Relevant experience

[mschoeffel]

I'm in the preliminary stages of applying to several sports management graduate programs -- namely West Virginia, San Francisco, Western Kentucky (online), and Adelphi (online) -- with the end goal of becoming an athletic director. I have a lot of professional experience in sports journalism (4-plus years), and sports in general, but virtually none in sports administration and management. Will my experience with sports journalism be considered relevant professional experience? Or would it be in my best interest in seek out an internship with a professional sports team to help strengthen my appeal as an applicant? (Note: Seeking a full-time unpaid internship isn't really plausible, considering I work a full-time job. But a part-time one could be doable.)

Has anybody out there had a similar experience, even if it wasn't necessarily in the same field?