InternshipRatings.com

By Jay Preble
Director of Public Relations
Tampa Bay Lightning

As director of public relations for the Tampa Bay Lightning, I try to accommodate every meeting request I receive from college students who are interested in working in sports public relations. Sometimes it’s just an “informational interview,” and sometimes the student is working on a paper for class. Without fail, the question is asked.

“What do I need to do to get a job in PR with a sports team?”

My somewhat hypocritical answer is always the same – “You have to do an internship to even have a shot.”

I’m a hypocrite because I got hired by the Lightning in 1996 basically because I was the right person in the right place at the right time. Though I was a Mass Communications (Public Relations) major in college, I caught the sports writing bug while still in school and went to work for a local newspaper upon graduation. When the Lightning joined the NHL in 1992, I ended up covering the team for The Associated Press. Four years later when the team’s VP of communications needed a PR person who could write and edit, I slid into my new career.

Most of you, unfortunately, aren’t going to get as lucky. We receive dozens upon dozens of resumes each season and many are from bright, hard-working college grads who would do well in the business. If we have an opening in our department, however, 95 percent of the time we’re going to hire someone we already know through an internship.

This is where it gets tough for most recent or soon-to-be college grads, because the market for sports internships (PR or other departments) is daunting. Most require extremely long hours (15-hour game days are commonplace in hockey) and provide little, if any, compensation. I’ve commented to many people that I never cease to be amazed by those college grads who find the means to move to a new city and work long hours for almost no money - just for the possibility of getting a job when the internship ends.

That said; if you’re one of those industrious types who can pull it off, and you’re a hard worker who “gets it,” I’ll do everything I can to help you get hired once your internship ends. We’ve had a pretty good track record at the Lightning in this regard, with some of our former PR interns currently holding the following titles:

Coordinator, Communications – Ottawa Senators (NHL)
Media Services Manager – San Antonio Spurs (NBA)
Assistant to the General Manager – Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL)
Public Relations Coordinator – Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL)
Assistant Director of Media Relations – Atlanta Thrashers (NHL)
Coordinator, Media Relations – Toronto Marlies (AHL)
Communications Coordinator – Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL)
Ticket Sales & Operations Manager – Depaul University (NCAA)
Manager of Internet Development – Nashville Predators (NHL)

Now, for the second part of my standard answer to the “how can I get a job??” question:

If you’re still in school and you’re convinced sports PR is your path of choice, do yourself a huge favor and walk into your school newspaper’s office. Ask for the editor, and tell him/her that you want to write. It doesn’t matter if it is sports, news, features or opinion/editorials - you need to know how to write and edit and the best way to gain practical experience in a short time is through a school paper or magazine.

The writing and editing in sports PR can be nonstop, from press releases to media guide bios to website features to letters from the president or general manager in the game program.

If you’re already a decent writer by the time you start your internship, expect to have some press releases thrown your way as a test of your abilities. If you pass the test and you’re a hard worker, you can expect my endorsement when your internship ends.

Editor’s Note: Jay Preble is the former Director of Public Relations for the Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL).

By Jordan Nashen
Charlotte Bobcats Intern

I have been a sports enthusiast all my life, and when I realized that I didn’t have the necessary God given talents to be an NHL superstar, a high-flying NBA dunker, or even a professional wrestler, I knew that the sports industry was the one that I wanted to call my career.

And so I have. Prior to graduating with a Commerce degree in marketing, I have interned with the 2004 Stanley Cup Champions Tampa Bay Lightning, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), the 2002 Super Bowl Champions Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats.
Each experience served to be unique and exciting, and provided me with the knowledge, real-life situations that you cannot learn from school textbooks, and most importantly, contacts derived from networking that will further enhance my career.

It is important to start young, because you never know who you will be able to meet and learn from. I was able to work on marketing and PR projects with the Lightning, WWE and Bobcats. My tasks with these organizations ranged from writing press releases and organizing media tours, to writing columns for bobcats.com and updating media guides while receiving editorial credit. It’s a pretty good feeling when your name is only pages away from Vinny Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis.

Interning is one of the best ways to get ahead of the competition in the sports field. The industry is very tight-knit and the contacts you make can become invaluable. Take advantage of every networking opportunity that comes your way and ride it to the fullest extent. It is not so much what you know, but whom you know that will get you to the next level. Networking and interning with a positive attitude are the two keys that can bring you to the next level in this very competitive industry. You never know who you can meet today who can help you tomorrow.

Paige Novack
Specialist, Business Public Relations
Major League Baseball

Being a female in the world of sports is not as cliché or “fish out of water” as many tend to think. These days you find females at every turn in the sports industry from on-field reporters, to public relations directors, and astoundingly even two Major League Baseball Clubs have female groundskeepers. A love and knowledge of the game, along with confidence, the ability to think outside-the-box, and strong organizational skills all lend a successful career in or out of sports.

Internships, while sometimes daunting, and often not as exciting as you thought they might be, are the jumping-off point for everyone…even that VP in the corner office. At Major League Baseball, a strong interest in the field you are applying in, solid organizational skills, and the ability to juggle multiple projects at once are all qualities we value in an intern. As an intern, you are there not only to assist with projects as needed, but you are there to gain a basic understanding of the business and learn where your strengths and passions lie. During your months as an intern, you should also take time to carefully observe the atmosphere and working culture within your company, and throughout the industry. When choosing your career path it is important not only to consider if you will feel passionate and invigorated by your job, but it is also equally as important to consider if you will be content and fulfilled by the lifestyle that career will bring.

As long as you stay true to who you are, feel continually challenged intellectually and creatively by your job at hand and strive to always be you’re best only greatness is headed your way.