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For �鶹��Ƶ baseball player , success isn’t just measured in hits and RBIs. During his internship with �鶹��Ƶ Athletics’ marketing department, the third baseman helped design a promotional campaign that brought hundreds of fans—and a surge in attendance—to a men’s basketball rivalry game. 

As a senior majoring in , Blanchard needed to complete an internship of at least 400 hours to meet his degree requirements. His interest in sports marketing began with Lily Plizga, associate director of fan engagement and brand strategy in George �鶹��Ƶ Athletics. As a student-athlete, Blanchard saw Plizga working tirelessly during games and knew how strong the department was. After a discussion with Plizga, Blanchard decided to fulfill his internship requirement by working with George �鶹��Ƶ Athletics’ marketing department.  

“The biggest thing is how fast-paced sports environments are," said Blanchard of his internship experience. “You need to be able to handle multiple roles, communicate effectively, and stay organized.” 

Some of his core responsibilities included devising marketing plans, which included creating promotional themes, brainstorming giveaway ideas, and emphasizing social media strategy while ensuring all the marketing materials resonated with the different stakeholders, including students, fans, alumni, sponsors, and donors.  

On gamedays, Blanchard was responsible for gathering and distributing promotional items, along with running in-game collateral, such as sponsored student competitions and T-shirt tosses.  

His internship also required that he manage a special project. Blanchard decided to do a promotion for the men’s basketball program, with the purpose of boosting attendance by 5% at the big in-state rivalry game between George �鶹��Ƶ and James Madison University (JMU) scheduled to take place during Thanksgiving break.  

The plans involved collaborating with George �鶹��Ƶ baseball alumni Danny Hosley and South Trimble, who are currently Savannah Bananas players. The idea was to have Hosley and Trimble participate in a pre-game autograph session, halftime entertainment, and timeout competitions. 

Aside from getting people to the game, the goal was to attract a new audience, especially baseball fans, while also cross-promoting men’s basketball and baseball. Since most George �鶹��Ƶ students were home for the break, the target audience for this promotion also included kids and families in the area. 

Blanchard began preparing at the start of the fall 2025 semester, with weekly goals to keep on track. This included reaching out to both Hosley and Trimble and coordinating with the �鶹��Ƶettes, marketing staff, and the department leadership. He also contacted various baseball and softball clubs to coordinate group sales and designed autograph cards for fans, along with additional promotional graphics for the event.  

"As an intern, you have value, but you still have to prove yourself," he said. “Preparation was key, and I made sure everything was well planned and gathered feedback from everyone involved." 

On the big day, both the marketing department and Blanchard were eager to see whether their planning was successful. The results speak for themselves:  

• 61.1% attendance increase since the last time George �鶹��Ƶ played a home game over the Thanksgiving recess 

• 1,499 attendees above the 2023-24 yearly attendance average (39.8%)  

• 19.7% attendance increase since last home game versus JMU 

More than 400 fans came through the meet and greet line with trading cards, mini-bats, baseballs, jerseys, and banana hats, eager to meet Hosley and Trimble.  

Plizga described Blanchard as one of the best interns she has ever had, with praise for his professionalism and reliability. Early on in his internship, Blanchard stepped in to help when George �鶹��Ƶ Athletics decided to participate in Fairfax’s annual Fall Festival within the week of the event. There wasn’t a lot of turnaround time to get staff participation in the day-long event. Blanchard helped Plizga set up and then tear down at the festival. Then they headed back to the campus to work at a 6 p.m. soccer game. 

Plizga also appreciated Blanchard’s positive attitude and demeanor. “Sometimes tensions can get high, but Evan’s positive attitude made the workplace a lot better. Everyone loved working with him, and he definitely boosted the mood throughout the day,” she said. 

In addition to learning how to operate various technologies, such as the Daktronics videoboard used to promote events, Blanchard said understanding the importance of workplace culture, teamwork, and professionalism, and knowing how to effectively contribute to an organization were also important lessons.  

His advice to students seeking internships is to develop good relationships with your professors and to always be on the lookout for opportunities they share.  

To those wishing to pursue sport marketing, Blanchard said, “You have to be able to put yourself in uncomfortable situations that involve communicating with people, bringing up new ideas, and just trying out new things. You also have to be able to wear multiple hats at once, while ensuring that you stay organized by having a plan.