Photo courtesy: Kyndall Coleman
There is a lot of hype surrounding collegiate sports. Some people enjoy going to games and some don’t.
Either way, many people have no clue about what goes on behind the scenes, and how the athletic department at Florida A&M University operates.
At the start of spring 2024, FAMU’s athletic department took in new interns in all of its departments. Each department is responsible for different tasks that contribute to athletics as a whole.
Myron Dobson, a first-year business administration student from Columbia, South Carolina, was one of many to embark on an unpaid internship with the athletic department.
“My experience has been excellent. I’ve had the pleasure of working with Darius Dixon as our supervisor. He’s been great at communicating and creating a great relationship with our team of interns,” Dobson said.
Dobson works in the facilities and game day operations department, as well as working with a group of other interns.
“We make sure that all coaches’ needs are being met before games, all systems are functioning properly, and that during the game, the floor is properly swept to ensure the safety of players during the game,” Dobson said.
If given the chance to take a paid internship over this internship, which is unpaid, Dobson said that he would prefer to have this internship.
“I would likely not take it. This is because the experiences that I have on campus are incomparable to what I would receive off campus. This comes in the form of long-term connections with my supervisors and other interns.”
According to formsapp.com, in the US, 60% of internships are paid, and 40% are unpaid.
This means that most students would rather want to have a paid internship in their field of study, rather than do an unpaid internship.
Fayth Kemp, FAMU athletics’ Internship Coordinator and Assistant Marketing Coordinator, shared her perspective on students picking unpaid internships over paid internships.
“I believe that students partake in unpaid internships because they’re getting to serve their school while also gaining experience that can further their careers and passions. The students I work with are intelligent, hard working and diligent, and we get to hone in on those skills while also gaining new ones,” Kemp said.
According to standoutcv.com, only 2% of internships involve sports and athletics. The most internships are offered in the area of financial services, at 19%.
Kemp said FAMU’s athletic department has recruited about 65 interns this semester — all unpaid. With all the interns helping each department, it should be a good semester for FAMU athletics and their interns.