This past summer, more than 70 Rice University students immersed themselves in the sports industry through hands-on experiences in internships, research, and volunteering.
“There’s no better teacher than experience,” says Clark Haptonstall, Chair of the Department of Sport Management. “Many of our students use the summer to 'try on' different roles in the sports industry and explore areas they're interested in. These experiences not only help them figure out their own paths, but also give them a valuable advantage when they apply for jobs in such a competitive field."
Two students, Lou Zhou ’27 and Dante Maurice ’26, were invited to participate in the Carnegie Mellon University Summer Undergraduate Research Experience. They spent their summer in Pittsburgh doing research in sports analytics with CMU’s Department of Statistics and Data Science.
Ten students worked as talent escorts at the 2025 ESPY Awards on July 16 in Los Angeles. They got a behind-the-scenes look at one of the biggest nights in sports, working alongside top athletes, celebrities, and production teams. This opportunity was the result of a longstanding partnership with a company that hires talent escorts for big-name events. They hired Rice Sport Management students in 2017 to work Super Bowl LI, held in Houston that year, and since then, the department’s students have traveled around the country to work events such as the NFL Honors, the Golden Globes, the Final Four, Super Bowl LIII, the NHL Awards, the Kids’ Choice Sports Awards, and other ESPY Awards.
“I would say this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our students, but it’s really not,” Haptonstall says. “Though local students are usually hired for these events, our students keep getting these opportunities around the country because their professionalism and excellence continue to impress.”
More than 55 students interned or worked in the sports industry this summer. Twenty of these students interned with pro sports teams or their governing bodies, while other placements included collegiate athletic departments and bowl games, sports agencies, retail companies, event planners, and more. The types of internships spanned the gamut, too. The majority of students interned in data and analytics, but some also worked in events, operations, marketing, partnerships, strategy, coaching, and content creation.
Rice Sport Management students are able to explore such a wide variety of roles and sports organizations because of the deep connections the department's professors have developed, a network of more than 300 alumni actively working in sports, and the reputation of Owls who have come before them. “We’re grateful we can help place our students where they want to be and in the roles they want to be in," Haptonstall says. "When we call, our contacts pick up the phone—not to be nice, but because they know the quality of our students, and they’re willing to take a chance on them.”
Molly Mohr Bruni ’15 is a freelance writer and editor and proud alumna of Rice University’s Department of Sport Management. You can find her at mollybruni.com.