I have been in Sydney for a little over a month now, and I never want to leave. I am enjoying every minute of my time abroad. It makes me sad to think about the short time I have left in this city, but then I think about how much I have learned and grown from my experiences here and it makes so grateful.
My internship with the Sydney Blue Sox has been a priceless opportunity. I have learned so much not only professional but also about the work culture in Australia. Professional I have grown by learning how to use different databases to track and record baseball memberships. I have also been exposed to the team’s behind the scene business practices and got to see how they best use their resources to market the team and extend brand awareness to improve event attendance and profitability.
Along with the new business knowledge I gained, I increased my cultural competency by working in a foreign workplace. Interning abroad has allowed me to understand that business etiquette varies greatly across the world. For example, in the American workplace there is more structure and there are established hierarchies, whereas in Australia hierarchies are not emphasized. Interns are often found working at the desk beside the boss of the whole company, not secluded in their own corner of the office; everyone in the workplace is treated more as equals, which I really grew to appreciate.
Three days of my workweek are spent interning in the office, while I spend my Tuesday and Thursday learning Sports Marketing in, and sometimes out (when we take fieldtrips), of the classroom. Having the opportunity to take this class in Australia has given me the chance to understand all different types of sports that I would not have learned about in the United States. For example, where the main sports leagues in the States are the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL, the Australian market is dominated by the AFL (Australian Rules Football League), and the NRL (National Rugby League). From this different perspective I not only learned the rules of new sports, but I learned how marketing concepts are applied to these leagues to increase the sports’ popularity across the country.
My favorite part of the class was a field trip to Olympic Park to tour the Sydney Giants’, a relatively new AFL team, facilities to see how the team operates. This experience was truly eye-opening to see how a sports team is more than just that, they are a whole business. We got to see all the different business departments and how they work to build brand equity through not just success on the field but success off the field too.
Looking back on my time in Australia so far, I have realized how much I have grown as a student, employee, and person. I have been awarded opportunities that I will treasure for the rest of my life, and I will make sure to fully enjoy my last week in this beautiful city.