There is so much going on in my brain right now!
In two days, I leave on what is the most exciting road trip ever. To get my MS in Sport Business at Temple University’s School of Sport, Tourism, and Hospitality Management (STHM), I must complete either an internship or a Master’s project/thesis. Just about everybody is doing an internship, except for me.
The program I am in is geared towards people wanting to become industry professionals in college and pro sports. I wanted the same thing when I chose TU over many other schools that accepted me. Through the school, you are exposed to many different opportunities. There are opportunities to work with the Temple Owls athletic teams, you can volunteer for all types of events (I worked the NFL draft and a handful of football games), go to a Brooklyn Nets sales academy, get tours of the Phillies and Eagles facilities and more.
All that stuff has been cool, but for me, I found that I have a different passion. That passion is researching, learning about, and writing about sports. As an undergrad, at University of Colorado Denver, 80% of what I wrote was about was sports—and as a communications major—you do a lot of writing. My senior thesis, which earned me Summa Cum Laude honors, was about the communications strategies used by the New England Patriots when dealing with crisis management.
In my final semester, I took two independent study courses with my mentor, Dr. Sarah Fields, where I focused on writing 60 pages about contemporary issues in sports. Before I graduated, she told me that she thought I was going to end up wanting to be in academia. Actually, she was the second professor/mentor to tell me that. I found that the more I have learned and been exposed to through my graduate program, the more this seems to be a reality. I am leaving all doors open, but I really enjoy learning and being challenged to think independently.
When I figured out this was what I wanted to do, I then needed to figure out what I wanted to research. I was thrown for a loop here, because I had no idea what that was. So I guess when I tore my quad, it was a blessing. Because, later that day, I was walking back from having a smoke in my car and I thought of this project. A lightbulb went off in my head, and BOOM! Typically, something like this would require months of planning. Beyond the proposal, its approval, and finding a faculty sponsor: there are so many other things to do.
After pitching the project a week earlier, and revising its proposal, I was given the go ahead to move forward on May 15th. Even though I was given the green light, I still needed to take my finals for my current courses. Once those were finished, I was left with about three weeks to plan and get everything in order.
First, I had to build my blog/site. I suck at technology, so it is still a work in progress…but, I’m pretty happy with where it is currently. I also know it will get better the more familiar I become with the software. I have so many different ideas; I just need to figure out their execution! Besides building my site from scratch in three weeks, I need to start adding content. This is my first official blog post! Expect daily ones from now on! Beyond the site and its content though, I also have to build my social media networks.
Since I never use Twitter or Instagram, I had to create accounts, making both these platforms new to me. #PromoteMe and share my site with your friends to build my following! Between building these and my site, I realized I needed some kind of branding strategy. Therefore, I created one which was as challenging as building the site. It took me a couple days just to be happy with it. When I was, I ordered my business cards and car magnets to promote me on the road. Then I wanted signs for the back windshield and windows, which is challenging to find when you want them overnight. I picked them up yesterday, and I am going to be a driving billboard!
Beyond doing all this stuff for my project, I still have to get my normal life in order. My apartment is a pigsty and it will not clean itself. I still need to pack. I had to get my eyes checked, my car serviced, security put in place for my home, update my renters insurance, and all types of other fun stuff like that. Oh yea, and I had to make certain that my funding was taken care of.
Beyond that, I have been busy researching the hell out of everything. From blogging best practices to contact info for potential sponsors. Like I mentioned before, this would typically require 6 months or more of planning, and I have had three weeks. I still have so much to do, and so little time. The best part is—I cannot focus at all when I am home. I just want to sit with my three dogs and relax. Therefore, I go to a Starbucks or come to school and sit in the tech center—which is where I am now. In fact, it closes in 18 minutes. That said, gotta go for now!
Andy Said What? 