In the summer heat, many Columbia College students and faculty members take the opportunity to reset and recharge for the academic year ahead.
For Sports Management student Braydn O’Neal, however, part of his summer was spent gaining hands-on experience with one of the NFL’s most successful franchises.
O’Neal served as a camp operations intern with the Kansas City Chiefs during the team’s training camp in St. Joseph, Missouri, spending July and August living in the dorms at Missouri Western State University alongside about 30 other budding professionals from across the country.
From the first day of setup through the final move-out, O’Neal had a familiar face among his supervisors: Columbia College Sports Management instructor Nick Stegmann, who teaches in the Robert W. Plaster School of Business.
Stegmann also serves as a Kansas City Chiefs training camp coordinator.
“Braydn completely exceeded expectations for me for this year’s internship group,” Stegmann said. “He was consistently one of the first guys in and one of the last ones out each day, and he built relationships with various levels of stakeholders.
“I am positive that Braydn will take this opportunity as not only a learning opportunity, but one to build on for the future of his professional career.”
While the experience provided O’Neal with a behind-the-scenes look at the operations of an NFL organization, one particular day stood out.
Veterans Appreciation Day held special meaning for O’Neal and became one of his favorite memories from the summer.
“This day holds a special meaning for me, and having the opportunity to meet the veterans and hear how excited they were to be there made the experience even more meaningful,” O’Neal said.
At the conclusion of practice, O’Neal had the opportunity to drive a golf cart onto the field with several military veterans, helping ensure they had a well-rounded experience.
“Seeing everyone on the field interact with them and show their appreciation was truly a memorable moment that I will never forget,” he said.
For fans, training camp can look like a relatively simple experience: watch practice, interact with players and coaches, and enjoy the atmosphere surrounding the team. Behind the scenes, O’Neal discovered an extensive operation involving numerous departments and individuals working together to make each day successful.
One of the biggest surprises was the culture connecting those different groups.
“It truly felt like one big family all working together to reach one goal,” O’Neal said. “No matter what your role was or whether something was part of your job description, everyone was always willing to step in and help.”
Seeing that willingness to support one another left an impression on O’Neal.
“It was inspiring to see how everyone had each other’s backs and worked together as a team,” he said.
The experience also gave O’Neal a broader understanding of the career opportunities available in sports management.
“Seeing all the different departments, learning about their responsibilities, and understanding how each one contributed to the organization opened my mind to several new career paths that I am now interested in exploring,” O’Neal said.
For Stegmann, O’Neal’s internship demonstrates the value of pairing classroom learning with real-world experience. Stegmann expressed his gratitude to Jeremy Slavens, Chad Carson and the entire Kansas City Chiefs organization for helping make the opportunity possible for O’Neal.
“Experiences like this are vital to continued career growth and success, and they can be difficult to come by,” Stegmann said.
