This summer, the Department of Sport Management at Rice University placed 48 students in sports-related internships. The students were spread out across two countries and, within the U.S., twelve different states.
“When I first came to Rice, I quickly realized that a significant number of students were from outside of the state of Texas,” said Tom Stallings, a professor in the Department of Sport Management. “To best serve those students, we had to create a network of contacts nationwide to provide students with the best opportunities from their own hometowns.”
With that goal in mind, Stallings has made connections in all different facets of the sports industry over the years. His latest efforts were fruitful, with 31 of the 48 students finding internships outside of Houston (where Rice is located).
Among the internships are recognizable names, such as the San Antonio Spurs, Nike, PGA of America, and New England Patriots. However, you’ll also find smaller, lesser-known organizations.
One of those organizations is Sponsor United, a startup management consulting firm. This summer, DJ Green ’17 played a pivotal role in helping the firm examine the sponsorship and marketing efforts of in-season Houston sports teams.
“I was in charge of looking at all of the teams’ social media, television, radio, facility, website, and community sponsorship activity,” Green said. “We’re in the startup phase of compiling all the information and data to create a logarithm and set of trends to go to these teams and show them opportunities to expand revenue and growth.”
From small startups, like Sponsor United, to industry powerhouses, such as Nike, the opportunities Rice students had this summer help provide direction for their future sports careers and give them networking opportunities that will last beyond their time in college. For a full list of summer 2016 internships, click here.
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Molly Mohr is an alumna of Rice University who double majored in sport management and English and minored in business.