The Start of My Knicks Blodging

One of my sister's friends told my family a story about how is father thought the word blog was pronounced with a soft 'g' like blodge. For some reason I think it sounds more fun that way so don't be offended or confused when I use it. I am going to start talking about my time as an intern in the PR department for the NY Knicks for three reasons. One, Dr.Louden told me to think of something for my final project and this is all I could come up with. Two, this is an easy way to field the same questions about my internship over and over again. Three, it will break up my nit-picky political article ranting and mind-boggling attempts at expressing my daily/weekly sentiments regarding life as a whole, which was the initial purpose of my starting this blog a few weeks ago. I'm not just going to talk about the actual internship though because my time here in New York City is not just about sitting at a desk playing tetris until a famed sportswriter decides to update his own blodge about the Knicks. It's also about living in a city overflowing with eager interns, dazed hobos, and hidden celebrities. It's about living on my own in an apartment with three Texas sorority girls, with only ten people that I consider to be more than aquaintances in a 60 mile radius (sort of). It's about motivating myself to wake up at 6:45 a.m. every day only to arrive at the office, work on press clips for a few hours, then sit and refresh the Drudge Report until 5. It's about getting to and from work every day without spilling coffee on myself or losing my metrocard (considering that it cost $81 it'd be nice if it was more than a small piece of paper). Of course, it's about more than these minor encounters with reality. Yet, these are the things that I find to be more exciting, endearing, life-changing than the actual act of writing a press release. Although, I desperately need to get some clips so press releases? Yes please!

Since I arrived in New York, things have been a lot different from what I anticipated. First, my roommates. Three lovely sorority girls from Texas Christian who are interning in fashion. They're all older than me, all frighteningly gorgeous, and all very uninterested in actually working. I really like them a lot so I hope they don't ever see this blodge; I have a feeling they wouldn't appreciate my commentary on their work ethic. However, it is hard for me to comprehend how they could have the audacity to ask their employers to get off of work early or to have Friday's off when they haven't even worked a full week yet. Perhaps there's something I don't know - it's quite possible that their supervisors invited these requests. However, I know for a fact that if I were a supervisor for interns, regardless of how much work I had for them to do, I would be very offended and shocked if my subordinates requested time off or to have shorter business days. These girls are so nice, fun to spend time with, and witty. I just can't comprehend how they would not realize how lucky they are to have been given the opportunity to have an internship in one of the most powerful cities in the world. Sure, my hours are not ideal. And yes, I am getting some money to pay for my travel and lunch at work. Yet, interning is not about getting paid and it is not about putting in short days of entertaining work. It's about learning what the bottom is about so you can work your way up, networking on the frontier of your desired career field, and if anything, spending some time in the real world so your resume has more to it than babysitting and national honor societies. I've only been interning here for a few days and I've already figured that out. The second aspect of NYC that is different from what I had expected is the fact that I really like living here. I mean, I don't know if I could do it forever. I'm too much of a nature-oriented, home-loving, southern hospitality appreciating demon deacon to want to live in a sprawling metropolis for the rest of my life. Yet, the city is endearing in its downfalls. This morning as I approached Madison Square Garden, I overheard a few men conversing as they unloaded a cargo truck and I'm almost positive every third word started with an f and rhymed with duck. Sure, it was edging toward 7:30 am and I would've appreciated a gentle, whispering dialogue about rainbows and sunsets, but for a moment I laughed to myself knowing that there were very few places in the world (or in the South at least) that you would be greeted with f-bombs as you approach your work place every morning. It's little moments like that, endearing little diddies expressing aggression and new yorkedness, that make me glad I'm here.

Now to the real purpose of my entry - the actual 'journal' aspect of my blodge that will make this less of a diary and more of a final internship project. Dr. Louden will probably stop reading here - I kind of believed you when you told me that there was a very slim chance that you would read past the cover page of my million page research paper on the press' constant obsession with tying Barack Obama to John F. Kennedy. Yet, in the event that you skimmed to find the crux of my blodge... or if you haven't fallen asleep at the keyboard yet... I'll recap what has been going on since I started last Thursday so that you know how everything has been going down. Orientation on Thursday was one of the longer days in my life, but I met some people, learned a little nonsense about Cablevision, and eventually got to briefly speak with my supervisor and meet my fellow interns. I also watched a GREAT video demonstrating the levels of sexual harassment and I am forever changed. Later that afternoon, after the not-so-grand tour of Madison Square Garden and a series of identification picture taking, I met my supervisor, saw my workspace (which is called the pit, fyi), and met my fellow interns. I also learned that this is not a 9-5 Monday through Friday job. Oh no... it is quite often a 730 am-630 pm Sunday through Saturday job. I've accepted it though. Hearing my roommates riff and rant about how much they dread every 8 hour day of work makes me want to wake up an extra few hours early, stay a few hours later, and work an extra day or two. I'm not being sarcastic either. I know for a fact that one day these hours will pay off. I'm learning, I'm experiencing, I'm putting in my best effort and that is the greatest level of income I could ask for as a lowly college junior. Last Friday was my first real day of work. It was overwhelming: I had to learn about press clips... hard clips, e-clips, priority clips, these clips, those clips. I had to learn how to compile these clips and distribute these clips throughout the entire MSG enterpise as well. I learned about listening to sports radio for hours on end. I learned about responding (or not responding) to fan mail. I learned about 'superfan', the sketchy, mousey sounding guy who calls every day asking for a pocket schedule. I learned about answering the phone and transferring people on the phone. That was about it for day 1. I didn't have to come in over the weekend which was nice and then yesterday the real stuff started rolling in. I got to get in touch with Time Out New York magazine to pitch a listing for their publication; we want them to put our summer basketball camp on their schedule. Then today our supervisor explained to us what will be going on in the next few weeks since the NBA draft is rapidly approaching. There will be press releases and mock draft boards and phone calls and press clips and sports radio and media days and anything else public relations your heart could ever yearn for. And I'd have to say THAT, if anything, is what gets me on the subway by 715 every morning and keeps me alive and eager until at least 5 pm every day. I do have spare time (or at least I have had spare time in the past few days) so I will be sure to keep you updated on everything with words, pictures, examples of things that I've done, and probably a few pointless political rants just to keep the tides turning. Below is the pitch I wrote and sent to Time Out; it's basically what we would want them to put in their magazine, in case anyone out there in cyberspace is interested.

"The Gatorade New York Knicks Summer Basketball Camp, presented by Zipwayworldwide.com, will be holding two full-day sessions for children ages eight to eighteen at Hunter College. The camp sessions will allow children to sharpen their dribbling and shooting skills, learn new plays and make new friends, while meeting Knicks and other NBA personalities. Each camper also receives a Knicks camp uniform, shorts and a reversible jersey provided by Zipwayworld.com, a ticket to a Knicks and Liberty game and the opportunity to win trophies and Knicks prizes. The two sessions will be held August 4-7 and August 11-14 at Hunter College’s main campus from 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. For more information on the Knicks Summer Basketball Camp, or to register your child for a fee of $425, please visit nyknicks.com or call (212)-465-4100."