Junior and senior year creeps up before you know it and then it is time to start looking for an internship. When I began my search, I applied to different sports teams, applying simply because I thought it would be fun to work in sports. After applying to three different places I knew that working for the Lancaster Barnstormers at Clipper Magazine Stadium would be the place for me. My internship advisor, Dr. Lordan, later told me “a life in baseball, you’ve got it made,” and now I really believe this is true.This summer I had the opportunity to intern with theBarnstormers, a minor league baseball team located in Lancaster, PA. It was an opportunity to be close to home while getting a taste of the exciting sports industry.
The internship began for me in the marketing office. Being a marketing intern consisted of writing articles for the playbill, and uploading pictures and summaries for the website. Creating flyers for the upcoming home stands promos and giveaways became a weekly routine for me. All of these things were exactly what I needed to start my internship portfolio. Driving players and of course, Cylo, the mascot, to appearances around the community became another intern duty of mine. As a college student, this was always a great time because the interns would always receive free food and t-shirts for doing the appearances.
The marketing office was also the place for “imaginating” sessions where we would list as many ideas as we could for different themed nights. The interns also help our own brainstorming sessions, since we were planned theme nights throughout the season.
The marketing office was not the only place where you could find me at the stadium. The interns had to learn and ins and outs of the box office. We had to learn to take walk-up orders, orders over the phone, deal with ticket exchanges as well as the redemption of ticket vouchers. Although working in the box office sometimes felt tedious, it gave me valuable experience working with different kinds of people in a face paced environment.
My internship concluded in the Corporate Sales Department. In this department we were asked to research different sports teams’ strategies and find out what corporate sponsors the local sports teams are using. The interns had to call our corporate sponsors before the game they were sponsoring, to ask these sponsors the specifics about their game. We had to find out who from their organization was throwing out the first pitch, whether or not they wanted to set up marketing tables along the concourse, if they were using a DVD commercial or Reads & Logo, how many tickets they needed the night of the game and if they were doing a two minute presentation before the game began. We had to rely all of the information to both the Assistant General Manager and Creative Services Manager to make sure that our corporate sponsor got exactly what they were asking for. While in corporate sales, we rolled the t-shirts that are thrown out during the fifth inning. We also helped to create some of the inbetween inning promotions, like spray painting plastic army men and attaching parachutes for the Capital Blue Cross blue men drop.
Internships are recommended for all students. There is so much to learn at a minor league baseball stadium that it’s impossible to learn it all in one summer. This internship was an amazing experience as we spent hours upon hours living at the stadium. This was what allowed all the interns to become such great friends and love what we were coming to work every day to do. We became really close with the front office staff members, and although it was favored, even became good friends with some of the players. The things that were learned this summer and the memories that came along with them are priceless.
If you think the sports industry is the right field for you, especially minor league baseball here are some recommendations. Expect long hours. Baseball more games in one season than any other sport. Not only are you expected to be there 9 a.m. -5p.m. Monday through Friday, but every single home game too. When there are games on the weekends, you’re there at 10 a.m., no matter the start time. Don’t forget about the baseball camps, concerts, charity events, and graduations that are held at the stadium. You’re running them too. One word, tarp. When it starts to rain, whether it’s 7:30am on a non-game day or 7pm with a rain delay, the tarp won’t get on the field by itself. Be prepared with your tarp clothes, sneakers, and gloves. Run as fast as you can, while the fans will hopefully be cheering you on. Make sure you don’t fall.
The sports industry requires dedication and a love for what you do, if you have those two things then “a life in baseball, you’ve got it made.”
Jackie Alliota is a senior majoring in Communication Studies with minors in Business, Technical Writing, and Spanish. She can be reached at JA609350@wcupa.edu.