Sharrieff Muhammad, 2022 Spring Communications Intern and now the March Madness Social Programmer for Bleacher Report and TNT Sports, took the time to be featured in our Fortinet Intern Spotlight Series.
Tell me about your background and what led you to a career in sports.
I grew up in Macon, Georgia, and was around sports my whole life. The earliest ones I played were football and basketball, and then the sport I stuck with was soccer. I always enjoyed playing but I almost enjoyed talking about sports even more. The moment I knew I wanted to work in sports was when I was around 14 years old being driven to soccer practice and my dad asked what I wanted to do in life. I didn’t have an answer at the time, but I knew this was my passion. Talking about and being around sports even if I’m not playing just brought me so much joy.
So what led you to the AJGA Internship and tackling a new sport you didn’t know prior?
I was a journalism major at Georgia State. I graduated around peak COVID time, so a lot of opportunities were closed off. I think that was a huge drawing point towards the AJGA as well because it allowed me to get that experience that I wanted. I didn’t really care what sport it was, but it happened to be golf and I casually watch golf now because of the internship. Not having a golf background was a pretty easy shift in the sense that I understand sports quickly if I get invested so for me it wasn’t too difficult. All the full-time employees were super hands-on so that made everything a seamless experience.
Talk about your AJGA Internship experience. What were some of your favorite memories?
My favorite part was the teamwork aspect, our entire team would agree that we were super close, and even a couple of months ago I hung out with my intern teammates, Garret Fassett and Jack Harrigan, so we were super tight-knit and I loved the teamwork aspect. I also loved how every Tournament Director you have has been through what you’re going through so it’s easy to relate to them. The travel was fun and Phoenix, AZ was a fun week at Heather Farr [Thunderbirds Heather Farr Classic] because it was the biggest event we got to do and felt like I could make the biggest impact there. Working the tournaments, even though it is long hours, you’re doing something super fulfilling for juniors who are going to make an impact in the golf industry in the future.
What parts of the AJGA Internship do you think have prepared you the most for what you do now and what does your day-to-day look like?
We were thrown in like we were full-time employees and we got full creative freedom, especially as a Communications Intern. I work in social now, and I have full freedom. I feel like I am more comfortable now because I had already done it with the AJGA. Now I’m working with Bleacher Report and TNT Sports running their March Madness Brands, so on a day-to-day basis I create content for a variety of different social media platforms. During the season it includes hitting real-time highlights for X and highlighting the biggest moments in college basketball. It’s very long hours but that’s another thing the AJGA prepared me for, it’s almost like a walk in the park and I am very used to working 15-hour days. I got the chance to go on-site for the first time at the beginning of the season and there was no pressure because I had already done it with the AJGA.
What are some of your long-term goals within Bleacher Report and TNT Sports?
I’ll be going to the Final Four, which is like a full-circle moment because I was just talking about my favorite [AJGA] event, and the Final Four is of course in Phoenix this year. Right now, I am trying to learn and soak up as much as possible. I think at this moment I would love to be a film producer and go on-site more and ask those fun questions to players and create content on-site.
What would you tell someone who is thinking of doing the AJGA Internship?
Just do it. It’s going to be an amazing resume builder and something that gives you that real-life experience. Especially from the Communications point of view, it gives you full creative freedom as if you’re a full-time employee and it’s going to truly prepare you for whatever you want to do.
If you're driven to be part of this dynamic community, applications for the 2025 AJGA Internships will open in August. For more insights into the #AJGAInternship, explore the AJGA Careers webpage and Instagram channel .
