Springfield, Mass. — September 25, 2025 — Nick Savastano (South Salem, N.Y.), a sport management major and senior on the Springfield College men's lacrosse team, recently completed an internship with the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). While on the west coast, Savastano worked with the equipment managers during training camp this summer.

What does a typical day look like for you in this role?

A typical day started around 5:00 a.m. with wake-up. From the team hotel, we headed to our practice facility in Woodland Hills. Before breakfast, we set up the practice fields for the day—laying out numbers, pylons, and practice gear for each position group. I worked with the tight ends throughout camp, so I usually prepared two hand shields and a one-man sled, which I pushed across the entire field. After setup, we went back inside to start laundry and put jerseys onto players' pads in their lockers. Then we finally headed to breakfast. Next, we received the practice script and moved out to the field. Most days I worked with special teams, which included catching punts, holding agiles for tackling drills, and setting up and cleaning up equipment. During the "indy" period, I worked directly with the tight ends on their drills. Sometimes, we moved into 1-on-1 reps, where I retrieved balls from receivers and helped snap to the quarterbacks. The bulk of practice was team segments—offense versus defense—which was exciting to be a part of. After practice, we returned inside to wash jerseys and handle laundry loops. Following lunch, we split up for various tasks. I was also assigned a special project, which I'll describe later. In the afternoon, we went back outside for a walkthrough, where I ran the chains as the team went through plays and installations. Once walkthrough ended, the rest of the day was spent prepping for the game and finishing laundry. Most days ran 12 hours or more.

Is there a specific project or task from your experience that you're especially proud of?

My special project was game day gloves and jerseys. Every pair of gloves that was worn on game day went through my hands which was very cool to see on the field. Each player (normally) receives two pairs for gameday of different color gloves (unless we are wearing alternate jerseys). I had to mark and label every glove for players and their respective position groups. I also did this for game jerseys. The Rams have a very precise way to document what game jerseys they are using. For example, I got Matthew Stafford's jerseys prepared for the first couple games of the season. He probably has four jerseys in each color. Making sure we know which jersey is which is critical in case he likes a certain style.

How has this internship influenced your future goals or career path?

This experience greatly influenced my future, I built connections with staff, players, and coaches from not only around the country but around the entire world. Brendan Burger, the Head Equipment Manager and Springfield College alum always said he's not only looking for good workers but "for good people". This rings true across the entire organization. Every single person from top to bottom is bought in at the Rams. Head Coach Sean McVay speaks about it all the time with his slogan "WE then ME". I think that everyone there embodies that vision and it is something I will take away. For me, not only was this a great experience that can set up many things but I do truly think it made me a better person. It gave me practical experience but it also taught me huge life lessons along the way.

What advice would you give to a student interested in pursuing a similar internship?

My advice to anyone that is looking to secure an internship is say yes to everything! Be the first person to volunteer no matter what it is. It won't go unnoticed and does huge things for you. Never be afraid to take that leap. And finally, connections are everything. It is drilled in our head at Springfield but it could not be more true. Build your network, it does more than you could ever know.

I am so grateful for the Los Angeles Rams and for Brendan Burger with the opportunity they gave me. I could not have done it without everyone in the Sport Management Department getting me prepared for an opportunity like this as well as my teammates of the men's lacrosse team supporting me the whole way. It was truly a one of a kind experience and something I will never forget.

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