About Us
Backed by one of the largest sports newsrooms in the world, The Athletic delivers in-depth stories for fans about the teams, sports, and athletes they care about most. With over 450 full-time journalists, our newsroom provides detailed coverage of hundreds of professional and college teams across more than 47 markets in North America, all 20 English Premier League clubs, and several Championship teams.

About the Role
The Athletic is now accepting applications for the Leon H. Carter Internship Program for Summer 2026!

We’re looking for a student intern to join our Ad Marketing team, supporting Strategy and Program Management. This team drives our custom advertising campaigns for brand partners. Working closely with Sales, Planning, Design, Creative, and Editorial, they transform client briefs into strategic, insight-driven sponsorship ideas and polished presentations.

We’re seeking a student who’s passionate about how brands connect with sports culture and wants to contribute to impactful brand partnerships. You’ll gain hands-on experience in combining creative and media strategies, supporting advertiser programs, contributing to proposals, and creating work you can showcase in your portfolio.

This internship pays $20.00 USD per hour.

The application deadline is November 17, 2025.

What You’ll Learn

– How to develop and pitch sponsorship ideas to major brands
– How different teams—strategy, creative, program management, media planning, and sales—collaborate in a modern media company
– How to create compelling narratives and visually engaging presentations
– How to work cross-functionally on real campaigns with deadlines
– How to build, price, and manage client campaign programs and deliverables
– How to involve sports talent in branded content initiatives
– How to present your work professionally in a portfolio

Responsibilities

– Conduct research on clients, industries, and audiences to support proposal development
– Participate in brainstorming sessions and help shape creative sponsorship ideas
– Draft and compile proposal content, including trends, case studies, and background materials
– Collaborate with Strategy and Design to ensure presentations are clear, cohesive, and delivered on time
– Create tools and templates to improve the proposal or post-sale production process
– Complete a capstone project, such as responding to an RFP or creating a client presentation, with guidance from Strategy
– Gain end-to-end exposure to the proposal strategy process—from sales brief to final pitch

Requirements

– Rising junior, senior, or recent graduate with relevant studies or experience in marketing, advertising, communications, journalism, or a related field
– Strong interest in sports, media, and marketing
– Excellent writing, research, and storytelling abilities
– Curious, team-oriented, and comfortable in a fast-paced, remote-first environment
– Highly organized and detail-focused, with strong communication and presentation skills
– Proficient in Google Slides or PowerPoint (bonus if familiar with Canva, Figma, or Adobe Creative Suite)

The Athletic Media Company is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages applicants from all backgrounds and experiences. We consider all candidates regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender identity or expression, age, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other legally protected status.

To learn how we handle applicant data, please review our Applicant Privacy Notice.

Be cautious of job scams. Our recruiters only use careers@theathletic.com. We do not conduct interviews via text or instant messaging, and we never ask candidates to buy equipment, download software, or provide sensitive personal information like bank details or social security numbers. If you receive suspicious communication claiming to be from The Athletic, please report it to law enforcement and to people@theathletic.com.