Camping With The Bears

By Sam Mangieri III ‘11 - Advertising major

As most students said in their journal entries, I didn’t have a clue what to expect when I arrived at my internship at the Bears training camp in Bourbonnais, Illinois.  I like my comfort, and was quite content with coasting into my junior year at BU with the routine I was used to at home.  But, I find my biggest adventures, and best experiences, come precisely when I have jumped out of that comfort zone.  So when July 30th rolled around, I knew it was time to jump again.

I knew the Bears didn’t mess around when I underwent CPR training as soon as I arrived.  My internship, unlike most summer gigs was only 20 days in length.  What a short twenty days it was! I had an awesome time working alongside some great co-workers.  Our advertising and events staff consisted of about 30 people. Our boss, Matt Black, is a Bradley graduate.

He and the three other superiors have a hefty task of corralling us and the thousands of fans that pile into Olivet Nazarene University.  This is projected to be an awesome year for the Bears and their fans have shown their belief in the team.  About 6,000 fans pile in the gates each day.  One day we had more than 12,000 fans make the pilgrimage to the small town to see their team practice.

Each day of camp is about 4 hours in length and divided into two hour shifts for staff.  Each of us is assigned 2 different jobs each day.  I could be running one of the inflatable play-pens you see at county fairs the first shift and the next I could be doing something as sweet as working at an autograph session.  Other tasks include assisting with the family/sponsor tents, handing out giveaways, assisting the Bears’ mascot, Staley, around camp, and crowd control while players enter/leave practice.  Overall, it was a great time and I feel I left with some solid experience.

The interns are housed in the third floor of the building nearest the cafeteria (even closer than the players themselves).  Our rooms get room service every day, where they come with fresh towels and change our sheets. Three meals a day are provided in the same cafeteria where the players eat.  We don’t sit in the same area, but on any given day I could be standing behind Jay Cutler or Brian Urlacher at some point in the salad line.

If only I had a buck for every time one of my friends has asked, “So do you get to talk to the players?”   The answer is, “Only if they talk to you first.”  Unfortunately, the only time a player said anything to me was when the 3rd string tight-end said “Wow” to me after I splattered salsa on his shirt in the nacho bar.  Other than that, head-nods and points are enough for me. I’ll let the super fan co-workers fight for a little time with their favorite superstar.  Where I get my kicks is when I leave from breakfast.  Sometimes a buddy and I pretend that the media outside the cafeteria doors is there for us.  So if you ever see me throw a cheerful wave to a cameraman on Sports Center, know it was to you, my friends at Bradley University.