This summer and into the fall, I had an internship with the Columbus Crew in the ticketing department. For those who don’t know, the Columbus Crew is the Major League Soccer team here in Columbus. Throughout my project, I would work all the Columbus Crew matches, as well as other events hosted at Crew owned facilities. Each match day, I would either be in the box office selling tickets, or out at the gates assisting guests with issues. At events, I sold tickets to those interested. Most issues revolved around Ticketmaster. My skills and knowledge allowed for me to easily and efficiently help fix these problems.

This program transformed me in a wide variety of ways. This was my first big experience in the sport industry, so I was intimidated when I started. I was one of the youngest people in the organization, so I felt a little out of place. Throughout my time with the Crew, I became more and more comfortable in myself and in my abilities. My coworkers also began to trust me more, which just added to my confidence. Outside of my professional experience, I realized how much entertainment can unify us. After working countless sporting events and music festivals, I understand why people spend their time and money on them. People from different walks of life can come together for a few hours or a few days to rally around something. Overall, the experience changed my world view because I understood the importance of sport and society better.

The first event that helped shape my experience was my first matchday. The first home match for the Crew was against Atlanta United. As I mentioned previosuly, I was really nervous for this game. Interning for an MLS club is a big deal in my head, so I put a lot of pressure on myself. I came in early for a sort of “training”, where I got a tour and learned how everything operated. I got to meet most of my co workers, who ranged in age and experince. They immediately welcomed me in, and reassured me that everything would go smoothly. That was great to hear, especially at an organization like the Columbus Crew. They have a long history of setting the highest standards in the MLS, which is what initally drew me to apply. Once everything started and I got to helping people, I came to realize I had nothing to worry about. Everything went great, and everyone was super supportive. That confidence carried through the entire season where I realized there was no problem I couldn’t solve.

The second event that helped my experience was the Sonic Temple music festival. Sonic Temple is one of the largest heavy metal festivals in the world, and it happens to be held in Columbus.  Since it is held at the Historic Crew Stadium, it is our responsibility to man the box office. Over the three days I was at the festival, I talked to a lot of different people from drastically different backgrounds. I got to ineract with people from Canada, Brazil, England, and Ohio. With the mass influx of people, many problems occured. Whenever things didn’t go the customers way, they would get upset and yell at us. We just had to sit and keep our cool and try and diffuse the situations. That experience taught me a lot about patience. That will be greatly beneficial for my future because things dont always go smoothly, and I will have to handle conflict. However, the experience was not all bad. I realized how music can cross borders and people can come together to support something. We are typically divided as a people right now, but it was great to see all these people come together to support something together. That showed to me how beneficial music is for society. A bunch of people who wouldn’t have met were able to meet.

Thirdly, all the people I met transformed me throughout the exprience. The two relationships I want to focus on are with my two bosses, Matt and Robbie. They both were interviewing me during the hiring process, and had enough belief in me to bring me on their team. They are both great resources that I can use in the future potentially. Even though Robbie left earlier in the year, my relationship with him is not over. If I am looking for a job where he is at, he can vouch for me based on what I did this summer. Overall, the people I have met can help me in the future of the sport industry.

This summer was beneficial beacuse it helps me in the future of the sport industry. Even though my end goal is not box office related, this was a great experience. There is no such thing as bad experince, becasue you never know when things will come in handy. The relationships I garnered this summer and the quality of work can come back to help me get a job in the future. My bosses can put in a good word for me down the line, because I did a good job. Overall, I am very thankful for this opportunity throughout the year and am very glad I did it.