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Quarter Times Article
Walking into Tennis Victoria on the first day of my internship, I knew I had what it took to contribute to the organisation during the six-week period across June and July I planned to be there.
The variety of skills I learnt during my time as a student meant I was prepared for any task or challenge that came my way and was something I was able to do confidentially.
At the time of writing this reflection, in November, I am still there and still loving it.
My internship experience with Tennis Victoria as an organisation was faultless on their behalf and made the decision to accept a full-time job there much easier.
It also reaffirmed the decision to choose Tennis Victoria as my internship host after being awarded seven internship places after the internship interviewing process.
While tennis is not necessarily a passion of mine, once meeting the internship host I knew that I would like the people there and more importantly the culture. Luckily for me, I was right.
I was instantly warmly accepted into the organisation, participating in staff meetings and activities from the get-go and this made my transition into the workplace much easier than anticipated.
They treated me as one of their own and not as a university student just looking to rack up hours to pass a class.
This meant that I was able to complete my work with ease, collaborating with a number of staff on different projects including creating video and social media content and helping organise events and planning ahead for upcoming tournaments and competitions.
I was constantly receiving feedback on how good my work was, which is something I can attribute to the calibre of classes I completed during the Sports Media course. Receiving a job on the final day proves that the knowledge and skills we are taught are at an industry standard and I know if any of our students were to do an internship at Tennis Victoria, they probably would have been given a job too.
Completing this course has been the best choice I have ever made and I look forward to hopefully forging a successful career in the sports industry on the back of graduating.
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Student showcase and overall reflections on the internship and your studies
My last glass of water ever at Holmesglen!
WOW! To think just like that two and a half years have come and gone so quickly, and my university days are over (unless I decide to study further – watch this space.)
I have mixed feelings upon finishing, from being proud of everything I have achieved in the time to being grateful that I have a full-time job to go back to on Monday.
While I was able to achieve the overarching goal of university, finishing a degree to get a job, I don’t entirely feel that this was my greatest achievement / take-away from the course.
I could talk all day about my successes during the course such as averaging near a HD across my studies, but at the end of the day, this doesn’t mean as much as the friendships I will take away from it. I am so thankful that I have been able to make a handful of lifelong friends who are similar to me and who share the same passions. I do not have one continuing friendship that I made in high school, whereas I know that with completing this course, I have at least four close friends who certainly make my life better.
I am also extremely grateful that I have two amazing mentors who are deeply engrained in the sporting industry in Robbie and Sam. None of us would be the people we are today or as successful as we all hopefully will be without their guidance and advice. I know I will certainly be looking to them as my career progresses and look forward to hopefully even teaching them something one day.
In terms of a reflection on the Student Showcase and my internship, to steal my own word, it was ‘excellent’.
The pride I had in completing my internship had worn off by this stage, so I was able to take the time to be proud of my classmates and see how well they went in their presentations and internships. In saying this, I was obviously stoked to finally tick off the final presentation and share my internship with my peers.
First time using a clicker, last time completing a presentation at Holmesglen
It was also really nice to be in the room with everyone for one final time given I was unable to do this during the semester due to work commitments. I know I copped a lot of flak for not attending any classes, but little does everyone know that it actually upset me most weeks that I couldn’t be there, bantering and enjoying everyone’s company. I struggled adjusting to having to be a complete adult and working and just wanting to have less responsibility and enjoy class. Unfortunately, sometimes we can’t always do what we necessarily would like to and must make big decisions and this certainly was one of those.
And of course, I provided quality laughs from the #twittertakeover and even received word that it was my greatest accomplishment of my time during the course – I couldn’t deny this.
(Please see below for some of my personal highlights from the @hgsportsdegrees #twittertakeover
As much as it saddens me that this phase of my life has drawn to an end, it certainly excites me to enter a new phase of my life and see where my professional career takes me.
#twittertakeover highlights
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Supervisor evaluation and future career professional development requirements
Overall my internship was extremely successful which was reflected upon my final evaluation completed by my one supervisor, Gab.
Working through the evaluation, it is hard to pin-point areas that need improvement, particularly given I was graded ‘excellent’ on all criteria available as shown below:
The criteria I was most pleased to see graded ‘excellent’ includes:
Leadership
Assimilation into organisation / culture
Teamwork
Attitude
This is because it is a reflection on me as a person, which is extremely important, as opposed to my abilities. This also means a lot as I pride myself on being able to relate to and work with a range of people and this was recognised.
In terms of the goals set out in my internship by myself and Gab, I was able to achieve all work that was set, as well as future work that is still being used now in November.
As mentioned previously in my portfolio, given my internship was full-time basis, I was able to develop more administrative skills as opposed to technical skills. This included being able to manage an email inbox and prioritise and action tasks to ensure they were completed by deadlines.
I am very grateful that I was able to learn this as it is more challenging than some people may think and can be quite daunting when walking into a full-time role.
In terms of my major strengths, the feedback of being able to ‘read the play’ is quite ironic given it is probably my greatest sporting asset too. I was proud to be able to show initiative when completing tasks as well as being able to suggest different ways of doing things and provide objective opinions on how tasks could be carried out in appropriate ways.
In terms of my future career professional development requirements, as noted by Gab, I still need to adapt to full-time work and all the challenges that comes with it. Like all businesses, peak periods can ebb and flow and thus will constantly need to be on my toes to ensure I can keep up with demands and different time pressures.
I look forward to implementing my strengths into the future, while also improving my weaknesses, and hope to one day move into a management position. I feel I am naturally a gifted leader and look forward to the opportunity to be able to lead a group of people, large or small, and help them develop themselves.
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Career aspirations
My career aspirations have constantly changed from since I was a young girl to now.
When I was younger, I wanted to be a chiropractor or a lawyer but changed as I progressed through high school and my love of sport intensified.
In year 12, my first university preference was to study a double degree – Bachelor of Sports Science / Sports Management at Victoria University. Upon receiving my ATAR, this quickly changed once I realised I could get into the University of Melbourne. I opted to change my preference to study a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Media and Communications, which was approved and so I was on my way.
However, after moving to Melbourne and hating the course, I was fortunate a young lady by the name of Chloe Molloy walked into my life. We got talking and all she could talk about was the course she was studying at Holmesglen, an institution I had never heard of. Once talking to her, I knew I wanted to study it and just had to convince my parents.
Even at this point I did not know exactly what I wanted to do, but just knew I wanted to work in the sports industry and to use my brain.
Upon undertaking the course, my natural flare for design and creating content came to light and was eventually something I could see myself doing, especially after plenty of practice and assessments.
In terms of our course guiding my aspirations, I knew very early on that I did not take to journalism and that I loved social media, marketing, sponsorship and PR.
While I still don’t know what my dream job is, I am fortunate that part of my aspirations at the time came to fruition a lot earlier than most, landing a role in this space while still studying.
I am currently enjoying my role at Tennis Victoria, however, will eventually want to expand the role whether it be there or not. I still hope to one day work in sponsorship or PR or even work as a manager.
I feel that I have the skills and capabilities to one day lead a team, it is just a matter of waiting and learning as much as I can to do so.
N.B I did not complete any job applications given I was offered one upon completion of my internship.
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Achievements & milestones both technically and professionally
Throughout my time with Tennis Victoria I hit a number of milestones and achievements technically, but more so professionally.
Given the number of internships I was offered, I was confident that my work was up to standard and went in wanting to learn, but also wanting to prove myself.
Working in tennis, a sport I was unfamiliar with, was daunting at the start but was something I did not need to worry about. I was able to adapt quickly and at the end of the day, the sports industry is similar regardless of which sport it is specifically.
A number of simple, yet meaningful milestones I hit early on were:
Completing my first day of 9 – 5 work
Having a work email and more importantly an email signature
Needing a swipe card to enter the building / office
Having my first staff meeting two days in
Creating my first post for social media
Although these seem insignificant, they certainly went a long way in making me feel confident within a full-time workspace and quickly learn that my skills could potentially be good enough to firstly, work in a professional environment, and secondly, to maybe even one day get paid to do it.
I was able to tick-off a number of achievements including:
Doing socials at my first live event
Helping organise events
Creating regular content across socials and website
Calling contacts for quotes and stories
Learning how to create Wufoo forms (a form management system) and downloading completed entries
A TV cameo standing next to Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tilley
A still from ABC News which I featured in
I ensured that I was willing to give everything a go and would also offer my help to other departments if needed.
I did not really know during my internship, but after completing it, Gab (internship host) told me that a number of other staff members had given her ample amounts of feedback on me, including how good some pieces of my work was and telling her to keep me around. Those words are something that I am very proud of and is an achievement within itself. To me, I knew that my work was up to industry standard, it was more whether I would fit into the organisation. And thankfully I did.
While I was able achieve a number of things, my greatest achievement would definitely have been being offered a job on the last day of my internship.
While the sniff of a job upon completion was there from the beginning and was a factor when deciding which internship to take, I knew that I still had to make an impact within the workplace to ensure that I did get the role.
While I did not necessarily learn heaps of new things during my internship, I was able to refine my skills and enhance them further with advice from other colleagues. I was also able to pass on some advice to other colleagues and teach them a number of things such as how to extend displays across two computer screens. (Not relevant, but still greatly appreciated that a ‘young person’ could teach them such a thing).
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Challenges
An internship is a form of hands-on learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in a classroom which is then implemented in a professional workplace (Hora, Wolfgram & Thompson 2017). While the notion of an internship seems straightforward, it obviously does not come without its challenges.
According to Loretto (2019), interns often face common problems such as becoming overwhelmed, being given the grunt work and not being compensated. I am fortunate that I had an extremely positive experience at Tennis Victoria, however like most interns, I faced a number of challenges along the way.
The biggest challenge for me was adapting to full-time work. I went from being a university student with, going two and a half days a week, and not much else to fill the rest of the time. Once I started my internship, I was required to be at work at 9am and leave at 5pm, five days a week. This was quite a drastic change and a massive shock the system. To combat this, I was going to sleep at around 8pm each night, sometimes even earlier. While this necessarily was not a problem, it certainly highlights that I was not used to such intensive work and thus needed a lot more sleep than usual.
I felt like a baby again needing so much sleep
In terms of challenges I faced on the job, I would like to think I was fairly well protected in a sense by Gab (internship host) and Sean (other member of the marketing team). This means that they did not give me tasks which left me out of my depth but also gave me the opportunity to do whatever tasks I wanted if I felt comfortable. If I was unsure how to do something, Sean was always willing to help out and explain all I needed to know.
Work-wise I felt mostly confident with initially tended to struggle with the day-to-day management of being a full-time employee. This included having to manage my emails and prioritise tasks from there, while also managing tasks on ‘Cirkus’ (task management software). It was also good to learn how to filter emails i.e. knowing which ones to respond to and which ones not to take notice of. Fortunately at no stage did I feel too overwhelmed by any of it, but it certainly was different to what I was used to.
People really love sending emails...
Other challenges included not really understanding the sport of tennis (something I quickly got to know), not knowing where to save documents on the server (I had never seen so many folders in my life), and needing to find something to take for lunch everyday (lucky I am Italian and always have leftovers!). I also initially struggled to learn names which made it difficult but found it easy given I was seeing everyone day in day out.
In terms of the tasks I was given, I am naturally quite a motivated person, so no task was too hard for me, even if it was laminating for example. Additionally, there was no way I would complain if I was given the grunt tasks because I believe as an intern, or any staff member, there is always going to be the administrative tasks that you don’t want to do but they need to be done. In fact, I found laminating quite soothing as it meant I didn’t have to look at my computer screen all day.
As I mentioned, I had quite a good internship experience, so much so that I was given a job, which means that I was clearly able to manage all challenges that come my way and excel beyond them.
I have no complaints or qualms from my internship, and I hope the others in my course were able to have successful experiences like I did. I would do an internship there again in a heartbeat.
Loretto, P 2019, ‘The Common Challenges New Interns Face’, The Balance Careers, September 18, viewed 26 October 2019, https://www.thebalancecareers.com/common-challenges-new-interns-face-1986624
Hora, M Wolfgram, M & Thompson, S 2017, ‘What do we know about the impact of internships on student outcomes’, Center For Research On College-Workforce Transitions, viewed 26 October 2019, http://ccwt.wceruw.org/documents/CCWT-report-Designing-Internship-Programs.pdf
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Being an effective team member, contributor, building confidence & being efficient
Teamwork is vitally important in any organisation, and Tennis Victoria was no different.
This image illustrates that no two people are ever the same and the people you come across in one organisation alone will all be different. Being able to adjust and adapt to others is important and something I feel I am able to do. Given I was going to be there full-time for six-weeks meant that I had to immerse myself in the organisation both professionally and socially. I was quickly able to learn names of all the staff, but more importantly was able to learn their role and how that would potentially impact me.
I found that connecting with people irrespective of work meant that I was then able to easily engage when talking about work related topics. This allowed me to build the confidence needed to contribute effectively and work as efficiently as possible. It also meant that at times I would get distracted along with everyone else. However it also strengthened the relationships, which allowed people to trust me and vice versa.
Teamwork amongst employees is important and often increases the level of productivity and performance (Sanyal & Hisam 2018). The ability to share feedback and experiences and create an efficient workplace between team members is a result of a strong culture and willingness to work as a team (Sanyal & Hisam 2018). Tennis Victoria certainly fosters this type of environment and have done a lot of work previously to get it to this stage. I was able to instantly notice it once walking through the door.
Once I felt safe I was able to throw my ideas forth in meetings and begin being an effective team member. It was probably expected by most that I would assimilate into the workplace easily and not be scared to put my ideas forth given my extroverted nature. While this was mostly the case, it did not mean it was entirely true.
I always seem to be extremely confident and comfortable in regular situations, I found moving to full-time work enhanced my anxiety significantly, constantly worrying that I didn’t belong or that my work actually wasn’t that good. Even though I struggled, it thankfully did not impact on my work as such or my output.
I guess this highlights the need to be in such a supportive workplace. I found out very quickly that anyone in the office would do anything to help one another, which is always promising to walk into each day.
I have a long way to go in managing this and it is probably something that will probably continue with me throughout my professional career. In saying this, as mentioned, it is generally something I deal with internally and is not something that affects my output.
I was certainly thankful that I was supported so well during the six-week block as learning to be a full-time staff member can be more difficult than people think.
Sanyal, S & Hisam, M 2018, ‘The Impact of Teamwork on Work Performance of Employees: A Study of Faculty Members in Dhofar University’, IOSR Journal of Business and Management, vol. 20, iss. 3, pp. 15-22, http://www.iosrjournals.org/iosr-jbm/papers/Vol20-issue3/Version-1/C2003011522.pdf
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Finding my feet + first 40 hours
Given I was completing a six-week intensive internship, I was forced to find my feet quite quickly and that I did.
The initial tasks I was given was as though I was truly a full-time staff member where I was able to see projects through from the beginning to the end.
When I first arrived a desk was ready for me, with a laptop set-up with my credentials, a notepad with the Tennis Victoria logo on it, a pile of sticky notes and three pens. A blue one, a red one and a black one of course. This instantly made me feel welcome and in that moment I knew I had made the right choice of internship.
On my first day, my emails were already chockers and I had three meetings on that day alone. First the induction to the organisation which also meant introductions. Turns out I’m not good at learning 40+ names in one day. We then had another small meeting with another team which I had no idea about given I was so new. I was then lucky enough to participate in a Cultural Walk around the MCG, learning about indigenous heritage and the cultural significance of the land the MCG occupies.
The day quickly soured after a one hour phone call to IT after trying to get the Adobe Suite on my laptop. This didn’t phase me though, as it felt like a common issue that a regular staff member would deal with. Again, this made me weirdly feel like I belonged.
The second day was just as eventful, with a two-hour staff meeting taking up the morning. At the staff meetings, new staff – including interns – are required to stand up in front of the group and do a ‘Tell us in Two’. This means sharing as much about yourself as you can in two minutes. This was quite daunting initially, however I realised it made it easier as people then knew me and found parts to relate to.
After lunch I was able to sit down and start completing tasks. Two events, a Victorian Tennis Community Forum and a Top 50 Clubs President’s Lunch, were pressing and thus were the first things I created content for.
Gab, my internship host, was conscious of using me to prepare as much as possible for the year ahead. Back in June, this meant focusing on not only the six-week block I was there, but doing as much as I could for future events post-internship when I finished.
Weekend work quickly started, working the first Sunday possible. At the event I was able to enjoy a lovely lunch, while also needing to make a video. The video required me to interview three people, our CEO, Ruth Holdaway MBE (who started on the same day as me), the Tennis Victoria President, Dr Emma Sherry, and Matt Dwyer, Chief of Tennis at Tennis Australia. My first video and I was already interviewing three very important people within the organisation.
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2019 Top 50 Club President’s Lunch - the first video I made for Tennis Victoria
By the time the lunch was over, my 40 hours were nearly complete given I was working full-time. I believe this was vitally important in my success during my time of interning and made the transition much easier than working one or two days here and there for example.
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How Digital Media Platforms Have Challenged Traditional Business Models
Digitisation has affected all aspects of our lives, from the way we work to the way we consume our favourite products (Haanaes 2016). The integration of new digital and social media platforms has changed business models as they once were (Santomier 2008). The digital transformations have reinvented how businesses operate and naturally evolve (Shimp 2017). While there are many business models typically used, these models are now everchanging (Haanaes 2016). Business leaders are readily needing to understand how digital platforms enable their business models, rather than hinder (Haanaes 2016).
For the sporting industry, digital media has changed the way in which sport is produced, marketed, delivered and consumed (Santomier 2008). Cricket is one example of a traditional business model that has changed drastically with the rise of digital media platforms. Moving away from test cricket and one day internationals, Twenty20 cricket was developed for the new-aged consumer who ultimately relies upon digital platforms. Not only do people have shorter attention spans, but fans are increasingly wanting to stream sports on their mobile devices rather than sit down in front of the television (Nielson 2017). The shortened format has enabled the attraction of new fans due to the way it is delivered.
youtube
What is the Big Bash League (cricket.com.au 2015)
The Twenty20 format has also led to an increase in franchise cricket, seen in India (IPL) and in Australia (BBL) as two examples. These leagues are purely to entertain both at the stadium and on television / stream. Players are now wearing helmet cameras and microphones on the field when playing to add to the entertainment value that the product is searching for. Without the prominence of digital media platforms and the need to create engaging products for them, it is hard to believe that Twenty20 cricket would be as popular as it is today.
With streaming services becoming more popular than traditional mediums like television to consume sport, advertisers are increasingly moving to these platforms to market (Shah 2019). While this is mostly benefitting brands seeking eyeballs on their product, it can also be detrimental due to the type of market segments the streaming services attract (Shah 2019). However, this is often accounted for through research and analytics whereby brands are able to quickly find suitable platforms to advertise one. Additionally, media and advertising saturation is one issue that must be managed for brands who want to maximise their exposure and not have it diluted.
While many believe that because traditional sources of income are drying up, the fact that simplified production and distribution of content nullifies this issue (Picard 2011). In itself, the digitisation of platforms has not produced new ways of communicating for example, rather has provided a new way of distribution (Picard 2011). This has allowed for businesses to essentially cut costs by going digital rather than changing the way the business has been managed.
References
cricket.com.au 2015, ‘Big Bash Basics’, YouTube, 16 December, viewed 12 October 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwRrJExmUx0
Nielson 2017, Connecting people with sport: 11.2 million australians go online for sports content, viewed 25 September 2019, https://www.nielsen.com/au/en/insights/article/2017/connecting-people-with-sport/
Picard, R 2011, ‘Digitization and Media Business Models’, Open Society Media Program, viewed 12 October 2019, http://www.robertpicard.net/files/OSF-Media-Report-Handbook_Digitization_and_Media_Business_Models-final-07-18-2011-WEB.pdf
Santomier, J 2008, ‘New media, branding and global sports sponsorship’, International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, vol. 10, pp. 15-28, viewed 25 September 2019, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283439924_New_media_branding_and_global_sports_sponsorship
Shah, A 2019, ‘Exploring Cricket Advertising- The Programmic Way’, Entrepreneur India, 12 April, viewed 12 October 2019, https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/332131
Shimp, G 2017, ‘How Digital Transformation is Rewriting Business Models’, Digitalist Magazine, 19 April, viewed 12 October 2019, https://www.digitalistmag.com/digital-economy/2017/04/19/digital-transformation-rewriting-business-models-05042457
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Monetising Digital Media: Podcasts, Videos, Blogs and Websites
Dramatic increases in the reliance on digital media has not only benefitted the consumers and their experiences but has hugely benefitted those creating the content. The creation of new and compelling interactive mediums is now regularly monetised through an array of schemes and ways (De Rosa & Burgess 2014).
Increasingly, organisations, and people, are able to create revenues through the extracting value from intellectual property that is published online (De Rosa & Burgess 2014). According to De Rosa & Burgess (2014), the ability to monetise content falls into three categories (Figure 4.1);
To ensure monetised content is effective, organisations typically appeal to researched segments of their consumer markets. Organisations must also identify the best model to encourage consumers to pay (De Rosa & Burgess 2014), whether it be by applying a ‘Freemium’ approach where users can sign up for free, but then must pay for additional features.
In the digitalised world, the opportunity for content monetisation has never been greater (Andersen 2017). New content publishers have surfaced in droves, ranging from food bloggers to fitness instructors (Andersen 2017), posting across a number of platforms including podcasts, video series, blogs and websites. As such, where there is a captivated audience, there is content waiting to be monetised (Andersen 2017).
As shown in the graph below (Krasniak 2017), advertising through their platform is the most popular way for content creators to make their money.
While selling their product follows closely, advertisers have been quick to make their move of marketing their product via the new platforms in blogs and podcasts for example. Blogs and podcasts typically attract a niche audience which often aligns with other brands target markets, thus creating the perfect platform to advertise through (Andersen 2017).
Hundreds if not thousands of people are now earning money through partnering with brands and providing monetised content. This has opened up a new aged role, with some even considering it a job, of being an ‘influencer’ (Andersen 2017). Influencers can be people who are already famous and naturally people want to listen to such as Lebron James or Ellyse Perry, or influencers can be people who make a name for themselves through social media alone such as Kayla Itsines who runs a fitness blog entirely online and profits greatly. With nearly 12 million Instagram followers, reports stated that she earnt over $17 million in 2017 from her fitness app alone and can earn up to $150,000 per Instagram post (Truman 2018).
The app Kayla Itsines has profited greatly from
While this is a great benefit to those who earn a living from doing so, the number of influencers only adds to the saturation of advertising and content each person is exposed to each day. While this is not necessarily detrimental, it is something that competing brands are aware of and must work to avoid potential issues.
References
Andersen, L 2017, ‘Content Monetization: How it Works and Mistakes to Avoid’, Shopify Partners, 14 November, viewed 12 October 2019, https://www.shopify.com.au/partners/blog/content-monetization
De Rosa, M & Burgess, M 2014, ‘Monetizing Digital Media, Ontario Media Development Corporation, viewed 12 October 2019,http://www.ontariocreates.ca/Assets/Research/Research+Reports/Monetizing+Digital+Assets/Monetization-report+Digital+Assets.pdf
Krasniak, M 2017, ‘How Bloggers Monetize: New Research’, Social Media Examiner, 12 October, viewed 12 October 2019, https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/how-bloggers-monetize-new-research/
Truman, I 2018, ‘You’ll never believe how much Kayla Itsines is worth’, Marie Claire, 25 October, viewed 12 October 2019, https://www.marieclaire.com.au/kayla-itsines-net-worth
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Digital Media and The Amplification of Global Sport
The drastic evolution of the media landscape has made it easier for sports fans to consume any content warranted. The world as we know it today is populated by digital media products which enable and enhance consumer experiences (Centre for Digital Media 2019). Many industries, including the sports industry, now heavily rely upon the digital world to ensure their product is as effective as possible.
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Social media and how its changing sports (USA Today Sports 2016)
Social and digital media is now the key connection between clubs and its fans (Fenton 2018). The hyper-digitalised era has led to an increased need of content available to fans at all times, even during games they are watching. While each club is different in terms of their fanbase and fanbase needs, the clubs are increasingly creating more and more content as each year progresses (Fenton 2018). A strong digital and social media presence is now almost the deal-breaker in whether fans will continue to support the club.
The emergence of new media has inadvertently made the world smaller as it provides the capability to communicate with consumers worldwide and has led to increased accessibility for fans (Santomier 2008). Sporting organisations and clubs have been able to capitalise on the growing desires of sport fans, maximising on customer attraction and retention, as well as potential profit (Centre for Digital Media 2019). According to a Nielson (2017) study, Australians spend twice as much time watching sport on their phones compared to desktop computers. This highlights the need for consumers to be able to conveniently watch and stream sports, and thus the need for sporting leagues to provide this.
The NBA is one sports league that has used the opportunity to capitalise on international fans, providing a League Pass to its fans. The League Pass is able to be customised dependent on the consumer, with a range of viewing options to cater for all (Collins 2019). According to Uluc (2019), Australians are the biggest subscribers to League Pass outside of the American and Chinese market. The interest in basketball has increased rapidly across the past couple of years throughout Australia, coinciding with the rise of the NBL. Not only are Australians watching American basketball, but the roles were recently reversed when over one million Americans tuned in to Facebook to watch an NBL game featuring US teenager, Lamello Ball (Ward 2019).
Example of League Pass viewing options
While sport is now easier than ever to access, this has created a number of challenges for local, and often smaller sporting leagues. Australian leagues such as the A-League struggle to compete with rival codes within the bounds of the country, let alone with the sports being played globally. Unable to capture the hearts of Australians, the potential fans are turning to overseas products including the NBA and the EPL which seemingly provide ultimate viewing experiences compared to the likes of the national soccer league. This means the A-League has continued to struggle with broadcasting rights and the attraction of global players due to the sheer lack of interest.
While it is unfortunate many leagues have been unable to capitalise on the rise of digital media, overwhelmingly the changes have had a positive impact on the sports market. Sports which once were not thriving now are, and clubs are able to capture the hearts of not only local fans, but international fans too. This generates worldwide interest in the sporting code, particularly important in organisations driven by profits.
References
Centre for Digital Media 2019, What Is Digital Media?, viewed 25 September 2019,
https://thecdm.ca/program/digital-media
Collins, T 2019, ‘We Got a Preview of What SNA’s League Pass May Look Like Next Season’, Fortune, viewed 8 October 2019
https://fortune.com/2019/06/10/we-got-a-preview-of-what-nbas-league-pass-may-look-like-next-season/
Fenton, A 2018, ‘In a hyperdigitalised era, the relationship between sport and social media needs to be managed well’,
The Conversation,
17 September, viewed 25 September 2019,
https://scroll.in/field/894666/in-a-hyperdigitalised-era-the-relationship-between-sport-and-social-media-needs-to-be-managed-well
Nielson 2017, Connecting people with sport: 11.2 million australians go online for sports content, viewed 25 September 2019, https://www.nielsen.com/au/en/insights/article/2017/connecting-people-with-sport/
Santomier, J 2008, ‘New media, branding and global sports sponsorship’, International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, vol. 10, pp. 15-28, viewed 25 September 2019, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283439924_New_media_branding_and_global_sports_sponsorship
Uluc, O 2019, ‘International NBA League Pass numbers are up, and Australia remains up top’, The Age, 01 May, viewed 12 October 2019, https://www.foxsports.com.au/basketball/nba/international-nba-league-pass-numbers-are-up-and-australia-remains-on-top/news-story/c4c2eed646f69163301deee96b504559
USA Today Sports 2016, ‘Social Media and how its changing sports’,Youtube, 28 January, viewed 25 September 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdd4BgQqEok
Ward, R 2019, ‘LaMelo Ball turns NBL debut into league record one million plus viewers’, The Age, 09 October, viewed 12 October 2019, https://www.smh.com.au/sport/basketball/lamelo-ball-turns-nbl-debut-into-league-record-one-million-plus-viewers-20191008-p52yqe.html
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Journalism in the Digital Age: How Digital and Social Media Drives Media Narratives
The growth and subsequent reliance on digital and social media has in turn began to lead media narratives known as news (Wilding et al. 2018). Media narratives once were discovered by journalists covering beats, but are now fished out from the internet.
According to Karlsson, Clerwall & Nord (2017), the traditional journalistic ‘model of verification’ has changed drastically and been replaced by the ‘model of assertion’.
As outlined in Figure 2.1, journalists once valued accurate stories where they were frightened by inaccuracy (Karlsson, Clerwall & Nord 2017). However, given the prevalence of the 24-hour news cycle, the primary focus for journalists now is to disseminate the news as quickly as possible, regardless of how accurate the story may be (Karlsson, Clerwall & Nord 2017).
The rise of digital and social media has also led to an influx of ‘citizen journalists’ where ordinary people are able to publish their stories by a variety of means including blogs or on Facebook and Twitter (media update 2019). While many opportunities come from anyone be able to publish stories, it also comes with its challenges.
People are now able to make money from publishing stories on their own platforms at their own peril. However, this also creates issues when controversial posts or blogs are published as they are often unfiltered and risk offending certain demographics for example.
Additionally, along with traditional journalists, citizen journalists, are able to post stories as they break, regardless of how newsworthy they truly are. Additionally, stories are more than ever deriving from incidents that occur on social media platforms, such as vile comments that may be posted.
A recent example of this was when AFLW player, Tayla Harris, was subject of the photo at the centre of an online scandal after trolls posted derogatory comments (Wood & Maasdorp 2019). In the blink of an eye, the story surfaced on every major news outlet, and even reached global headlines.
The image that went viral for all the wrong reasons (@taylaharriss)
The image of Harris which attracted negative comments was uploaded to the 7AFL Facebook page, and was later removed once the comments were noticed (Wood & Maasdorp 2019). This action by 7AFL caused more of an uproar, as they were seen to not be supportive of their athlete.
The media narratives which followed the outrage took a number of different paths as outline in Figure 2.2;
Just last decade, the thought of an international story deriving from a couple of posts on the internet was unfathomable. Now, this is a common occurrence, evidently shown in the Harris example.
Stories are able to go viral instantly whether it is through traditional means such as breaking news or through comments and discussions on platforms. As stories progress, the narrative continues to change and will often take varying routes (as shown in Figure 2.2).
Digital and social media so far has proven to be such a powerful tool which breaks down geographical barriers and allows for people to retrieve news as it happens. While for the most part it plays a positive part in people’s lives, on the counter it can also prove detrimental depending on the purpose people use the platforms for. The digital and social platforms should hopefully return to being an overwhelmingly positive tool that provides accurate news and updates once the lack of filtering inappropriate comments and posts is addressed.
References
Karlsson, M Clerwall, C & Nord, L 2017, ‘Do Not Stand Corrected: Transparency and Users Attitudes to Inaccurate News and Corrections in Online Journalism’, Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, vol. 94, no. 1, pp. 148-67, viewed 25 September 2019, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/304356966_Do_Not_Stand_Corrected_Transparency_and_Users_Attitudes_to_Inaccurate_News_and_Corrections_in_Online_Journalism
media update 2019, ‘How social media drives citizen journalism’, media update, 29 July, viewed 25 September 2019, https://www.mediaupdate.co.za/media/146843/how-social-media-drives-citizen-journalism
Wilding, D Fray, P Molitorisz, S & McKewon, E 2018, ‘The Impact of Digital Platforms on News and Journalistic Content’, University of Technology Sydney, viewed 25 September 2019, https://www.accc.gov.au/system/files/ACCC%20commissioned%20report%2-%20The%20impact%20of%20digital%20platforms%20on%20news%20and%20journalistic%20content%2C%20Centre%20for%20Media%20Transition%20%282%29.pdf
Wood, P & Maasdorp, J 2019, ‘Tayla Harris says trolls’ social media comments of AFLW photo were ‘sexual abuse’’, ABC News, 20 March, viewed 25 September 2019, https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-03-20/tayla-harris-felt-sexually-abused-aflw-photo-trolls-seven/10919008
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The rise and rise of e-sports
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E-sports explained (equalman2018)
Video games have changed drastically over the past few decades, developing from standalone games to collaborative and competitive games played via multiplayer online environments (Banyai et al. 2018). More recently, video gaming has become professionalised whereby people are competing against others, often for money, in electronic sports or e-sports (Banyai et al. 2018).
The impact, opportunities and challenges facing sports since the meteoric rise of e-sports affects a number of key segments outlined in Figure 1.1;
The sport as a business model
The introduction of e-sports has seen a number of changes, including sporting organising purchasing and adopting e-sport teams. As a result, ‘super clubs’ have emerged, such as AFL team, Essendon Football Club. The club now has an array of teams, including their men’s and women’s football teams, wheelchair team, as well as an e-sports team. The e-sports team, which dons the ‘Bombers’ name and colours competes globally, has had the ability to attract major partnerships, including New Era (Fitch 2019) and Coca-Cola. Evidently, adopting e-sports teams into sporting clubs presents as a major opportunity for clubs to extend and attract partnerships, increasing overall revenue and exposure for the club and sponsors alike (Arkenburg et al. 2018). While saturation of media and sponsorship is a growing issue, the e-sports industry has almost singlehandedly created another platform and market for sponsors to appeal to, with estimations suggesting the industry to generate in excess of one billion dollars by 2021 (Pei 2019).
The fan
Additionally, the sporting organisations are able to attract new fans to their clubs. If people are exposed to and begin following the clubs e-sports team, this will potentially lead to increased interest across other teams within the same club and therefore increase the source of revenue through a number of streams including membership, apparel and ticket sales.
The player
The player is a twofold issue for the club that can be perceived either positively or negatively. There are the players who physically compete in the sport itself and the e-sports players. While greater opportunities develop with the induction of e-sports teams, this could detract from the number of players who physically play the game. The increasing exposure of e-sports means that from a young age, children may tend to idolise the e-sports players and subsequently play the video game of the sport, rather than physically play (Banyai et al. 2018).
While for most part society is embracing and enjoying the rise of e-sports, many people are still sceptical over the industry, including whether it truly will ever be a ‘sport’. Many critics believe e-sports, and the gaming industry in general, can have dire consequences and lead to unhealthy addictions, or a ‘gaming disorder’. According to the World Health Organisation (Chen 2018), a gaming disorder is when gaming is strongly preferred over other activities and the person does not stop playing even when there are negative consequences. While this does not necessarily apply to all e-sports players, aspirations of adolescents to reach the highest level could in fact lead to these issues.
Concerns have also risen about whether e-sports is too violent to be contested at international levels like it currently is (BBC News 2018). Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, believes that e-sports would not be accepted as an Olympic sport due to the violent and discriminatory nature (BBC News 2018).
Even the consideration alone of potentially becoming an Olympic sport highlights e-sports as no longer being niche concept (BBC News 2018). The global audience of around 320 million fans (BBC News 2018) has provided another opportunity for sporting organisations to capitalise on and continue raking in substantial amounts of money per year.
While the debate of what actually constitutes a sport - and if e-sports fits that mould -continues, the industry is no longer seen as ‘nerds’ competing in games they stay up all night playing, rather a career path that could see them playing for a sports team and earn them a living.
References
Arkenberg, C Van Dyke, D Tengberg, J, Baltuskonis, N 2018, ‘esports graduates to the big leagues’, Deloitte Insights, 23 July, viewed 25 September 2019, https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/industry/telecommunications/capitalizing-on-growth-of-esports-industry.html
Banyai, F Griffiths, M Kiraly, O & Demetrovics, Z 2018, ‘The Psychology of Esports: A Systemic Literature Review’, Journal of Gambling Studies, vol. 35, iss. 2, pp. 1-16, viewed 25 September 2019, http://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/32858/1/PubSub10417_Griffiths.pdf
BBC News 2018, ‘Esports too violent to be included in Olympics’, BBC News, 4 September, viewed 25 September 2019, https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-45407667
Chen, A 2018, ‘Here’s why gaming experts are sceptical of the ‘gaming disorder’ diagnosis’, The Verge, 19 June, viewed 25 September 2019, https://www.theverge.com/2018/6/19/17479318/gaming-disorder-who-psychology-video-games-science
equalman 2018, ‘Esports explained | The Billion Dollar Gaming Industry Revolution’, YouTube,13 December, viewed 25 September, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1-dELm3JJY
Fitch, A 2019, ‘Bombers announce New Era as official apparel partner’, Esports Insider,18 February, viewed 25 September 2019, https://esportsinsider.com/2019/02/bombers-new-era-partnership/
Jonasson, K & Thiborg, J 2010, ‘Electronic sport and its impact on future sport’, Sport in Society, vol. 13, iss. 2, pp. 287-299, viewed 25 September 2019, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/248952070_Electronic_sport_and_its_impact_on_future_sport_Sport_in_Society_132_287-299
Pei, A 2019, ‘Here’s why esports can become a billion-dollar industry in 2019’, CNBC, 21 January, viewed 25 September 2019, https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/20/heres-why-esports-can-become-a-billion-dollar-industry-in-2019.html
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Preparedness & Assimilation into the Organisational Culture
While it is natural for people to feel intimidated going into a workplace, particularly as an intern, I believe my personality and strengths allowed me to feel more ready than some.
Internships can often come with negative connotations (Newtown 2017), but given how professionally our internship program is managed, it is doubtful any organisations would be untoward potential interns. Meeting the hosts at least twice prior to commencing was extremely beneficial, as it gives a sense of familiarity when starting out.
After being offered a number internships, the deciding factor (besides the possibility of a job) was which organisational culture I thought I would fit into the best.
Organisational culture relates to the values and behaviours of those within the company and how it is perceived (Market Business News 2019). From the outset, without meeting anyone else from Tennis Victoria, the ‘shop front’ I was exposed to through Gabriella Tobias was enough for me to take the chance and accept the internship there.
Her loud and engaging personality instantly made me feel comfortable external of the office, and thankfully this transposed into the office once arriving.
Table 1.1 (Woo 2011) outlines Internship Stage Models as believed by a range of academics. I will be referring to Inkster & Ross in terms of my discussion and how I progressed through each stage.
Stage 1: Seeking and securing placement
As touched on previously, I was able to secure my placement through our internship application process where I was fortunate to be able to where I wanted to complete my internship.
This eased majority of my anxiousness as I knew many organisations wanted me so I must be doing okay.
How that would transpire into the workplace was the next thing.
Stage 2: Initial arrival, learning new information and establishing workplace identity
I immediately felt welcome when walking in on my first day and I was greeted by many staff- of whom already knew my name and why I was there.
This meant that I was not always the first person introducing myself, and given the age discrepancy, I certainly appreciated the older adults initiating conversation.
I was fortunate that on my second day I had to stand up in front of all the staff (at least 40 people) and give a two minute introduction about myself (also known as ‘Tell us in Two’). This again eased any pressure on me in meeting people, and I believe it was a good ice breaker – if I can talk to them all at once then I can talk to each of them individually.
Most staff members love/d the fact I am from Swan Hill – this is a popular place as they host one of their major (and favourite) events there every few years.
Stage 3: Realising the differences between reality and initial expectations
Going from never working full-time to now working full-time for a six-week block was quite challenging in many ways. In terms of my initial expectations compared to reality, I wouldn’t say it differed too much. I knew I was working full-time for a reason which meant I would be – hopefully – treated like a full-time employee. And I was.
I’m not someone who ever expects too much so I was more than stoked when I walked in, had a desk set up, a computer with my name on it and my own email address.
Stage Four: Achieve high productivity, independence and self-confidence
In short, I went from zero to 100. I was thrust straight into the thick of everything, completing tasks set out by Gabs and Sean, while also completing various requests from other staff members.
Like everyone, at times self-doubt creeps in, and it still does to this day, but receiving all the positive feedback that I have makes me feel confident, not just during my internship but prior too.
Independence was quickly assumed given I felt comfortable completing most tasks and using my initiative.
Stage Five & Six: Closure / Re-entry
Fortunately I was able to secure a full-time job upon the completion of my internship so was not forced to discontinue relationships nor do I need to look for more opportunities.
However, that doesn’t mean that I won’t go through these phases eventually.
Overall I believe my internship, and assimilating into the workplace in particular, would not have been as easy if I wasn’t full-time. Going in one or two days a week makes it hard to build meaningful relationships, whereas I was able to move through the work week with everyone, riding the lows of a Monday right through to the high of a Friday.
I was always confident I would fit in and hope this will continue as I progress through my professional career.
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'Intern’ is one of my favourite movies as it is the story of an elderly man who becomes an intern during his later years and tries to teach all the ‘young’ people how to work properly. I think it’s a great reminder that regardless of age, sometimes you have to do what you have to do.
Resources
Market Business News 2019, ‘What is organisational culture? Definition and Examples’, Market Business News, viewed 02 August 2019, https://marketbusinessnews.com/financial-glossary/organizational-culture-definition-examples/
Movieclips Trailers 2015, ‘The Intern Official Trailer #1’, YouTube, 13 May, viewed 02 August 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-DEy3mylCs
Newton, M 2017, ‘Smart, educated and exploited: how 'internships' help lock the young out of jobs’, The Guardian, 09 July, viewed 02 August 2019,
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/jul/09/smart-educated-and-exploited-how-internships-help-lock-the-young-out-of-jobs
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Subject Reflection
Transition to Professional Practice is the pinnacle of classes in terms of our course. For many, the major pull of the course is the internships and the process involved.
I was a little sceptical at the start as to how this class would help, but since completing the class, I have come to realise it has probably been the most important to date.
While I already had quite a good resume and LinkedIn profile to begin with, I was able to fine tune both - as well as my cover letters - to be of an industry standard. I was able to create a catalogue of around 30 generic key selection criterion which can be used when applying for future jobs. I also now feel confident in customising my application to suit specific roles and will continue being as prepared as possible such as creating mock-up graphics relevant to the organisation.
Personally, I enjoyed the Week 3 worksheet the most, where we were required to go through our background and how that transfers into skills and employment suitability. While it sounds cliché, I have come to realise that my upbringing and tight-knit family has substantially shaped me to date. I like to consider myself as an extremely loyal person who is high achieving and grateful for everything that comes my way. I want to be someone my family is proud of. Their support is what drives me to stay in Melbourne and make the most of the opportunities I have been given so far such as working at Big Freeze 5 for Freeze MND and my internship at Tennis Victoria.
In terms of the internship process, I believe I performed quite well as mentioned in previous entries and is something I am proud of. To me, being first preference for seven organisations, is a reward of all my hard work, not just during the course, but in all my years of schooling. My high schooling days were filled with watching typically bad students be rewarded for one good thing they do, often being overlooked for always being good. It feels nice to be recognised by others, and while it isn’t the only thing that proves worth, it certainly helps.
Everything - well most things anyway - will certainly help me both personally and professionally in years to come. While sometimes I feel too young and/or immature to move into the workplace, the professional skills I have learnt eases my qualms.
My favourite quote which is something I related to and believe is very true (although I want to be a businesswomen but that’s okay!)
I can’t wait to get stuck into my internship with Tennis Vic (and Stars later on), with all my tools in my belt, and see where it takes me. Watch this space.
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Interview experience
| Short list interviews experience |
As mentioned in Entry 4, I was shortlisted for seven out of the eight organisations I originally applied for- missing out only on GESEAC. I had second round interviews with;
Tennis Vic
W Sports & Media
VAFA
Hockey Australia
Melbourne Stars
Cricket Southern Bayside
Cricket Victoria
Before I discuss my experiences and performance, it must be noted how fortunate I am to receive the opportunity to have interviewed with a range of organisations, including elite level, state level and smaller organisations too.
I value always being grateful for I have and what I am given
My experiences throughout the interviews varied, and due to extenuating family circumstances, I only ended up completing three interviews with Tennis Vic, W Sports & Media and Hockey Australia. However, the W Sports & Media interview was not deemed an official interview, given it was more a briefing rather than needing to answer questions relevant to skills and experience.
| Interview performance |
I am pleased with how well I interviewed during both the Industry Day and second-round interviews.
Feedback I received was generally positive and was reflected in the evaluations where I finished with a mark of 91.6 per cent.
While I could have researched the organisations in more depth, I believe I was prepared enough in other ways. I took the liberty of assessing the three organisations social media platforms and how they could be improved. I also customised a range of artwork and graphics relevant to the organisation to show the interviewers. I believe they were impressed and gave me an advantage over other interviewees. This is something I will continue doing when interviewing in future roles.
Examples of work I made for Tennis Vic, Melbourne Stars and Hockey Aus
I believe my body-language and responses were well received, and I was able to connect with each of the interviewers. However, I felt it more difficult to connect with and engage with Matt from Hockey Aus. In saying this, his role as CEO is not taken lightly, and has prepared me for more intense interviews in the future.
Overall, I am extremely happy with how I performed throughout the whole process. I was first preference for seven organisations which I believe is a testament to my years of hard work and dedication.
| Future improvements |
In terms of improvements for the future, I would certainly need to research the organisation in much more depth. This could be made easier by only having to prepare for one interview at a time rather than the seven I was meant to. Regardless, more research is certainly needed.
I must also ensure to take the interviews as serious as possible, while a more relaxed approach is appropriate at times, this is not always the case such as the one with Hockey Aus. In saying that, I was able to mimic the interviewers well and reflect their body position and vibe.
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Organisational Culture | Being a high performing intern & team member
As workplaces continue to evolve and modernise, the notion of ‘organisational culture’ is becoming increasingly important (Alton 2017). Organisational culture relates to the ‘shared values, beliefs and perceptions held by employees within an organisation’ (Taylor et al. 2018).
More companies are turning their focus to creating and sustaining a balanced culture, appropriate to the organisations needs (Alton 2017).According to Alton (2017), there are “clear benefits” to have a strong culture within your company, including:
Identity: allows company values to be coherent, and means individuals are more likely to identify with said company
Retention: good cultures will attract talent and more importantly, retain current staff for longer
Image: having a strong brand image is important in how you’re perceived in the general public
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Organisational culture as an ‘emotional energiser’
As we all should be striving to, I am looking to be high performing intern at both Tennis Vic and Melbourne Stars.
I believe my natural work ethic and desire to perform work at high standards will allow me to transition into the workplace comfortably. While I have been exposed to workplaces before, I have never worked (or interned) full-time, so if this eventuates at either organisation, I will need to manage myself appropriately to ensure I am able to work well and to the best of my abilities.
However, I have been exposed to a number of workplaces and believe I am able to adjust accordingly. I have work in a fast-paced environment in hospitality in Swan hill, thus can work at a high standard, quickly. This will be beneficial when needing to meet deadlines while still being able to complete tasks. I have also worked in a fairly relaxed environment at Cycling Vic, where I had ample leniency, which meant at times I struggled to find things to do and often felt like my time was wasted. My recent experiences at Sandringham will also be useful, as this is quite a serious role, and my work is appreciated given the small number of staff members.
Not only should you be a high performing intern for your own sake, but it must not be taken for granted that an organisation has given you the opportunity to learn your craft and gain vital industry experience. So while you want to get the most out of the internship, giving back to the organisation who has helped you is vitally important too.
I have also been fortunate enough to be involved in elite sporting programs, where acting and performing as a high performing team member has been paramount. These skills are transferable to any ‘team’ scenario, such as in the workplace. The plethora of group work within assignments has also prepared me for working as part of a team and being able to deal with all the varying possibilities.
The most important thing I have learned doing group work is that not everything is always going to go my way, and people don’t always act the way I necessarily think they would and/or should, so being able to adapt and be understanding is extremely important.
Team work makes the dream work!
References
Alton, L 2017, ‘Why Corporate Culture Is Becoming Even More Important’, Forbes, 17 February, viewed 16 May 2019, https://www.forbes.com/sites/larryalton/2017/02/17/why-corporate-culture-is-becoming-even-more-important/#72b8922769da
strategyandbusiness 2016, ‘What Is Corporate Culture’, YouTube, 16 February, viewed 16 May 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gficoigz1xs
Taylor, W Suminski, R Das, B Paxton, R & Craig D 2018, ‘Organizational Culture and Implications for Workplace Interventions to Reduce Sitting Time Among Office-Based Workers: A Systematic Review’, National Library of Medicine, viewed 16 May 2019, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6165892/
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