Published: Aug 20, 2009
University of Tampa student Alex Miles never thought he’d be eating
dinner, playing ping pong and joking around with Tampa Bay Buccaneer
football players and hopefuls this summer.
As an intern at the summer training camp in Tampa, Miles does just that.
“They are all really entertaining,” Miles '10, said. “Defensive end Jimmy Wilkerson is probably one of the funniest.”
He
said quarterback Josh Freeman jokes with him because he thinks Miles
looks like Blake Griffin, who plays basketball for the University of
Oklahoma. The camaraderie is great, Miles said, and the experience he is
getting is even better.
“It’s really exciting to wake up every
day and work here, to be around the coaches, the marketing department,
and scouting. It’s been such a rush,” said Miles, a senior in sport
management. “This has been three weeks of really great opportunities.”
Miles
stays at the nearby hotel with the players, starting his days at 5:30
a.m., shuttling players to and from the practice field. He, along with a
group of about 20 interns, helps make sure the days goes smoothly
logistically. He assists with autograph sessions, charts plays for
coaches, processes the credentials for media and celebrities and sits in
on the video editing of play review tapes.
“I’ve been able to
talk to everyone from the receptionist to the general manager and vice
president,” Miles said. “You get an appreciation for hard work.”
He’s
been offered a personal assistant job and asked to help out with game
day in the fall. Most days, he can’t believe he was lucky enough to get
the internship. Miles gives credit to University of Tampa professor Ross
Bartow, who he said hosted Miray Holmes, the Buccaneer’s director of
community relations, at UT as a guest speaker.
“I definitely
believe UT is the best in the country for not only teaching but for the
hands-on learning experiences you can get,” said Miles, who has worked
with the Tampa Bay Lightning in their guest services department,
volunteered with the Clearwater Ironman race and co-founded the Sports
and Entertainment Management Society, which provides volunteer
opportunities in members’ career fields. He also volunteered in January
for the NFL Experience during Super Bowl XLIII.
Senior Meghan
Lally, who landed a summer internship with the New York Jets, found her
internship like Miles by seeking it out directly through the team.
Lally’s
responsibilities were with the Jets’ events staff, coordinating Jet
Fest, organizing practices and doing logistical work. The 10-hour days
are worth it to see a successful event, she said.
“It’s an
experience I can build on and will help my resume,” said Lally '10, a
sport management major who hopes to land a job with the National
Football League when she graduates in the spring.
Both Miles and
Lally completed internships as a requirement of their degree program.
Bartow said they try to host monthly discussions with professionals to
give students a real-life look at the industry as well as encourage
students to seize volunteer opportunities. He was impressed with Lally
and Miles’ proactive desire to seek out internships specific to their
interests.
“Everything we do prepares students for the day they
apply for a job,” Bartow said. “It’s a tough business to get into and if
they have a chance to show a potential employer what they can do as
well as well as themselves, it’s a really positive thing.”
For more information on UT's sport management program,
click here.