Putting on a baseball game takes far more than what fans see on the field.  

The game has to be promoted, seats washed off, tickets sold, food trucks stocked with the right snacks, graphics loaded into the jumbotron and photos snapped for social media.

All of these moving parts have one thing in common: they rely on East Tennessee State University students working together as interns for the Johnson City Doughboys.

Coming from different programs within the ETSU College of Business and Technology, these students bring together their individual skills to make the season a home run.

As we lead up to National Internship Week (July 27 – 31), let’s meet the ETSU students helping the Doughboys deliver a successful season this summer:

  • Flannery Newman: Media and Communications (MCOM) – Social Media Intern
  • Sara Lutz: Media and Communications – Ticket Sales
  • Cade Story: Sport and Recreation Management – Food and Beverage Intern
  • Cole Horine: Sport and Recreation Management – Gameday Operations Intern
  • Olivia Lamb (Not pictured): Media and Communications – Marketing and Promotions Intern

‍Hands-on Experience

These students are taking lessons from brand and media strategy or sport management classes and applying those concepts in real-world situations while learning a new lesson: being adaptable.

Being adaptable is paramount in roles like social media with Newman, where you must move fast to capitalize on sports content. Between managing multiple social media channels and assisting with other media-related responsibilities, there is always something to plan, post, learn or adapt to.

“A big element is learning how to pivot and make solutions,” said Newman. “There’s always a skill I keep growing and getting better at, whether that be social media management, cutting walk-up songs, loading graphics into the scoreboard or whatever the team needs me to help with.”

Networking

Another benefit of such a hands-on internship is the opportunity to network with professionals in the field.

As a Boyd Sports-owned team, the Johnson City Doughboys provide ETSU students with opportunities to connect with sports industry professionals, gain hands-on experience and build relationships that can support their future careers.

The opportunity to network was a driving factor in some of these internships materializing. In March, the Department of Sport and Recreation (SARM) hosted its “Breaking into Sports” career networking event, where Story and Horine connected with Doughboys representatives and built relationships that ultimately helped lead to their internship opportunities.

“The Doughboys were the first people I talked to at Breaking into Sports, and they really piqued my interest in interning with them,” said Horine.

Resources like department events and ETSU University Career Services work hard to ensure students have networking opportunities at school while also teaching them to use those networking skills to find internships. The result is well-adapted students who know how to interact and present themselves in professional environments, especially when they find themselves face-to-face with some of baseball’s most recognizable names.

The Fan Experience

Through it all, these students work hard to provide an experience that guests can remember for a long time. Both MCOM and SARM focus on serving people, and through baseball, these students get to make lasting memories from the small and large details of the fan experience.

“If you can see the smiles on everybody’s faces, that’s when you know you’re doing a great job,” said Story.

Those details and smiles can be found all over the stadium. In ticket sales, Lutz has a unique opportunity to enhance the fan experience through the power of listening and adapting. From ensuring fans have access to accessible seating to coordinating opportunities for children to participate in promotional games, she helps create memorable experiences for guests of all ages.

“I try to bring the best possible experience for each type of different person and their needs,” said Lutz. “It’s all about giving them the best experience they can have.”

The experience works both ways; as these students create summer fun for the community, they also gain skills and working knowledge of their field. And that’s a grand slam for everyone.