What’s it like to be a Gopher sports marketing intern? We asked Nick Balmanno, a Women’s Hockey Lead Intern for Gopher sports marketing and a senior in the School of Kinesiology studying sport management.
Gopher sports marketing offers students the opportunity to be a lead intern for a Gopher sports team. U of M Women’s Hockey was one of Balmanno’s top choices and interests when he first got the job.
“You are assigned a sport,” explains Balmanno. “Some people are assigned to multiple sports. You rank your top three favorite sports and are generally given a sport you’re interested in. When it’s not your assigned sport’s season, you help out on other sports and lead marketing interns’ game days.”
As a lead marketing intern, Balmanno is in charge of all the game-day duties and preparation. “I am responsible for developing all marketing items related to women’s hockey. I come up with give-away ideas for games, develop intermission activities, and help increase game-day attendance, all while making sure that people have fun and want to come back. I’ll also send group sales emails. After the planning in the office, the role shifts focus to game-day management. On game days, I oversee our other marketing interns that come to help and make sure everything is in place.”
In addition to providing Balmanno with transferable industry experience, his role also allows him to connect and network with peers and industry experts. “My favorite part of the internship is connecting with other people and meeting other sport management students. This internship has allowed me to meet 40 other students in sport management and connect with the full-time staff. Connections are a really big thing in sports. Connections help you land roles in a field where there are not that many positions. So gaining any kind of experience in sports give you a real upper hand when you’re applying for jobs after graduation.”
Being a Gopher sports marketing intern comes with many perks. “You get a behind the scenes at every single sporting event. Lots of people don’t realize how much planning goes into an event and how big the facilities are. You also get to attend any gopher sporting event you want.”
But what’s most exciting to Balmanno about his role is giving fans a memorable experience. “I love being able to create a fun atmosphere at gopher sporting events. My freshman year before I was with gopher sports marketing, I remember loving things like gold-out volleyball games. If you are a gophers fan, you get to help create lifelong memories for other gopher fans and gopher student-athletes. That’s really special that you can say you’ve made a difference in someone’s life.”
Balmanno’s love for fan and customer experience, discovered through his role with Gopher sports marketing, has had a lasting effect on his career path. “For me, having this internship has helped solidify what I want to do. I have learned so many customer service and guest experience skills. I’ve gotten an in-depth look and understanding of Big 10 athletics department, which isn’t something everyone gets to do. And I’ve been able to test my leadership and communications skills.”
As if industry skills and experience aren’t enough, Balmanno also describes the Gopher Sports Marketing work atmosphere as kind and welcoming.
“Everyone in sports marketing is here to help you grow as a sports professional. The full-time staff is always available for any type of question, whether it’s about the internship, your resume, or career development.”
