6 The Purpose and Power of Mentorship for Sport Industry Interns

In chapter five, we explored the supervisor-intern relationship, emphasizing its significance in the framework for professional growth, skill development, and networking opportunities within the sport industry. Your supervisor can become a critical ally in propelling your sports management career forward, and this can lead to an enhanced and enduring relationship. With that being said, I want to be clear that while your supervisor can be an avid supporter, their primary “focus” is to aid in helping you navigate completing tasks and gaining practical experience during the internship. The nature of the relationship is characterized as a more formal and professional relationship where the supervisor assigns tasks, provides guidance, evaluates performance, and answers questions. A good supervisor also helps with networking. In general, interns learn from the supervisors’ expertise but may not receive personalized career advice or long-term guidance nor should you be asking these questions when there is immediate work to be done. The duration of the relationship is generally over the semester-long academic timeframe of 15 weeks so prove yourself first, build trust, and then test your networking skills.

The purpose of “mentorship” is to engage in a long-term relationship aimed at personal and professional development. The nature of this relationship is informal and supportive. In general, a mentor provides guidance, shares experiences, and helps shape the mentee’s career. The duration of the relationship can extend beyond a specific internship or job situation. Communication tends to cover broader discussion. You will likely have more than one mentor over the course of your career, and often you will have mentors that specialize in one or a few areas such as career goals, networking, work-life balance, personal growth, or leadership. It is unlikely that you will find one mentor that covers all these areas. Each mentor you build a relationship with over your career, will offer personalized advice and invest in an aspect of the mentee’s success. While the supervisor-intern relationship is task-focused, mentorship goes beyond tasks, over nurtures holistic growth.

Identifying a mentor should be a priority during your internship. However, it is something that will develop over time. Be selective in who you ask to be a mentor. It should be someone you admire and respect and someone who demonstrates qualities or skills you believe align your own way of thinking and career aspirations. Is this person someone I can see myself modeling? A mentor is like having a seasoned guide by your side as you navigate the complexities of the sport industry.

Aside from helping open doors to future opportunities, industry contacts, and hiring managers, mentors offer invaluable insights by drawing from their own experiences and by sharing that practical knowledge. This can help interns avoid common pitfalls like those that were highlighted in chapter four. Some mentors hold interns accountable to their goals and objectives, helping them develop leadership skills and achieve personal and professional growth. In addition to providing the intern with networking opportunities, mentors can serve as a source of inspiration and motivation. They also provide a powerful framework for an intern to thrive in both personally and professionally. Mentors provide personalized advice based on the intern’s unique strengths, weaknesses, and career aspirations. They can also connect interns with professional development opportunities such as workshops, conferences, and additional training. Mentors have the ability to act as both powerful role models and advocates for the intern. Their support helps an intern develop confidence, skills, and a professional network to succeed.

I currently serve as a full professor and online master’s degree program coordinator with the University of Cincinnati Sport Administration Program. In this role at both the undergraduate level and graduate level, I have personally mentored hundreds of undergraduate and graduate level students. In many cases, an undergraduate student completed the program and went on to earn a master’s degree at UC.

There was one student in particular that I will call Kenny, who knew right off the bat that he wanted to work in high school athletics and become a director of athletics. Kenny was a stellar student who maintained a 3.9 grade point average. In our meetings, I learned more about Kenny’s goals and aspirations. I then connected Kenny with a local high school so he could learn more about what it would be like to manage athletic events. Based on feedback that I received from the high school director of athletics, Kenny was a very proactive “go-getter” who did his tasks with a smile on his face and was always ready to assist on the next task at hand. When Kenny matriculated to his senior year, I helped facilitate a capstone internship at one of the very best private parochial high schools the greater Cincinnati area. Kenny was thrilled to have this internship and took it seriously. He performed incredibly well and the feedback I received throughout his internship from the school athletic director was always positive.

Kenny graduated with honors and had a choice to make. He could test the proverbial “waters” and seek employment as an assistant director of athletics, or he could consider moving forward with obtaining his master’s degree. As part of my role in the master’s program, If facilitate graduate assistantships which allow students to work and get hands-on experience while having the entirety of their graduate tuition plus a stipend (in lieu of salary) to cover their expenses. Kenny jumped at the opportunity and successfully became the graduate assistant at a small local private high school near the University of Cincinnati campus. Kenny, once again, totally impressed his supervisor with his willingness to roll-up his sleeves and literally stir the nacho-cheese for the concession stand and simultaneously, work on game supervision and other tasks assigned by the director of athletics. It was because of Kenny’s strong work ethic and resilience that when the opportunity for an assistant athletic director came available, Kenny had created the perfect pedigree for himself to become a top competitive candidate.

Not only did Kenny graduate from the master’s program with honors, he also had four years of previous experience ranging from his initial practicum hours starting as a freshman working with a local public high school, to his capstone internship as a senior and his graduate assistantship. Overall, Kenny was ready and confident enough in his abilities to get the position, which he ultimately did. The lesson here is that Kenny invested time in our relationship and shared his goals with me, as you should with a mentor. He had a proactive and relentlessly optimistic approach to his work ethic. He regularly met with me to ask for advice. Most importantly, throughout his education, he completed internships throughout his education where he was able to leverage the supervisor-intern and supervisor-grad assistant relationships into a mentorship and eventually his first full time job. Now Kenny serves as the director of athletics at one of the most prominent high schools in Ohio. Kenny still has mentors he relies on today, and he has become a mentor for others. Overall, Kenny’s journey exemplifies the power of proactive work ethic and mentorship. By actively seeking advice and transforming supervisor relationships into mentorships, he secured a prominent position doing what he wanted exactly where he wanted. His optimism and determination played a crucial role in his success.

Here are some other things you might consider asking a mentor to help with: