The ‘Bucks Go Pro’ internship program released its student-athlete presentations for Summer 2024, and the current interns have some big ideas for the future of Ohio State and Big Ten athletic departments.
This is Eugene D. Smith Leadership Institute's longest-running internship program. Students in the program enhance their networking, leadership and personal finance skills with hands-on professional experiences. Given that all of the participants in the programs are athletes, their concepts and ideas for the future of athletic department enhancements are well-informed.
Ideas ranged from logistical updates to NIL. Below is the complete list of presentations.
- Ohio State Licensing Collaboration
- Student-Athlete Storytelling
- Student-Athlete End of Year Celebration
- Recruiting Updates & Materials for All Sports
- Campus Conventions Service Unit
- Name, Image and Likeness
- Teamworks
When it came to the Ohio State Licensing team, one team member explained, “We presented a licensed porta potty idea, a more formal take on walk-in attire, and a replacement for the now lapsed McDonald's license.”
Other teams, like the Student-Athlete Storytelling group, aimed for a more technology-focused solution. That group designed an interactive fan platform that would include in-depth stories from Ohio State athletes, fun facts and information to enhance the fan experience.
Falling somewhere in the middle of product promotion and technology innovation, was the group planning an end of year celebration for student athletes. These interns said, “’Scarlet and Victory Gala’ will be dedicated to student-athletes for all the hard work and dedication they put into their craft. Differing from the Scholar-Athlete Awards, this event will be athletic-based with lighthearted awards.”
The students taking part in the Bucks Go Pro internship program are the future athletic department professionals who will shape college athletics ten, twenty or thirty years from now. So while their ideas are simply intern projects this summer, they could be very real strategies implemented in the future.
