Play Possible

student in football gear
Katherine Davis (BS ‘16) and Matt DeMichiel (BS ‘17) talk about the sports industry and how they got their internship.

Behind the scenes of every favorite sports team is a multi-billion-dollar industry that Stern students can explore through classes and internships.

Katherine Davis (BS ’16) and Matt DeMichiel (BS ’17) are two sports enthusiasts who took their passion for the game and enrolled in Stern’s course offerings.

Matt studied Sports Marketing with Professor Stephen Master, and Katherine took Sports Economics taught by Professor Simon Bowmaker. In Professor Bowmaker’s class, Katherine discovered, “important economic implications of sports-related content, including the draft system, mega-events (the Olympics, FIFA World Cup), competitive balance, tournaments, labor markets, and much more.”

After their coursework, Katherine and Matt secured competitive internships with the Jets and ESP Properties, respectively, which brought to life the career paths available in the sports industry for business students.

“It never occurred to me to consider a career in the sports industry until my friend secured an internship with the Yankees following my freshman year,” Katherine says. So she set her sights on getting an internship with a New York sports team.

Katherine said, on the transition to a sports internship, that her work with the Jets, “was largely client-facing, so I feel like Stern helped me prepare by helping me develop people skills.”

This semester, Matt is working in another part of the sports business world. He currently interns at ESP Properties, which helps sports leagues and teams find new ways to grow their revenue through sponsorship and digital packages.

“Connections are key,” says Matt on securing his internship. He first heard about his current internship when the Head of Business Solutions from ESP Properties came to speak to his sports marketing class. “Coincidentally, a couple months later, I met someone who worked at a parent company of ESP, and I told him I was interested in an internship.”

Katherine’s advice to those looking to secure a sports internship is to “network, network, network.”

“Getting your foot in the door in such a competitive industry can be difficult. It definitely helps to have someone on the other side that is rooting for you and can help you along the way.”
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