A broadcast journalism alumna supported the digital streaming of Olympic events for NBC Sports, helping deliver one of the world’s largest sporting events to audiences around the globe.
By: Majdulina Hamed | Published March 30, 2026
For millions of viewers around the world, the Olympic Games represent the heart of global competition and athletic excellence, while it brings together athletes from around the world. What viewers don’t see behind every broadcast is a team of media professionals working tirelessly to ensure those moments reach audiences in real time.
For Madelyn Dickinson ’24, a broadcast journalism alumna, that behind-the-scenes role became a reality when she joined NBC Sports as a Digital Operations Intern supporting coverage of the Winter Olympics.
Like many fans, her connection to the Games began years before she stepped into a professional role supporting them. Watching Olympic competitions every two years became a tradition that eventually shaped her career aspirations.
“Every two years, I was the person sitting in front of the TV watching the Summer or Winter Olympics and cheering on Team USA,” she says. “I always loved experiencing the Games as a fan and seeing athletes from around the world compete on such a big stage.”
She says she was particularly drawn to the storytelling approach used by NBC’s Olympic broadcasts.
“I have always admired the way NBC broadcasts the Olympic Games,” she says. “The network blends sports and storytelling in a way that allows viewers to truly connect with the athletes and their journeys.”
For her, the Olympics represented the ultimate example of sports’ ability to unite audiences around the world.
“The Olympics take that idea [unity] to another level with the entire world coming together to support athletes who have trained their whole lives to represent their countries,” she says. “Having the chance to help bring those moments and stories to audiences around the world felt incredibly meaningful and reaffirmed why I chose this career.”
Dickinson says her responsibilities with the network required careful coordination and long hours as she helped manage livestreamed events.
“My role with NBC Sports helped ensure that each Olympic event streamed smoothly across Peacock and NBC’s digital platforms,” she says. “Each day, I was responsible for running and monitoring multiple live event streams, usually managing three to four events a day. Since the Games were taking place in Italy, most of my shifts began at 5 a.m., and many days I worked 12-hour shifts to keep up with the event schedule.”
Dickinson says working on the Olympics provided her with insight about the scale of coordination required to broadcast a global event.
“One of the biggest things I took away from this experience was just how much teamwork goes into bringing an event like the Olympics to life,” she says. “There are so many people working behind the scenes to make sure every stream runs smoothly.”
Seeing the scale of the event firsthand reinforced her appreciation for the collaborative nature of live broadcasting.
“Being part of that process showed me how important every role is, even the ones audiences never see,” she says. “Knowing that millions of people were watching the streams we were running made the experience feel even more meaningful.”
She shares that out of all the memorable moments from this opportunity, one particular one stands out.
“The Opening Ceremony is something I had watched on my TV for years growing up, so being the person helping run the stream behind the scenes felt surreal,” she says.
The assignment also gave her the opportunity to connect with industry professionals and learn more about their career paths.
“As the only digital operations intern running Open Ceremony stream, I had the chance to spend time with the full-time digital ad insertion coordinators at NBC Sports,” she says. “Learning from their experiences while working on such a meaningful event made the moment even more memorable.”
Reflecting on her journey as a UCF student, she says the experiences she embraced and the connections she built along the way ultimately helped open the door.
“During my time at UCF, I also worked as an on-field sideline reporter and learned from Professor Eric Adelson how to tell stories about athletes beyond just their statistics,” she says. “Every class and experience at NSCM helped prepare me for the Olympics.”
As the Olympic flame continues to inspire audiences around the world, experiences such as Dickinson’s demonstrate how UCF students are turning classroom lessons into global opportunities.
“The sports media industry is smaller than people realize, and you will often cross paths with the same people throughout your career,” she says. “Being kind, curious and willing to learn from everyone you meet can go a long way.”
From the Nicholson School newsroom to one of the world’s biggest stages in sports, her journey reflects the power of storytelling, curiosity and saying yes to opportunities that push careers forward. For Knights dreaming of working in sports media, the path to the Olympics may begin closer to home than they think.
“Looking back, the opportunities I said yes to and the relationships I built are what helped open the door to experiences like working on the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.”
