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When UConn Marketing student, Sarah Lindquist (‘26) started her internship with Learfield and UConn Sports Properties this summer, she wasn’t just gaining experience; she was stepping into the heart of collegiate athletics marketing. Learfield is a sports marketing company that manages sponsorships and multimedia rights for over two hundred universities across the country. UConn Sports Properties is a branch of Learfield that works with UConn Athletics. As a Property Assistant intern, Sarah worked on everything from parter research to contract renewals and data gathering.
In 2021, the NCAA began to allow student-athletes to have NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) deals which has completely changed the sports marketing world, something Sarah experienced firsthand. “My favorite moment this summer was having the opportunity to be involved with an NIL content shoot with one of the student athletes at UConn. It gave me a better understanding of how much the new world of NIL impacts sponsorship deals with partners, as well as the lives of student athletes. Getting to witness and assist in the production of a campaign firsthand was an amazing experience.” Sarah has been working within UConn Athletics as an Athletic Marketing Intern since 2023, where “I have been able to strengthen my network and gain hands-on experience that will help me as I continue down this path in the future,” she shares.
An important lesson Sarah will take with her from her internship “was the importance of attention to detail when working on projects that will be shown to partners,” she explained. “Small details can influence how partners perceive how successful their campaigns were throughout the course of the season."
For students considering a marketing internship but unsure where to begin, Sarah encourages them to be proactive: “My advice to anyone who is looking to apply for marketing internships is to not be afraid to cold email or message people who have the internship you are looking at. In most cases, they will be able to give you insight about the application process or connect you with someone who may be looking for an intern somewhere else!”
Sarah has already begun to carve out a path for herself in sports marketing; she’s not sitting on the bench. With drive and expertise, Sarah is clearly beginning a promising career. She’s making plays and setting herself up for the slam dunk.
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