The Bunk Room_Issue 36

Launching A Dream
First Stop: Intern for the Orlando Predators
By Erik Slaby 17, Mount Dora, FL
Editor In Chief / Homeschooled
The crowd is roaring. Music is blaring
throughout the arena. People are scurrying
around and there is an undeniable
excitement in the air as I lean forward in
my chair preparing for kickoff. This is what
moments before kickoffs feel like for the
Orlando Predators and staff, myself
included. I have had the pleasure of
working with the Orlando Predators, a
professional Arena League Football (AFL)
team as an intern for the last couple
months.
The Orlando Predators are an arena
league team that plays in the Amway
Center. Arena football is like the NFL, but
slightly different because the field is only
50 yards instead of 100 and they play in a
basketball arena instead of a regular
football stadium. The game is much faster
than an NFL game and there are way more
points scored because of the shorter field.
It's very exciting to watch.
When I finished my last term of
college recently, I realized I would have
several months of free time before heading
to law school in the fall. I felt like I needed
to do something with my life. My ultimate
dream is to become an NFL General
Manager, so my dad and I thought that it
would be good for me to get some
experience with a sports team that was
close enough for me to drive to and
aligned with my career plan.
The Orlando Predators was the perfect fit!
I sent emails to the Chief Operating
Officer of the Predators and the Director of
Ticket Operations asking about internship
opportunities. They quickly hired me as an
intern and I began work right away. I have
always been interested in arena football
and wondered how it was played so I was
very excited to start working with the
Predators.
Working with the Predators is fantastic!
There are a ton of things that I do as an
intern. Some of the things include
answering phones, running errands and
most importantly, doing whatever someone
asks me to do and to always look for new
ways to help.
When I first started, I really didn't
know what it would be like. I've quickly
learned that professional football is so
much more than a game. It's a business.
The product being the team along with the
“show” on game day. The show has to be
entertaining and it helps when the team is
winning. And, like any business, the
product needs to be marketed heavily.
While some days can be a little quiet
for me, there are always little details that
need attention. The busiest days are
always game days and the days leading
up to game day.
Game day is crazy busy! With sponsor
banners to be hung on the field, trucks to
be unloaded and a gazillion other things
as simple as making sure promotional signs