Aaron is a sophomore marketing major from Burleson. He came to ACU interested in pursing a career in sports management or sports marketing. After attending a job fair in Dallas centered around the corporate side of sports, Aaron made connections with the front office of FC Dallas. He accepted the unpaid internship because he was excited about the opportunity and experience and knew it would be a great resume builder. We’ve asked Aaron to share about his summer internship experience with us:
Every experience gained throughout this internship was a vital building block in my understanding of life, business, and personal goals. This thirteen-week experience of trials, setbacks, and successes was a much-needed real world encounter. I came into this internship with expectations of what a professional soccer team would be like, and I was very please with what I found.
Aaron at Cowboy Stadium for an FC Dallas game
The business side is completely different from the game played on the field. These two sides have to work together in order to compete well against other teams and stay profitable and sustainable. FC Dallas has the one of the most consistent organizations in the MLS with numbers to back it up. They’re growing in popularity every year, and are consistently staying competitive. These are great signs for what the future holds for the game here in the United States of America.
When I first interviewed for the Team Administrative & Player Personnel Intern position, I wanted to make it clear that I wanted to learn the business of sports. Wherever they were going to put me, I was going to soak up as much information as possible through this experience. Come to find out when I started I was given just what I was asking for. My position gave me the ability to work and help with the team at practices and games.
FC Dallas at Cowboys Stadium
I also worked in the corporate office dealing with scouting databases, budgets, and logistics for the Team Administration and players to which it gave me the other perspective. Both sides of the puzzle were at my grasp to learn from multiple supervisors that were either directors, managers, or coaches. All of which have amazing stories that helped with me understanding more insights in today’s complex sports niche. I am extremely thankful for the trust that they gave in me with passing sensitive information in order for me to learn.
Time was my only downfall to this experience with which I wanted more time to be a part of this great organization. These thirteen weeks flew by with so many different scenarios that I was able to learn from for future successes. The projects given to me to be responsible for at FC Dallas were great challenges for me to start, but now the projects must be passed to the next intern for furthering them in benefiting the company. There is still much to learn about this sport and how things are done, but I have a feeling it wont be my last time in this related field. I thank God for my opportunity with FC Dallas, and I hope that I made a lasting impression.