Women of the Vikings

 

Greetings from the Midwest!

I wanted to send ya’ll an update on my journey and my summer as a legal intern for the Minnesota Vikings!

First of all, the stereotyped accent and friendly nature up here is a real thing. Surprisingly, its even noticeable to a southerner, like me, who believes hospitality is home grown and experienced best in the Big Easy.

The Minnesota people have a different sort of nice about them, though. Most of which I have gathered from the many uber and shuttle drives I’ve had downtown, to the hotel, and to the Minnesota Vikings training facility.

Apart from the overwhelmingly liberal climate and the inclusion of much more diversity than I could have imagined in the Midwest, life working for the Vikings is exhilarating in a completely different fashion.

My first week was overwhelming and exciting.  On day one I dove into sponsorship agreements, learning the ins and outs of the business, pulling my hair at the language I did not understand, and smiling politely at the many gleaming, welcoming faces that I shook hands with. Then along came a two tour of the facility, morning meetings, and introduction into the next six weeks of my life in a new world.

Despite the rush of energy and happiness I now feel spending a summer practicing in my dream job, yesterday was something especially impeccable and inspiring to me: The Vikings women’s initiative is the biggest that I know of in the NFL. I was impressed and astonished with the number of women that came together to support the movement at the “Women of the Vikings” Presentation and networking hour. The General Counsel and VP of Legal here is a woman, the salary cap manager is a woman, the team nutritionist is a woman, and I have been elated to see all the support, strength, and knowledge of increasing women in sports and the law! All this time I felt as If I was pushing a cause in my head, and here it is existing in front of me, and excelling at that!

Overall, the Vikings is a beautiful organization, business, and team. Its impressive how well its run and how well they treat the employees. I am spoiled with breakfast and lunch every day in our beautiful cafeteria, and when the players are here for training camp everything is heighted to be the most tip top shape in terms of meals, employee best behavior, focus, and professionalism. Everyone is inclusive, happy, and sweet and the energy around me is vivid, loud, exciting at all times. I can’t help but attempt to slow myself down and stop to smell the roses while everything else continues to move at 10000 miles per hour around me. It is truly a unique environment to be in.

The start of NFL training camp and the Community Event the Vikings hosted last weekend keeps me busy. Legal agreements are going out for every little thing related to both events, from sponsors, to bands, to food trucks, to players hours, to practice field usage, to naming rights…IT DOES NOT END and everything needs a transactional lawyer’s keen eye.

Also, whoever said work was a 9-5 gig, lied. There is no such thing. And any one who is working in the legal profession understands that for sure. I can’t fathom how the attorney’s here get it all done! But they do! And with such diligence as well. The associate counsels even find a way to teach and mentor me along the way: Not only am I implementing the law under their tutelage, but I am learning how a business is run, how a franchise operates with multiple entities, and how to interact with high profile professionals every day. Theme? Just be cool. No one likes a bad attitude or an overly star struck employee in their face either. 

Its been a productive, inspiring, and blessed experience to say the least. I only hope it continues and that I can translate the skills I have learned thus far here into any legal scheme.

P.S it is 65 degrees here in the summer… Help pls. I do not have clothes for this.

~ from the dearest heart of a southern gal