Personal Narrative: A Career As A Radio Sports Intern

When David Charles Johnson was a child, he wanted to become a professional football player. He always wanted to become a quarterback for the Green Bay Packers. As his parents raised him in Madison, Wisconsin, they encouraged him to try new things and would push him to do his best. David had a lean build with dark-brown hair and blue eyes. He participated in multiple sports, but he enjoyed baseball and football the most. In both sports, he enjoyed the throwing aspects of each game. He enjoyed pitching in baseball and being a quarterback in football. When high school arrived and David was a sophomore, he decided that he only wanted to play baseball and football. He and his parents decided it would be better for him to focus on his academics

As I grew older I wondered about how I could pursue a career in sports. When I was a kid I would act like I was broadcasting the game on TV. This is why I want to pursue a major in sports broadcasting. A couple summers ago I attended a sports broadcasting camp that was led by a current broadcaster for a Triple-A Baseball team. This camp helped me reaffirm my dream of becoming a sports broadcaster. Throughout the years I've looked up to famous and legendary broadcasters that are synonymous with sports. My goal is to one day be remembered among the greats of

From playing, to watching, to talking about them, sports have always been a passion of mine. Playing sports for as long as I can remember. From soccer to baseball, basketball to football. I´ve grown a deep passion for sports throughout my life. My passion has been so strong pursuing a career in this field just made good sense. I have a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and my courses based upon on sports business, journalism fundamentals, technical writing and the function that multimedia plays in sports journalism. While I attended Michigan State University I broadcasted the school's radio

The path that lead me to choose Sport Management as a major began at a young age where I demonstrated my admiration for sports. I have been participating in sports my entire life and still do to this day. Unfortunately, my time as an athlete will eventually come to an end and I will need to find an occupation that I have passion for. I asked myself the question, “Why not continue my passion in sports”? Being able to work with sports, but not directly in the spotlight, as an athlete is something I would love to be apart of.

This past Thursday I had the opportunity to sit down and conduct a phone interview with Jordan Maleh. Jordan graduated from UConn in 2006 with a Bachelor’s in Sport Management and then his Master’s in Sport Management and Sociology in 2008. He currently works at the Big Ten Network in Chicago, Illinois as the Director of Digital and Consumer Marketing. As a graduating senior, this interview was very helpful to me because it gave me the chance to ask a professional in the sport industry, such as Jordan, questions about his experience at UConn and how he got his start in the sport industry and to where he is today.

New job openings are being created every day; new general managers, teams moving into new facilities, and league policies and rules beings changed. Which means, the sports industry is expanding rapidly and you just have to find something you like and be the best at it. I really enjoyed getting to her Mark McNeil speak considering the fact that now, I know I do not have to go law school to be a sports agent. I have gotten in contact with him and I think this is a big opportunity for me because as far as an internship goes and finding someone to learn from and someone who is willing to teach

One day I hope to get the opportunity to work for the National College Athletic Association. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is an association made up of 1,261 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals devoted to the administration of intercollegiate athletics (NCAA.org). The purpose of the National College Athletic Association is to maintain intercollegiate athletics as an essential part of the educational program and the athlete as an essential part of the student population. The association’s purpose is to help student athletes maintain a proper balance in life. They enforce the concept of athletes putting school before anything else. Specifically within the NCAA organization, I hope to become an

It was just another school night in the seventh grade. Our recreational tackle football team had a practice at 730pm until 9. It was a very swampy night and from that I felt myself very sluggish. At the time, I was a backup running back. I was always left on the sidelines facing the chills of the cold wind during games. I typically didn’t get to see much playing time on the field, but that night I got my opportunity. I was receiving kicks during a punting audition and all I was doing was catching the ball and throwing it back, nothing unique. One throw after another, my coach began to praise my arm strength. Seeing me pass the ball was a true eye-opener. That night, I went from a backup running back, to the starting quarterback of my rec

The South Dakota High School Football Championship was an experience that I am grateful for having. During the process of getting ready for the event, I was more worried about my grade of the course compared to the success of the weekend. As each week passed on, I realized that this weekend is bigger than just a grade for a course, but it’s a dream that many children have had since they first touched a football. After I realized how selfish I was, I volunteered to lead the game script group that was part of the social media/marketing group. The reason behind that was because I believe I want to go into the marketing aspect of sports, and I thought it was easy. Now that the event is done, I still want to be in sport marketing, but I learned

Greg and Lisa’s career is something I’m interested in because I love kids. My personal goals for Sports Management would be working with a Professional basketball team. With this I also want to give back to the community especially to kids through sports. I want to help inspire them to chase their dreams. Since kids look up to these athletes as heroes and role models I would also love to incorporate them into the program to speak to these

“Fumble! There goes Salem’s number 69, Jonathan Haddad with the football, he’s home free!” I recall the PA announcer. That specific moment was probably the most memorable highlight of my high school football career. Seconds later, my football career would come to an end as the opposing running back lunged at my ankle and I felt a snap and crackling sensation, causing me to immediately fall to the turf. Turns out I broke my ankle and that it would take months to recover before I could even walk. Frustration, anger, and denial were the main things on my mind during those few months. I thought about how hard I worked in the summer; busting my butt to get ready for the season, and wasting a ton of time and money on something that would end in an utter failure.

I am excited and humbled to pursue an opportunity with ESPN. With the ESPN Tencent partnership, I am confident that my experience and skills can help me take on challenges associated with this position with positive attitude and inquisitive mindset. Those attributes can make me a great candidate for this project. I appreciate your consideration and look forward to hearing from

Saturday morning, and sweat is running down my face. Dirt is covering every inch of my body. Breathing hard I hear the coach scream “GO!”. Already tired I force my beaten body to run as fast as I could. I see my opponent come into my view, and I know what I have to do. Speeding my way towards the ball I tackle the kid in front of me. In the distance I hear satisfaction from my coach. “Nice tackle Dylan, you get better everytime I watch you.” applauds my coach. I thank him for noticing that I have been working hard throughout these two a day practices. Sprinting my way towards the  next drill I run my coach's words through my head which helps boost my confidence for what is to come next. I was halfway through the week filled with these gruesome two a days, but I knew from my improvement each day I would make it.

My whole body is completely numb as I set my feet in the torn up, muddy battlefield known as the gridiron. I glance up to the scoreboard we’re up by 3 with 30 seconds to go. My chest is pounding through my shoulder pads and a tingling sensation runs through my arms. “It’s fourth and goal, if they hold them here they’ll win the game!” comes over the loud speaker as I hear hundreds of screaming fans cheer. I can barely see from the sweat dripping down my eyes as I look over to the sideline to get the play call. Coach calls 43 Mike Will Cover 2. This is it. This is what I have worked for. My hands are shaking with anticipation as the quarterback starts his cadence. “Down!” I scan the lineman. “Set!” I know this play it is coming right for me.

Overall this topic is interesting to me because I’ve been a big basketball fan my whole life but as I grew older I realized I wouldn’t be make it in the NBA or be Lebron James. Instead this project will allow me to explore the jobs that still have a connection to sports. At the same time I will see what has to be done behind the scenes that most people do not know about.