Trevor Adams, junior business administration major, interned with the professional basketball team The Hornets from September 2015 to December 2015.
While he was away, Adams completed 14 credit hours, which consisted of independent study and internship hours.
The Hornets, located in Charlotte, N.C., are an American professional basketball team in the Southeast division. The team was founded in 1988 and was originally owned by George Shinn. Their current owner is Michael Jordan, and the current head coach is Steve Clifford. The franchise originally began as an expansion team.
Adams discovered the internship by connecting with individuals on LinkedIn that worked for the Hornets’ sales department. They posted job opportunities on teamworkonline.com, and Adams applied for the group sales internship.
“I wanted to be a part of the Hornets because of their rebrand. So, a couple years ago they were the Bobcats, and they were one of the worst teams in the league, and they bought back the Hornets name, and they rebranded and I wanted to be a part of that,” said Adams.
Adams worked as a group sales intern. He helped the Hornet’s sales department find schools, companies and other groups that were looking to hold events. Adams would collect contact information and work with these groups to organize various outings, such as holiday parties or discounted games.
“I got to work 15 of the games, and just seeing people and the reps I’ve worked with for months get to actually come out to the game and enjoy themselves, it’s just a fun experience,” said Adams.
Adams found true value in seeing his work affect people in a positive way.
“Just seeing that process come to light, and see it take shape and really develop is just really the most fun thing,” said Adams.
The most valuable part of the internship for Adams, other than being able to attend 15 professional basketball games, was the networking opportunity. This internship was a way for Adams to get his foot in the door of the sports industry, and make the connections he would need to build a career out of it.
Adams also found that the hands-on learning involved in the internship was helpful and guided him to what he truly loved about the business. He thought that it was even more beneficial, because he got to experience it before graduating.
“You don’t sit in a classroom… you actually go out and experience it,” said Adams.
Adams used a scholarship he received in high school to pay for this internship. He currently has the opportunity to do an insurance internship, but he’s leaning towards trying to get another job working for a sports team, for which he hopes to use his Journey Grant.
The scholarship paid for the cost of an extended stay hotel suite, which is where Adams lived during his internship.
“I’ve already worked in professional baseball; I’ve already worked in professional basketball; I’ll try to do football,” said Adams.
Adams enjoyed living on his own but missed Jewell during his time away.
“I missed a lot of events, like Homecoming, that I hold dear to my heart, but I was welcomed back to Jewell with open arms,” said Adams.