Most teachers like to focus on developing their passion for teaching by becoming a student teacher or doing something in education. But Mallory Cleveland was working for the Denver Broncos first.
“I don’t think any other job could prepare me in life as well as that job did,” Cleveland said.
Cleveland, a finance major at the University of San Diego interned in the Bronco sponsoring and marketing department, Cleveland was promoted into a four-year job from 2009 to 2013, working various jobs in different departments.
While she worked for the Broncos, she managed corporate clients such as Red Robin; she organized an event called The Red Robin Kickoff Kid, a game where a kid would run out and grab the football tee while doing the Mile High salute whenever the Broncos would start the game by kicking off.
Cleveland was able to work on projects that mattered personally to her as well. She worked with Melanoma Exposed, where volunteers would give people free melanoma screenings for skin cancer. While watching football games can cause damage to people’s skin so melanoma screenings were the perfect way to feel safe while watching the sport.
“It’s dear to my heart just because different family members have had melanoma, it was a really important message to me that the Broncos were giving people free screenings,” Cleveland said.
Alongside organizing different events Cleveland also got marketing experience in many different areas including event marketing and social media marketing, all of which prepared her for Creek’s marketing curriculum. Teaching marketing requires Cleveland to teach all sorts of marketing techniques, and thanks to the Denver Broncos marketing department, she can deliver.
“She is very good to talk to because she knows what she is talking about,” senior Miles Nevener said.
On occasion, she would work with the Denver Broncos players. When she had sponsors who wanted the players to be involved she would always facilitate that. She thinks that communicating with the players helps her with teaching because she has to communicate with people she is not familiar with every day.
Being with the Denver Broncos also taught her useful tips that she uses while teaching.
“It was very fast-paced, and being a teacher is also fast-paced, so I always had to be on. I always had to be thinking on my feet,” Cleveland said.
She credits the Broncos for giving her thick skin, which she uses every day as a teacher. The Broncos also taught her things such as organization and how to think quickly on her feet.
While she could have grown with the Broncos to have a higher-earning career in sales, she decided to opt out of that route. She claims her passion is more for talking with others than sales.
“Customer service and client relations are my passion, and I think that ties a lot into teaching,” Cleveland said.
Cleveland’s students have admiration for her abilities to communicate so well. “I think her communication skills are great-I’m constantly getting emails from her. We are constantly talking,” senior Mia Ausman said.
She encourages students who want to go into sports marketing to look into internships and gain real-world experience. One program she recommends is a college program dedicated to sports marketing for the Broncos at Colorado State University. Usually, the internships start in the summer and during the season, but if anyone would like a head start she recommends applying in the fall.
“Don’t be afraid to find people to reach out to, because you never know, the worst thing they can do is say no,” Cleveland said.
While it may seem unbelievable that the Denver Broncos could help someone develop skills that they would later use as a teacher, Cleveland is a prime example to expect the unexpected.
“Knowing I wanted to go into teaching someday I really am grateful to have this experience,” Cleveland said.
