By Jeremy Noble

Internships can give PR students more than just an opportunity to gain real world experience. They provide students with a chance to network with professionals. My personal experience with the Mid-Missouri Outlaws was valuable. The Mid-Missouri Outlaws are a Professional Indoor Football Organization that is committed to providing central Missouri with an outstanding venue for sports entertainment and an economic boost to the area.  I managed all of the team’s social media, planned the Champions Professional Indoor Football League Kickoff, and generated sponsorships.

Professional Opportunities

Mid-Missouri Outlaws helped me prepare for the real world. Working with the professional team is a really good learning experience for a college student who isn’t sure what area of the industry they’re best suited for. The Outlaws helped me realize what it is like to network with professional broadcasters. The broadcasters taught me how to communicate to sport broadcasters. I learned a lot about the marketing and business side of a sports organization. I was taught how to gain team sponsorships through different businesses and how to market a team’s brand to the community. This has made me more marketable to employers. Attending the national conferences and professional meetings helped me understand the power behind an organization.

Learning to Network

I feel more comfortable going up to professionals and trying to communicate with them at an event that is taking place. I learned to be the first person who makes that initial contact. It’s helped me become more professional because it did feel like a job, not like a standard class. You are able to learn a lot from the professionals with in a sports team. I was able to network and gain contacts in the process.

I would recommend an internship with a professional sports team to anyone, especially for anyone interested in the sports area of the public relations field. I have learned so much from this internship and it has provided me with a part time social media job with United States Football Network.

Through my internship with the Outlaws I was able to network with different team owners and I was able to get a job with USFBN updating social media and managing client accounts. Learning about sports marketing and social media in my internship is something that prepared me for my job with USFBN.

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