Hello. I am Spencer Graff, a Senior at the University of Tampa and the spring intern for Knox Sports Marketing. I am a sports management major who plans on attending law school after graduation with the ultimate goal of working in the legal department for a professional team.
I really hope to learn a little bit about the legal side of the sports business world by working at Knox Sports along with gaining some experience in every aspect of the marketing world. Since I hope to be involved with a team in my career, I look forward to interning on the other side of the industry to gain some insight into the sports world outside of the big teams and leagues.
Before I started at the University of Tampa, I attended a small community college to get my general requirements out of the way but also to determine what I wanted to do. I went into my first semester not sure if I wanted to get into History, Sports Broadcasting, or psychology. I decided I did not want to teach so history was out of the picture. After taking a radio class and joining the campus radio station I realized that broadcasting was not something I was going to have much success with. I ultimately decided to pursue a degree in sports and that led me to Tampa.
I am from Buffalo, New York and I always get two reactions when I say I am from Buffalo or New York. If I say Buffalo, I am automatically a Bills fan and I get that Bills Mafia reputation. If I say I am from New York I get asked what it’s like to live in NYC. Both assumptions would be wrong because I am a Patriots fan from a rural town in Western New York. The town I grew up in was very small, to the point my graduating class was bout 70 students so coming to Tampa is a big, welcomed change.
My favorite teams are the Buffalo Sabres, New York Mets, and New England Patriots… yes Patriots. I tell people I root for the Bills 14 weeks a year just because there is nothing quite like being in Buffalo when a sports team is playing well. I was in Tampa when the Lightning won the Cup, and the celebration was awesome, but it was nothing like when the Bills made the Playoffs a few years ago. That is not a knock-on Tampa but rather an emphasis of how crazy a sports town Buffalo is which is a big part of why I love sports so much. In Western New York it seems like the only thing that makes people happy is chicken wings (yes chicken wings, they are not Buffalo Wings because Buffalo’s cannot fly) and when the Bills win. Buffalo will always be a team I root for because of how much I know the team means to my family and friends, but at the end of the day, I am a Patriots fan through and through!
Aside from my sports teams, I am a big gamer. I have been playing video games since I can remember. It’s kind of a family thing especially since my dad tells me stories about him and my mom staying up until 5 or 6 in the morning playing Super Mario on her NES. On top of being a gamer, I’m just a nerd in general. I love Star Wars and Sci-Fi to the point I plan on naming my next dog Leia if it is a girl. I’m also a dog lover who has a young Pitbull named Dutch. Dutch is one of the sweetest dogs I have ever met.
I am super excited to be joining Knox Sports and getting to know everyone here. I look forward to all the learning opportunities to come in my first step into the real world of sports management!
Intrested in applying for a Knox Sports Marketing internship? You can apply here!