in a class talking about deals, revenue, and sponsorship. To me, this was all common knowledge, as I had been doing it for the past two semesters at AdSport. However, this was not the common theme of the classroom. Many people in the class had no idea what goes into a sponsorship deal, or why it even matters. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love school. I am one of those nerds that never skips class because I think it is so important. However, I am so grateful to have had this experience interning with AdSport because of the real-life application I was able to learn and do.
Leaving this internship, I genuinely feel like I have experience and knowledge of the sponsorship world. I feel like I was trusted to tackle projects just like a full-time employee. I was often asked for my input and encouraged to ask questions when I did not understand something. I also got to see the inner workings of our clients and how different teams operate.
To anyone in school wanting to really dive in and get the real knowledge of sports sponsorship, I would definitely recommend this internship at AdSport.
To the incoming intern, ask! Ask everything and anything. Ask for work, ask for clarification, ask about things going on in the sports world, just do not be scared to ask. Sitting in on everything and being hands on is great, but it will not benefit you if you do not understand what is going on or what you are doing. The AdSport team is so open and welcoming to all questions, I had plenty of silly ones myself, just do not be shy and you will learn so much.
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