Michael Lepere has always found lessons in sports. As a senior at Springfield College and a member of the baseball team, he has faced challenges that have helped him grow both mentally and physically.
Last semester, he began navigating the fast-paced world of sport management with an internship at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. What began as an opportunity to gain hands-on experience quickly evolved into an immersive education in event operations, networking and behind-the-scenes efforts that bring major sporting events to life.
Securing the internship wasn’t a matter of luck – it was the result of Lepere’s persistence and initiative. While searching for an internship that met the requirements of Springfield’s Sport Management Program, he discovered the Hall of Fame opportunity through a family connection. Rather than waiting for things to fall into place, Lepere followed up consistently and landed an interview.
“I had an internship at the time, but it wasn’t approved by the sport management program because it didn’t have as much administrative work,” Lepere said. “The Hall of Fame was brought up, and I’m a big sports guy anyway, so a mutual friend reached out, and I hammered emails for a while and luckily got an interview and got the internship from the interview.”
Day-to-day in the office, Lepere’s responsibilities included working on sponsorship presentations, preparing event handbooks, communicating with partners and handling a variety of tasks that kept the operation running smoothly.
A key highlight of Lepere’s experience was working during Enshrinement Weekend, where basketball’s greatest figures are honored. Typically a summer event, the 2024 ceremony was postponed to October, giving Lepere the rare opportunity to experience it firsthand.
In his role, Lepere worked directly with NBA legends and Hall of Fame inductees. He was responsible for assembling ceremonial ring boxes – making each one personalized for the honorees – scanning tickets and assisting backstage during the event.
During the dinner at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn., Lepere had the honor of escorting the inductees to the autograph room. Though the event’s planning had already been largely completed when he started in September, seeing it all come together was an unforgettable experience.
“I like seeing work become a success,” Lepere said. “Because I’m an athlete, you put in the work and reap the rewards and you can see that on the playing field. It’s kind of similar in event operations where if you prepare correctly and mitigate any risks and make sure you have everything prepared, the event’s going to run the way you want it to.”
Following Enshrinement Weekend, Lepere was also involved in planning and executing the Hoophall Classic, which is an annual basketball showcase for high school teams that takes place at Springfield College. He attended meetings to help plan the event, focusing on risk management and working with sponsors.
One of his key tasks was creating a spreadsheet used to track notable players across different teams and age groups. Additionally, he managed the important task of adding lanyards to each credential used at the event.
While Lepere had always viewed sports through the lens of competition, his time at the Hall of Fame gave him a new perspective on the amount of planning and precision required to execute major events.
“If you’re a fan of sports, I definitely suggest sport management because of how broad it is,” Lepere said. “You can do so many different things with the major, whether you want to be an athletic director, a general manager or event operations. I even more recommend this to people who love to see how things are run on the business side as well.”
Photo courtesy of Michael Lepere