Shaun Gallagher is a senior sports marketing major at SJU and he is also an intern at the Philadelphia Union. Here is Shaun’s blog post about his internship at the Philadelphia Union:
“Interning with the Philadelphia Union is one of the best decisions that I ever made, and one that will hopefully translate into a lifetime career in the sports industry. Even though there is neither salary nor benefits, the experience and professional connections are invaluable.
When people ask me what I do as an intern, I often joke that is easier for me to say what I do not do. On the less glamorous side, I have worked youth camps in the blazing heat, moved giant inflatables around PPL Park, carted Gatorade through a parking garage into a Center City hotel, and loaded a trailer to the max with supplies for the team’s spring training operations. There are no classes at SJU that prepared me for these tasks, just a strong work ethic and a deep desire to succeed. Fortunately, these “to do’s” have not been the majority of my time in Chester, PA.
As for the more desirable aspects, travel and location are key elements. On game days, I’m next to the action! Positioned in the “bowl” of the stadium, I sit to the right of the Union’s bench, ready to handle various situations. Forecasting the Union’s annual merchandise order from Adidas, I can be found at my desk, or in the VP of Marketing’s office reviewing advertising documents for Union commercials that have aired aired on Channel 6 ABC and Comcast SportsNet. The free crab-fries during the weekly radio show at Chickie’s & Pete’s is another delicious perk.
So far, the highlight of my time with the Union has been attending a breakfast meeting, in the stadium club for the Army/Navy Cup. (At the Linc, it is football, but at PPL Park, we do soccer). I was thrilled to be invited (and a little nervous), since I was jokingly advised to “skip class because this is more important.” A champagne toast with our whole organization at midfield, the night before the first game, left quite an impression. Lastly, building a playground and a memory in one day for the children of Chester is something that I will never forget.
I would like to end this blog with an example of how I wish to foresee myself 20+ years down the road. During a hail/rain storm at a home game this season, an Executive VP, dressed in a fine suit, came to our assistance and raked water off of the field. He pitched in so that there would not be a delay in the game. Impressed by his display of selflessness only adds to the appeal of the sports industry in my opinion. I hope that no matter how far up the ladder I might get, I, too, would be out there with the ground’s crew and interns helping the “other” side of a sports organization.”
