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Career Report: Final Paper

Ryan H Lulley

Pennsylvania State University

RPTM 101

Professor Emigh

March 27, 2024

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For my interview on February 29th, I chose Caitlin Ramage who graduated from Penn

State in 2023 with a degree in Marketing and a minor in RPTM. The reason that I chose Caitlin as

my interviewee is because she worked for the Miami Dolphins during the 2023 NFL season. She

was particularly interesting to me because I have always loved the Miami Dolphins and it would

be my dream to work for them one day. Caitlin initially worked as an intern between her Junior

and Senior year in their events department and then was hired full time as an entertainment

coordinator.

The Miami Dolphins mission statement is “Leveraging the power of sports and

entertainment to inspire a healthier, more educated and united South Florida.” This

demonstrates that the Dolphins are committed to serving everyone from Miami and the

surrounding area. There are no special benefits or lower ticket pricing for locals however most

of the people that go to the games are residents of greater Miami. Some of Caitlyn’s

responsibilities were to develop a plan and set up events such as Hall of Fame ceremonies,

Salute to Soldiers, and booking the national anthem singers and other half-time shows. When

she had to book the national anthem singers, she tried to find local singers that were from the

surrounding area that might be early in their careers.

The Miami Dolphins offered a plethora of services for the guests attending the games

and events. During pre-season practice sessions, Caitlyn set up events such as face painting and

games for the people attending so they could have fun and it would be a memorable

experience. There are approximately 200 full-time employees that work for the Dolphins and

include the events and entertainment staff that set up all the activities and make sure that they

run smoothly.
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The entertainment department provides many services for fans and their families. These

services include photo-ops, meeting alumni, getting autographs, the fan-zone, and any in

stadium activities. The goal of these services was to get fans in early, remain in their seats, and

to stay for the whole game. There are special areas for the activities to help give the fans an

experience they would not forget and share with others. Caitlyn also planned and coordinated

pre-game activities, such as, flyovers, National Anthem singers, and recognition of people like

wounded warriors. Her group also coordinated with all other departments to provide services

like ticketing for other family members, travel, security access and concessions in special suites.

She said one of the best parts of the job but also a challenging one was to coordinate with

virtually all the other departments on events so she got to know most everyone on the staff.

There are about 200 full time workers that help put everything together from game days

to preseason practices and any activities on site. The stadium also has approximately 500 part

time workers that help maintain the stadium and concessions during the games so these are

seasonal or event-based staff.

The department gets a set budget decided on by the owner at the beginning of the year.

They must work within that budget for all their home games, so funds are not unlimited. The

department can receive extra funding if the team is able to make the playoffs at the end of the

season. Because the budget is set and limited, they try to work with local talent like national

anthem singers that might work for free to build their exposure.

There are many challenges working within the field of RPTM such as long hours, working

holidays and weekends, and not having time to do much outside of work, particularly during
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the season. It is also a stressful profession as many issues can arise in preparing an event and

when executing. The event goes on but often times issues arise, and you have to act quickly.

It’s expected that everything runs smoothly, but that isn’t always the case behind the scenes.

However, there are also many exciting aspects like meeting many of the famous players

including Penn State alumni, the coaches, the entertainers, and millions of people being able to

see your hard work on national television. You also get lots of responsibility even as a junior

team member because everyone is critical to making the events run without issues. Caitlyn also

commented on the large Penn State alumni base in the field of sports and how she received

both her jobs through alumni contacts. It made me realize how important networking is and

will be with other Penn State alumni.

The interview that I conducted was very helpful and insightful as to what goes on when

working in this field. It showed me how everything is done behind the scenes of my favorite

football team. It gave me a new appreciation of all the work that goes unseen but must be

done.

Miami Dolphins. dolphins.com. (n.d.).

https://www.miamidolphins.com/community/foundation/#:~:text=Leveraging%20the
%20power%20of%20sports,and%20united%20South%20Florida%20community.