The Sports Intern · Intern Insights
Nicholas Alexander
Marketing Intern · FOX Sports
Junior at San Diego State University
Major: Business Management Minor: Leadership
- In-person
- 8 weeks
- Paid
- Academic credit earned
Dream job Professional soccer agent
A handwritten letter helped Nicholas land at FOX Sports.
His eight-week marketing internship took him across five departments, with work on World Cup and college football advertising concepts.
How he landed it
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September 2025
Made it personal
Nicholas wrote handwritten letters to several of his favorite companies, explaining how each had inspired him and why he hoped to join its team. His future manager, Meghan, emailed back that month.
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Mid-January 2026
Stayed in touch
They kept in contact throughout the application process. Nicholas interviewed with Meghan in mid-January.
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April 1, 2026
Accepted the offer
He officially accepted a spot in the summer internship program.
What he worked on
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Rotated across five FOX Sports teams: production, integrated media, brand, partnerships and operations.
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Advertising concepts: helped develop ideas for the World Cup and college football.
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Promotional materials: created commercials, merchandise and graphics.
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Meetings and a capstone: participated in internal and external meetings and presented a capstone project.
Key Learnings
People want to help
Asking for advice or a coffee chat can feel intimidating, but most people are happy to share their experiences and help you find your footing. Take the initiative and use those opportunities to learn.
Countless opportunities, including unexpected ones
There are countless opportunities within the sports industry, including many you might not expect. Working alongside hundreds of people, each contributing to FOX Sports’ World Cup coverage, showed him that marketing extends far beyond social media and graphic design.
Kind gestures go a long way
Smiling, offering genuine compliments and going out of your way to help others can strengthen relationships and make people feel valued.
Nicholas’ Tips
01 · Ask questions
Ask questions. Make a habit of asking people how you can help and be of service to them, and regularly seek their feedback. There will be times when you have nothing assigned, but taking the initiative to ask how you can contribute will help you stand out.
02 · Take initiative
Take initiative and do the unexpected. If you hear a manager mention that something needs to get done, look for a way to help make it happen. Go out of your way to lead, even when no one has directly asked you to.
03 · Enjoy it
Don’t forget to have fun. Although an internship is an opportunity to gain professional experience and learn, it should also be something you enjoy. Live in the moment and do not take the experience for granted.
