Indiana’s reputation as a sports destination has been built over decades through championship events, iconic venues and a community that consistently shows up when the spotlight is brightest.

Sustaining that reputation for the next 25 years will require something else: people prepared to lead the sports industry forward.

That is where a partnership between Indiana Sports Corp and the University of Indianapolis is helping turn Indiana’s long-term sports strategy into practical opportunity.

Announced in 2025, the partnership connects UIndy students with hands-on experience inside Indiana’s sports and events ecosystem. It includes two guaranteed Indiana Sports Corp internships each year, along with opportunities for students to volunteer, network with industry professionals, and participate in professional development.

And the opportunity extends well beyond students studying sport management.

Students in areas including exercise science, analytics, communication, business, and human resources can bring their academic skills into real-world sports environments. The partnership also includes plans for digital badges that recognize volunteer and event experience, giving students another way to demonstrate the skills they develop outside the classroom.

Together, those experiences can help bridge an important gap between learning about the sports industry and learning how to work within it.

Building the Talent Behind the Events

Indiana Sports Corp’s 2050 Vision is a 25-year statewide strategy with an ambitious goal: Make Indiana the global epicenter of sports.

Reaching that goal will take more than continuing Indiana’s tradition of hosting world-class events. It also means developing the talent that plans those events, builds sports businesses, advances new technologies, and eventually becomes the next generation of industry decision-makers.

That is central to the Sports Academia pillar of the 2050 Vision, which focuses on creating high-quality academic opportunities and leading research connected to sports.

The UIndy partnership puts that idea into practice by connecting education with direct industry experience.

“If you want to work in the sports industry, the best place to study is in Indiana,” Indiana Sports Corp Chief of Staff & Strategy Sarah Myer said when the partnership was announced.

Creating that kind of environment requires collaboration between the organizations creating sports opportunities and the institutions preparing students to pursue them.

For UIndy students, that means access to experiences that can strengthen a resume, build a professional network, and provide a clearer understanding of potential careers. For Indiana’s sports ecosystem, it helps establish a pipeline of people who already have experience working alongside the organizations and events that make the state’s sports industry distinctive.

Investing in Indiana’s Sports Future

The partnership also illustrates a larger opportunity within the 2050 Vision.

Indiana has spent decades building the infrastructure, expertise, and relationships necessary to host major sporting events. The next chapter is about using those assets in new ways and as a learning environment for people who want to build careers in sports.

No single partnership will create that workforce on its own. But connecting Indiana’s universities, students, and sports organizations provides a model for how the state can develop talent alongside the industry itself.

If Indiana wants to remain a place where major sports moments happen, it must also become a place where the people behind those moments learn, grow, and build their careers.

That work is already underway.

Learn more about the 2050 Vision and the five pillars helping unleash Indiana’s potential through sports.