Written by: Keyan Gregoire-James

Do you love sports and dream of having a job related to sports? Then this post is for you! This spring, media and communication major Brian Saglimben got the opportunity to do an internship with Delaware Valley University Athletics for Experience360 (E360) program credit.

“I was hoping to find something related to sports and sports media because that is part of my major in media and communication and I have a passion for sports. I was so lucky to get a job that involves both!” said Saglimben, who hopes to have a job as a sports media writer in the future.

 At his internship, each shift is different. “Some days I do a variety of general office work (edit video clips for social media, collect stats, file information, edit game stories I have written) and other days I attend campus games in person for men’s and women’s lacrosse, baseball, and softball.”

Usually, Brian arrives at the games early to get organized and receive instructions from his site supervisor, Chris Elliott, DelVal’s Assistant Athletic Director and Director of Sports Information.  He then meets with the other interns working the games and they get ready for the game to start. At these games he has various tasks to complete like running the scoreboard, writing game stories/summaries during or after the game, maintaining the stat book, and working with the broadcast team to livestream the games. In addition, he also live tweets games for the DVU Athletics page.

Saglimben has the chance to learn new things while completing his E360 internship. “When I was first assigned to work the DelVal lacrosse games, I thought it might be difficult because I was not familiar with the rules and positions of lacrosse. I quickly learned what I needed to know from my site supervisor as well as fellow interns who also worked the game with me,” he said.  “I also learned some techniques for writing game stories for baseball for example, when the home teams lose by a lot, the game story should be brief and when the home team wins, it is important to be more thorough and mention player names and highlights as much as possible.”

Saglimben’s favorite thing about working with DelVal Athletics is the opportunity to be around sports and work with others who also enjoy sports.   

“Having a fun and relaxed but supportive environment that is helping me to improve my media writing skills”, he said.

As an intern, you must manage your time wisely. “It helps me get my week off to a good start when I can look ahead and plan out assignments and use Sunday to get any coursework completed,” he said.

 Saglimben recommends this E360 internship to a student who is looking for one. The interns will work together in the press booth and on the sidelines and Saglimben says, “my supervisor, Chris Elliott is great to work for and the atmosphere is not high pressure.”

Saglimben has this advice for students who need to complete their E360 activities: “partner with one of the professors in your major or your academic advisor to see if they have any suggestions, ideas, or contacts for you. This is how I got my opportunity with DelVal Athletics. My professor recommended I contact the sports information director and apply for an internship in that department because she knew I had an interest in being a sportswriter.”

Furthermore, he also added that you should “take your internship seriously and say ‘yes’ to any assignment you are asked to do so you show yourself to be reliable and committed right away. You can ask questions as you go and learn along the way. Don’t be afraid to make a mistake and look at any mistakes you make as gaining valuable experience.”