Interning at DC United was an incredible experience this summer. Getting to work first hand with the head of the communications, Public Relations and digital departments was what made the experience seem as if I actually worked there. I worked directly in their office and my supervisor, Drew, who is the content strategist of the media, communications and PR departments would bounce ideas off me regularly. I felt very comfortable working with him and the others in the department and could tell that we all had knowledge of the team and league. Because the office was in RFK stadium, I would see players walking in and out after practice, which I found very cool. The whole media department seemed to have a close, tight knit relationship. Everyone was personable and had easy-going personalities, which definitely made the job easier and more relaxing. I also learned a few things from the video intern who showed me a couple of video edits that he was working on for the team. I tried learning from him as much as possible.

I definitely gained a variety of experience from the internship. This variety is evident when comparing game-day vs. non game-days. Working the games was pretty hectic. You can’t really sit back and enjoy the game when assigned to write the game recap. Throughout the game I would be constantly taking notes and paying close attention to certain details. The game recap had to be written in a timely manner after the game is done so throughout the game I would be constructing ideas of how I would be writing it and preparing my lead. I would also run to either the team locker room or press room for post-game player interviews. I would record the player or coach on audio and then transcribe it and send it over to my supervisor. He would then pick out certain quotes he thought would be good to put in the game recap. On the other hand, non-game days would consist of me showing up to the office and pitching ideas and writing a new article. There were many different topics I wrote about throughout the week. After writing it, Drew would review it and then we would finalize it together. I caught onto his writing style after seeing his corrections as well as looking at the other articles that they posted on the website. It was rewarding to see some of my articles posted on their website.

Overall, I did a lot of writing. Every week Drew would have me write an article on anything that we thought was relevant. Initially, he would give me a topic to write on. As the summer progressed, we would talk more about MLS [Major League Soccer] and DC United and I pitched ideas for articles to be posted. This gradually became routine by the end of the internship. He would also bounce ideas off me and asked me what I thought of certain topics or players before posting certain content.

Drew was a great supervisor to work directly with and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to work with him and the rest of the media department staff at D.C. United this summer. I look forward to staying connected with the staff and team after the summer, and will definitely consider a career in an industry like this in the future. I am glad to have gained the experience at D.C. United and look forward to where this experience may take me next.