Background
- Name, Sport: Analisa Raffaelli '28, Softball
- Major, Minor: Sociology major, Education minor
- Company Name: VaynerSports
- Job/Intern Title: Sports Marketing Intern
- Location: New York, N.Y. (Remote Internship)
Experience
How did you find out about this internship, and what made you apply?
- Last summer, my assistant coach, Matt, connected me with a close friend of his who is a sports agent in Chicago. I shadowed him for a day to get a feel for the industry, and he ultimately put me in touch with someone in the sports marketing department at VaynerSports. After a great initial phone call, I became extremely interested in the field. I stayed in contact with the team throughout last semester, setting up calls to meet more members and learn about their work. I chose to apply because Vayner is so hands-on with their athletes; as a current student-athlete, I knew this would be the perfect environment for me to learn.
What does your company do, and what are your main responsibilities?
- VaynerSports is a full-service sports agency representing talent across the NFL, NBA, MLB, and several other verticals. My internship focuses specifically on the football vertical, which represents over 150 clients across the NFL and college landscape. While the agency assists with contract negotiations and NIL collective deals, my day-to-day focus is on marketing. My responsibilities include creative development – helping generate ideas that showcase who our clients are off the field – and brand outreach. Once a brand target is identified, I help initiate contact by sourcing the right decision-makers, crafting compelling outreach, and kick-starting the conversation. Ultimately, the most important part of my internship is being a 'sponge': staying curious, asking questions, and absorbing everything I can.
Walk us through a typical day on the job. What does a “win” look like for you in this role?
- A typical day starts by identifying a key DMA (Designated Market Area) based on client priorities, such as strong on-field performance, positive media coverage, or rising relevance. From there, we research brands within that market that align with the athlete’s personal brand and have a history of sports marketing partnerships. After building a targeted list, we source contacts, craft tailored outreach, and track responses. This process is ongoing, requiring continuous research into our athletes' backgrounds, interests, and unique stories to uncover new creative angles. For me, a 'win' can mean securing an initial conversation with a brand, receiving a definitive response that moves the process forward, or discovering an entirely new outreach category. Ultimately, in this role, both creativity and persistence are wins.
Student-Athlete Connection
What skills from your sport have been most useful in the workplace?
- I would say that time management has played a serious role in this experience. Being able to balance my work and training during the summer has been crucial.
How are you managing your summer training/workout schedule while working your internship hours?
- Being able to manage work and training has been going very well. I tend to set myself up for success by waking up early to make sure I get ahead on my work for the day, then I’ll go to the gym to get my workout in, then head to the field to hit and get some defense work in.
How has your coursework here prepared you for the challenges of this internship?
- My coursework has put me ahead in this internship because I automatically use critical thinking skills along with managing my workload. Colgate being such a rigorous school has taught me to dig deeper into information and understand the “why?” behind what I’m looking into. Instead of blowing through my work to just get it done, Colgate has taught me to go beyond that and make sure I am putting my max effort into my work.
Reflections and Looking Ahead
What has been the most exciting project or favorite memory of your internship so far?
- If I'm being honest, my most exciting "project" has been less of a moment and more of an ongoing experience. Getting a behind-the-scenes look at how the sales and partnerships process actually works at a high level!
How has this experience shaped your career goals?
- This experience has helped shape my career goals because I have always known that I wanted to work with athletes beyond my college experience. This has now opened the door for me to do so.
What advice would you give to your teammates who are starting to look for internships?
- I would say to be comfortable reaching out to the Colgate community and learning about different work experiences even if you think it’s not something that you would do. There are so many opportunities that Colgate presents and it is extremely important to take advantage of them. I would also recommend getting comfortable with networking and getting your name process, start that as early as possible because it will pay off later on!
