Cleveland Guardians Retail Operations Internship

By Audrey McCarthy
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In 2024, as a sophomore, I had the opportunity to work as a retail operations intern for the Cleveland Guardians. This exciting opportunity gave me great experience with the sports industry. When I wasn’t working in the gift shop, I was learning from professionals in the Cleveland Guardians organization.  


Speaker Series
During the season, I attended several speaker series in which professionals from different industries within the organization shared their background, what they do for the Guardians and general advice about success. Some of the fields I learned about included marketing, community impact, security, ballpark operations, corporate partnerships, communications, travel and logistics and merchandising. Each of these speakers gave me a unique look into the professional sports world. 


Job Shadowing
In addition to learning about multiple industries, I was also given the opportunity to shadow any speaker in the industry of my choosing. My coworker and I shadowed Austin Controulis, the assistant director of communications, who recommended that I join PRSSA. The first thing I did was observe a Stephen Vogt interview where I sat in the audience with multiple reporters and sportscasters. After this, Austin took me through the clubhouse and onto the field where he shared more about the communications industry as we watched the team warm up. Then, we walked to the media press box seats where we spoke to the Cleveland Guardians’ social media manager. This experience was extremely valuable and gave me helpful insight into what it’s like to manage communications for a professional sports team in a fast-paced environment.


Gift shop 
On game days, I worked as a cashier in the gift shop. 2024 was a very successful year for the Guardians, and sales in the gift shops definitely reflected this. This season brought in some of the most successful days in sales. 

Conclusion
This experience was insightful, intriguing and memorable. It helped me determine that sports communications is definitely something I want to pursue.dit.

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