Free Press

Issue date: 2/1/10 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Jeffrey Ferland USM senior Communication major Matt McLaughlin is interning with the Maine Red Claws for credit through the Communication/Media Studies Dept.

About a year ago when the Maine Red Claws found out they were going to make Portland their home as the NBA Development League affiliate of the Boston Celtics and Charlotte Bobcats, the city began to buzz with excitement and anticipation. The enthusiasm extended beyond the city public and into the area's colleges and universities, including students like Matt McLaughlin.

McLaughlin, a communication major at USM and an avid sports fan, decided that he wanted to, like many other people in Southern Maine, be a part of the latest component of the Portland professional sports scene. He has always wanted to pursue a career in sports, and jumped all over the opportunity to apply as an intern for the Red Claws Public and Community Relations Department. McLaughlin approached the USM communication department's internship director, Russ Kivatisky, last September and was put in touch with the Red Claws. He found his way to their Congress St. offices and completed an interview.

After waiting about three months to hear if he had landed the job, the senior from Stow, Mass. found out in mid-December that he would indeed be able to contribute to "Crustacean Nation." Although McLaughlin's is an unpaid intern, he is being awarded credit hours, skills and experiences that are much more valuable than money in the long run.

"The communication program at USM has a great relationship with the Red Claws," Mclaughlin said. "Russ has helped me out a lot in the process of becoming an intern."

The combination of Kivatisky's affiliation with Red Claws director of public and community relations, Jana Spaulding, and other contacts made by McLaughlin have allowed him to get involved in the increasingly popular business of professional sports that so many young sports fans dream to be a part of.

"We've been involved with USM from the beginning. We partnered with them over this past summer and have had several USM students intern and volunteer with us," Spaulding said. "It has been mutually beneficial for both of us, and our relationship with the communication/media studies and sports management programs at USM is only getting better."

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools