University of South Carolina graduate student Brycen Ritchie stands out from the crowd by being willing to take chances to achieve her goals.
Ritchie is on track to complete her Master of Sport and Entertainment Management degree in December, and while finishing her classes, she will also be working at one of the most prestigious internships in the country.
Ritchie was chosen through a competitive interview process for a post-graduate position at the NCAA’s national office in Indianapolis. She will begin the year-long role in June, working in the Championships and Alliances Department as a game presentation and in-venue entertainment intern. The Master of Sport and Entertainment Management degree is designed to offer students flexibility to complete academic work remotely while pursuing opportunities like this.
“I'll be assisting with everything that happens, in-game pregame and postgame for actual championships,” she explains. “A lot of scripting, video board content, things like coordinating national anthems, award presentations (I'm really excited about that). I'll also get to assist with some other departments like, corporate relations, branding and marketing, but a lot of what I'm focusing on is what's actually happening day of.”
The process of competing for the role took months, culminating with the finalists going to Indianapolis for in-person interviews. As well-prepared as she was, Ritchie was convinced she had failed at that stage.
“One of the last questions was specific to the job and what ideas I had, and I realized that so much of my experience was very university-specific, and this is something way bigger than that,” she says. “I kind of realized that I didn't have the answers that I wanted to have, and I told them that. I asked what I could be doing differently for this career and what I want to do, and I thought they totally hated that.”
In fact, as she would discover, their reaction was just the opposite. The call came a week later with the job offer, and the hiring committee told Ritchie they were particularly impressed by that answer and by her asking what she should be doing.
“What set me apart was actually what I thought they hated about me,” she says. “They also really liked how much experience South Carolina was giving me and how much more experience I was going to get this year.”
Providing opportunities for experiential learning is a hallmark of South Carolina’s Department of Sport and Entertainment Management, and Ritchie has made the most of that. She has served as a marketing intern with Gamecock Athletics, working with a variety of sports including basketball, equestrian, football, soccer and softball. She also spent the summer of 2024 in New York City as a people and culture intern with Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions.
Most recently, she attended the National Sports Forum in Boston, taking part in the Case Cup Competition, as the captain of the South Carolina team. The competition is limited to 12 of the best sport-related master’s programs worldwide.
In the classroom, Ritchie faced a transition upon coming to South Carolina, having earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee in her hometown of Knoxville. She realized that sports operations and marketing held more appeal for her, and when researching sport management programs for grad school, she learned about South Carolina.
“South Carolina was one of the first schools I applied to. They were always in my top two and as I did more research, the faculty is what really did it for me. I knew I wanted to learn from the best,” she says. “I’ve definitely been challenged with my coursework and I’ve absolutely loved it.”
Ritchie says sports law, taught by Susan O’Malley, has been one of her favorite classes. She has also served as a graduate assistant for Danny Morrison.
“It’s astounding to know all that he's done and then just to sit down with him every week, because he's just the nicest man and he always takes the time to ask me ‘Is there anything I can do for you?’” she says of Morrison, adding that he was very helpful in her preparations for the NCAA interview process.
With so much already accomplished and a bright future ahead, Ritchie has a simple answer when asked what advice she would give younger students.
“Just say yes and get experience however you can. Build your resume and say yes. You never know where taking those chances will lead,” she says. “I got to move to New York City and work for Peyton Manning just because I took a chance and emailed someone. I didn't think that I was necessarily qualified for this NCAA role, but I still went for it.”