Internship

Please see below for the internship you're interested in and please email internships@bigtrain.org with any questions.

High school, college and graduate students: spend your summer developing your skills for a career in sports or journalism with the Bethesda Big Train. One of the nation's most highly regarded summer college baseball programs, Big Train baseball at Shirley Povich Field has been described by The Washington Post as "the ultimate small-town fantasy."

Bethesda Big Train offers several exciting summer internship opportunities: the Tim Kurkjian Sports Journalism Fellowship, the Bill and Mike Veeck Baseball Operations Fellowship, and the Alexander DiMisa High School Leadership Fellowship.

Just as some of the best college baseball players come to Povich Field to develop their talents each summer, the Big Train internship gives students the opportunity to sharpen their skills in sport management, operations, and journalism. Your educational experience will be enriched by weekly seminars with some of the Washington region's notable leaders in these fields. Past speakers include Hall of Fame baseball writer Tim Kurkjian, former Washington Post sports editor George Solomon, and documentary filmmaker Aviva Kempner.

In recent years, Big Train interns have gone on to successful careers with sports organizations such as:

Washington Nationals
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (Washington Capitals, Mystics & Wizards)
D.C. United
Washington Football Team
MLB.com
The Athletic
NBC Sports Washington
Jomboy Media
Golden State Warriors
Milwaukee Brewers
New Jersey Devils
Frederick Keys

...and many more!

Modest payments to help cover your summer expenses are provided. Course credit is available for college and graduate school students. Internships run from before Memorial Day through the first week in August. But roles and responsibilities may begin before the season and extend after the season. You can learn more about each internship opportunity below. Please email internships@bigtrain.org with questions.

The Bethesda Community Base Ball Club, the parent organization of Big Train baseball, is an Equal Opportunity Employer that does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, political belief, national origin, physical and mental disabilities, age, or any other condition.

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Tim Kurkjian Sports Journalism Fellowship

Hall of Fame baseball writer Tim Kurkjian has long been associated with the Bethesda Big Train, thanks to his close ties to the Bethesda area where he grew up. He has generously granted us permission to describe our sports journalism internship program as the Tim Kurkjian Sports Journalsim Fellowship and the internship includes several aspects of sports journalism, including broadcasting, sports writing and social media, graphic design, photography, and videography. See below for more details about each particular position within the Kurkjian fellowship program.

Sports Broadcasting - CLOSED FOR 2023

The Bethesda Big Train is seeking college or graduate school students with play-by-play or color commentary experience to serve as our on-air broadcasters for the 2023 summer season. Individuals should have a strong knowledge of baseball and the ability to accurately articulate game action to fans on an audio or video broadcast. Ideal candidates will be comfortable hosting and conducting on-camera interviews for pre-game and post-game video content.

Interning with Big Train offers educational and networking opportunities, and course credit is available for college students.

The internship includes a $1000 payment to help cover expenses.

Qualifications:

College or graduate student
Ability to work night and weekend events
Ability to travel to away games (all are within a one-hour drive)
On-air experience
Strong knowledge of baseball rules and terminology
Background in communications or journalism preferred

Responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

Set up broadcast equipment before the game and conduct pre-game interviews with coaches and players
Provide play-by-play and color commentary for all Big Train home and away games
Work in tandem with other broadcast intern, splitting play-by-play and color commentary duties and other on-air and on-camera opportunities
Conduct research on rosters and players (both Big Train and opponents) prior to each game
Develop ideas for additional social media content including, but not limited to, TikTok and Instagram videos, highlight packages, human interest stories, and other related content
Attend and assist in the execution of team events and promotions in the community
Assist full-time Big Train staff with set-up and post-game procedures and any other duties as assigned

To apply, send your resume, cover letter and broadcast reel to internships@bigtrain.org with the subject “Big Train Broadcasting Internship.”

Sports Writing and Social Media - CLOSED FOR 2023

The Bethesda Big Train is seeking high school, college and graduate school students to serve as team beat writers and social media managers for the 2023 summer season. Individuals should have a strong knowledge of baseball and experience in both writing about sports and managing social media channels in a professional setting. Ideal candidates are strong writers who can accurately articulate baseball game action and feel comfortable interviewing strangers. Candidates should have an extensive knowledge of social media outlets such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, and should be able to apply new trends and techniques to formulate a social media strategy for the Big Train.

Three interns will be hired for this position and will rotate between the following roles on a nightly basis: (1) beat reporter who writes a recap story of that night’s game; (2) Twitter manager in charge of posting live scoring updates each inning; and (3) social media manager in charge of updating our Instagram, Facebook and TikTok channels and engaging with fans on all of our online platforms. Candidates should be comfortable performing all three duties as well as writing feature stories to supplement our online game content.

Interning with Big Train offers educational and networking opportunities, and course credit is available for college students.

The internship includes a $1000 payment to help cover expenses.

Qualifications:

College or graduate student
Ability to work night and weekend events
Ability to travel to away games (all are within a one-hour drive)
Sports writing experience
Experience and knowledge of trends across multiple social media platforms
Graphic design experience
Strong knowledge of baseball rules and terminology
Experience working under tight deadlines
Journalism experience (student newspaper, online content, etc.) preferred

Responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

Write feature stories game previews and recaps for Big Train website
Conduct interviews with coaches, players and staff and incorporate quotes into articles
Prior to games, monitor social media feeds and post updates as directed
During games, live tweet scoring updates and post on other social media channels as necessary
Design simple graphics to accompany social media posts
Brainstorm and implement social media marketing strategies to expand Big Train’s audience
Write multiple other feature stories throughout the season, bolstering the Big Train's online content
Attend all Big Train home games and most away games
Attend and assist in the execution of team events and promotions in the community
Assist full-time Big Train staff with set-up and post-game procedures and any other duties as assigned

To apply, send your resume, cover letter and at least two writing samples to internships@bigtrain.org with the subject “Big Train Writing and Social Media Internship.”

Sports Photography - CLOSED FOR 2023

The Bethesda Big Train is seeking a college or graduate school student to serve as the team photographer for all summer 2023 games and community events. Individuals should have experience photographing live sports (ideally baseball) and other events, and should have their own digital camera. Candidates should be able to edit and upload their photos to an agreed upon web platform as soon as possible each night after a game or event. The team photographer will be responsible for working closely with other interns, including the graphic design, sportswriting, and broadcasting interns to ensure they all have photographs to create online content on tight deadlines.

Interning with Big Train offers educational and networking opportunities, and course credit is available for college students.

The internship includes a $1000 payment to help cover expenses.

Qualifications:

College or graduate student
Ability to work night and weekend events
Ability to travel to away games (all are within a one-hour drive)
Sports and event photography experience
Basic photo editing knowledge and computer with editing software

Responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

Attend all Big Train home games and away games
Photograph ballpark happenings (picnics, special events, pregame and postgame ceremonies, etc.) before and after each Big Train home game
Photograph on-field action and crowd enthusiasm during the game
Photograph other Big Train community events, such as food drives, parades and service days, as assigned
Upload photos to web platform promptly after each game or event
Upload photos to web platform for information like rosters and player profile pictures
Contribute to brainstorming and production of social media content
Assist full-time Big Train staff with set-up and post-game procedures and any other duties as assigned

To apply, send your resume, cover letter and a small photo portfolio to internships@bigtrain.org with the subject “Big Train Photography Internship.”

Sports Graphic Design - CLOSED FOR 2023

The Bethesda Big Train is seeking a college or graduate school student to serve as the team's graphic designer for all summer 2023 games and events. Individuals should have experience creating visually appealing graphics from scratch using Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator. Ideal candidates have experience designing sports and baseball-related graphics, including starting lineup, final score, breaking news update graphics, and more. Graphic design interns may also help design some of the team's 2023 merchandise and promotional material.

Interning with Big Train offers educational and networking opportunities, and course credit is available for college students.

The internship includes a $1000 payment to help cover expenses.

Qualifications:

College or graduate student
Ability to work night and weekend events
Graphic design experience and computer with appropriate software
Experience working under tight deadlines
Basic knowledge of baseball

Responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

Attend all Big Train home games and some away games
Design pre-game, in-game and post-game graphics for online use
Collaborate with social media managers and photographer to incorporate visual content into online marketing strategy
Work closely with the photographer to share material for the prompt delivery of pre- and post-game graphics and for any other graphics as required throughout the season
Work with full-time Big Train staff to create visually appealing merchandise and promotional material
Assist full-time Big Train staff with set-up and post-game procedures and any other duties as assigned

To apply, send your resume, cover letter and several graphics samples to internships@bigtrain.org with the subject “Big Train Graphic Design Internship.”

Sports Videography

The Bethesda Big Train is seeking a college or graduate school student to serve as the team videographer for all summer 2023 games and events. Individuals should have experience videoing live sports (ideally baseball) and other events, and should know how to edit clips together to create professional-looking highlight packages, promotional videos and more. Ideal candidates will have their own camera and laptop computer with video editing software such as Adobe Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro.

Interning with Big Train offers educational and networking opportunities, and course credit is available for college students.

The internship includes a $1000 payment to help cover expenses.

Qualifications:

College or graduate student
Ability to work night and weekend events
Ability to travel to away games (all are within a one-hour drive)
Sports and event videography experience
Strong knowledge of baseball
Video editing experience and computer with appropriate software
Experience working under tight deadlines

Responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

Attend all Big Train home games and away games
Video pre-game and post-game interviews with broadcasters, coaches, players and staff
Video game action on field to highlight important plays and moments
Video pre-game ceremonies and other Big Train community events as assigned
Edit highlight videos, interviews, promotional content and more, and upload videos to team YouTube channel and website
Collaborate with social media managers and photographer to incorporate visual content into online marketing strategy
Assist full-time Big Train staff with set-up and post-game procedures and any other duties as assigned

To apply, send your resume, cover letter and a video reel to internships@bigtrain.org with the subject “Big Train Videography Internship.”

Bill and Mike Veeck Baseball Operations Fellowship

Bill and Mike Veeck are legends in the baseball world for the development of fan-friendly entertainment and strategies for getting fans to stadiums. Their philosophy has inspired the Big Train since our founding. As a result, we could think of no greater honor than to name our game night operations internship program after them and they have generously agreed. Veeck Fellows assist in game night operations at each Big Train home game and serve as the behind-the-scenes brains behind marketing, promotion, sales, and community outreach. See below for more details about the Veeck fellowship program.

Game Night Operations - CLOSED FOR 2023

The Bethesda Big Train is seeking college and graduate school students to serve as game night operations interns for the summer 2023 season. Interns will rotate between several different roles on game days, including ticket sales, concessions sales, and merchandise sales, while also representing the organization in other roles at various community events. This internship is designed to give students real-life sport industry experience including event promotion, customer service, marketing, and sales. Ideal candidates are outgoing, hard-working and are willing to work in a variety of capacities. Each intern will also take responsibility for developing an idea for and executing at least one theme night, whether that is a particular pop culture theme night (ex. Marvel Night, Star Wars Night, etc), or a evening that brings attention to an important issue (ex. Pride Night).

Interning with Big Train offers educational and networking opportunities, and course credit is available for college students.

The internship includes a $750 payment to help cover expenses.

Qualifications:

College or graduate student
Ability to work night and weekend events
Outgoing and willing to engage in conversation with strangers
Customer service background preferred

Responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

Attend all Big Train home games
Serve as ticket, merchandise or concessions salesperson during home games
Greet each fan with a friendly, positive demeanor
Attend and assist in the execution of team events and promotions in the community
Develop an idea for an execute one theme night during the season, including writing the game night script, planning pre-game and on-field activities, a custom playlist, and anything else necessary for the theme's successful execution
Assist full-time Big Train staff with set-up and post-game procedures and any other duties as assigned

To apply, send your resume and a cover letter to internships@bigtrain.org with the subject “Big Train Game Night Operations Internship.”

Alexander DiMisa High School Leadership Fellowship

Alexander DiMisa was a longtime Big Train volunteer who exhibited everything the Big Train are about: service to the community. Alex dedicated his life to serving others, which is the model on which the Big Train have been built. Alex passed away helping others and we honor his memory and his lifetime of service to his community with this high school leadership fellowship. Like the Veeck Operations Fellowship, the DiMisa program gives high school students an opportunity to work within their community to develop the leadership skills that Alex always showcased every time he volunteered at Povich Field. See below for more details about the DiMisa fellowship program.

DiMisa Leadership Fellowship - CLOSED FOR 2023

The Bethesda Big Train is seeking high school students to serve as DiMisa Leadership Fellows for the 2023 season. These fellows will work with Veeck Operations Fellows to oversee and execute pre-game and in-game activities to entertain and maintain the attention of the fans. On non-game days, interns will represent and promote the organization in other roles at various community events. This internship is perfect for high schoool students interested in getting involved in the sports industry. Ideal candidates are outgoing, hard-working and able to improvise.

Interning with Big Train offers educational and networking opportunities, and course credit is available. High school students can receive Student Service Learning (SSL) hours in addition to the payment to cover expenses.

The internship includes a $250 payment to help cover expenses.

Qualifications:

High school student
Ability to work night and weekend events
Outgoing and willing to engage in conversation with strangers
Willing to be creative
Customer service background preferred

Responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:

Attend all Big Train home games
Organize and prepare for the first pitch ceremonies and any other pre-game events
Assist Veeck Fellows with game day operations, including concessions sales, ticket sales, merchandise sales, and on-field activities
Welcome, interact and engage with fans before, during and after the game
Attend and assist in the execution of team events and promotions in the community
Brainstorm ideas for game night themes and assist in the execution of them
Brainstorm ideas for community outreach
Assist full-time Big Train staff with set-up and post-game procedures and any other duties as assigned

To apply, send your resume and a cover letter to internships@bigtrain.org with the subject “DiMisa Fellowship Program.”