COM Grad Student: Learning Media Relations at the Super Bowl
Christy Berkery (COM’08), an intern with the New England Patriots, went to Super Bowl XLII
Christy Berkery (COM’08) was one of thousands of disappointed Bostonians at Super Bowl XLII as she watched the New York Giants triumph over the undefeated New England Patriots in Arizona. But unlike most other travelers from New England, Berkery wasn’t there to watch football — she was there to work for her team, as an intern in the Patriots’ media relations department
“I was really lucky to get to go,” she says. “It’s the type of stuff you can’t really learn in the classroom, seeing the media day and the way the media interact with the players.”
Berkery began her internship with the Patriots last August. She had set up an informational interview with the team’s director of media relations in the spring of her junior year, learned more about the business, and kept in touch after the meeting was over. She was later offered a position for the 2007-2008 season.
As an intern, Berkery had a variety of assignments, including managing the photo database and sorting through game photos each week, transcribing press conferences, interacting with the media, and answering phone calls from fans — and critics — with questions or comments for the team. The schedule was demanding and included 14-hour days on the day of a game. But Berkery loved the job, and she hopes to stay in media relations after she graduates with a master’s degree in public relations. “I definitely want to stay with a sports team,” she says, “and stay in the NFL.”
Rebecca McNamara can be reached at ramc@bu.edu.
Comments & Discussion
Boston University moderates comments to facilitate an informed, substantive, civil conversation. Abusive, profane, self-promotional, misleading, incoherent or off-topic comments will be rejected. Moderators are staffed during regular business hours (EST) and can only accept comments written in English. Statistics or facts must include a citation or a link to the citation.