Well the time has officially come… With a heavy heart, my time as a marketing intern with CU Athletics is coming to an end after two years of incredible opportunities and experiences.
As a marketing intern, I contributed to nearly a hundred events across two seasons of sports at the University of Colorado at Boulder. From designing collateral and promotions to managing activations during game days, my efforts touched many of the varsity sports at CU including Football, Men’s & Women’s Basketball, Women’s Soccer, Women’s Lacrosse, Women’s Tennis, Women’s Volleyball, and Track & Field.
As I near closer to my graduation date this semester, I want to take some time to reflect on this amazing position and what I’ve learned throughout my time with the Athletics department.
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#1: How to Leverage One Sport’s Success Across All Sports
Working alongside CU Athletics for both the 2022-23 season and the 2023-24 season allowed me to have the unique opportunity of seeing one of our sports exponentially grow in terms of success. With the addition of Deion Sanders and his team to our football program came a drastic increase in media coverage and ticket sales changing the way we marketed the season in many ways.
With this change came the chance to use the football team’s success as a way of advancing the success of other sports as well. The marketing team saw significant change in the attendance of fans across other Fall sports as they were being advertised through the use of football games where the season was completely sold out. Teams with a smaller following such as CU Volleyball and CU Soccer made appearances at football games to help spread the dates of their upcoming games and gain more fan support. CU Athletics also generated deals across sports where special offers were made to fans that attended certain games.
#2: The Preparation Process for Events
Through this experience, I was also able to learn about the significant amount of work that goes into making an event happen. While most people only see the 2-3 hour event that they buy tickets to, there is an insane amount of hours and hands that go into making that short amount of time as seamless as it is. The amount of communication and trust that must happen behind-the-scenes of an event was something I had never thought of before taking this position and being able to contribute to the preparation of game days helped me learn so much about strong teamwork and attention to detail.
#3: How to be a Leader Among Coworkers
If you had told freshman-year-me about the type of person I have become today, she would have called you insane. Coming into college, I was a quiet, sheltered 18-year-old with dreams of joining the music industry. After branching out into the sports and entertainment world as a whole, I developed a deep passion for connecting fans and athletes as a way of creating lifelong memories. Becoming a marketing intern with CU Athletics was one of the first introduction I had to this and played a significant role in transforming that quiet, introverted girl into someone who could lead teams and be trusted with important responsibilities.
One of the prime examples of this was in the Spring 2023 season when I was given the opportunity to lead the marketing efforts for the Women’s Tennis team as an undergraduate still learning the ins-and-outs of the sports industry. This opportunity pushed me to learn quicker then I thought possible while helping me become confident in my skills as a marketer. Ever since then, I have stepped into my new skin as someone who is sure of what she can bring to the table and eager to learn and lead more.
#4: The Differences Between Collegiate Sports and Professional Sports
While working at CU Athletics, I had the unique opportunity to work alongside professional sports teams as well allowing me to compare and contrast the differences between collegiate and pro sports. Along with working many PAC-12 game days, I also assisted in marketing the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, and Colorado Rapids. Both experiences allowed me to be stronger as a professional while also finding where I feel most comfortable.
The biggest difference I found between collegiate and professional sports is the amount of diversity it brings to your workload. While you often work on multiple teams at the same time in college sports, professional sports typically asks you to focus on one specific team. This can be both a good and bad thing because pro-sports brings a chance to put all your energy into one brand where college gives more creativity in marketing across several teams. Being able to work for CU Athletics has played a huge role in helping me to decide the type of position I want to strive for post-grad.
#5: The Importance of Saying Yes!
Finally, arguable the most important thing I learned while in this position is the importance of saying yes no matter what. Whether you’re an intern, a manager, or an executive, there will always be choices we have to make that may not seem the most desirable among other tasks. However, this role taught me that saying yes to every opportunity will take you so far! Being there to help in any situation not only proves that you are a reliable coworker, but also leads to chances that you may not expect.
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As I wrap up this final blog post, I want to give a huge shoutout to the people who mentored me throughout my entire experience at CU Athletics and who played such a big role in helping me become the person I am today. Zoe Gasell, Casey Imbasciani, Ricky Zum Mallen, Chris Schoen, and Marcos Rael have each given me the most amazing support and I am so grateful for the opportunity to work with them. Additionally, the rest of the intern team in both seasons are some of the most hardworking people I have met and it has been such a privilege to learn from and work alongside them. The CU Athletics team are so kind and welcoming and I will forever be grateful for the chance to grow at my own alma mater.
That being said, thank you so much for taking the time to follow CU from the Sidelines! It has been so fun to share my experiences and I hope you were able to take something from at least on of the posts from this semester. As graduation comes up in the next couple of weeks, I’m incredibly excited for the next opportunity I will get and I am looking forward to using all that I have learned at CU in my future endeavors. Sko buffs!
Works Cited
All photos taken by Cassidy Davis
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