References: What can they do for you?

I breathed a sigh of relief this week. After first thinking that I would have to complete a literary review for my Capstone project by the end of this semester, Mr. Weaver informed us that we should stick to sources in the form of our references that we have been establishing over the course of the semester. This was possibly the best news I’ve received all week. I’ve been steadily working to develop more references for this very assignment. When the semester first started, I didn’t think I had any connections or references that would benefit me, but as time moved along and I went through the internship interviewing process, I came to understand that there were many people I already knew that would make great references. I also came to realize that these people don’t necessarily need to be involved in sports or marketing, they can be just about anyone who knows the broadcasting business or has given me advice. Some of these people I have met by accident. Others have been formally introduced to me. And a few others I still have yet to contact to see what advice and counseling they can offer.
A few of my references are pretty obvious, simply because I have been around them much more than my others.
Lead sports newscaster and also Sports Director at WYTV in Youngstown, Bob Hannon, offered his knowledge to a number of broadcast majors the ways of announcing sports last semester in his Sports Broadcasting class. It was quite an experience and an honor to have someone so well respected in the profession teaching us the ins and outs of sports casting. Mr. Hannon was a great person to go to with advice on careers and was always willing to offer advice to how to make our broadcast projects better.
Bob Pompeani, lead sports caster and Sports Director at KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh, is someone I have enjoyed watching on KDKA for many years now. I have also been fortunate enough to come to know him through various community events. He has always been someone who always has the time to speak with me about my career path and goals. He is always one to offer great advice and was the first person to suggest that I should apply to the internship at KDKA. He has been a great help and, I believe, will become one of my greatest references as I complete my Sports Internship at the station.
Current athletic director and volleyball coach at my alma mater, Michael McDonald (aka Coach Mac to students, friends, and parents), proved to be an unlikely resource in my quest to locate references. At first, I just thought that I could only use his expertise on being a long time athletic director, but once I thought about it, I realized Coach Mac has done so much more than that. He currently sits on both the district and state committees for boys and girls volleyball, in addition to being a long-standing athletic director. He deals extensively with the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) through being both a volleyball committee member and also athletic director. He has always been someone willing to help me and could provide great advice and insight on working with school districts and/or leagues, like the WPIAL.
These are just a few of my potential references. All three of these resources can provide me with a wealth of information, primarily in sports, I will need upon entering the job race. I have many other references that I am seeking, but I believe this is a great start. I plan on keeping open communication with these, and many of my other resources, in hopes that they can provide constructive criticism, guidance, and positive reinforcement as I work my way into the wide world of sports marketing.