WEST LAFAYETTE — The Circle City is considered the amateur sports capital of the world, which is why Purdue University is launching a new master's program to make sure people are fully trained to manage the demand.
“Indianapolis has really set the tone,” said Jeanne Boyd, the Executive Director of the New Sports Management Program being offered by Purdue University. “It relates to the innovation and the engineering programs and the business and science and technology and all of that.”
Boyd is a former NCAA Tournament director with NCAA.
She told WRTV, that the program will go well beyond the classroom, with students getting the opportunity for real-world experience.
“Right now we have, again, two partnerships with this sports Corp and the athletic department, but our hope is to broaden that out,” said Boyd.
“The opportunities students will have just in the next few years. We’re hosting the Men’s Final Four next year, the Women’s Final Four in 2028 we’ll see but there are just so many things they can figure out with this hands-on experience,” added Sarah Myer the Chief of Staff & Strategy, Indiana Sports Corp.
The commission was established in 1979 and was the first created in the nation, they have helped put on thousands of major events across the city and are planning for many more.
According to Purdue, the fast-growing sports industry generates billions of dollars in Indiana each year and is expected to grow 11% nationwide by 2033.
“With everything growing in sports there’s so much so many more jobs than you would think,” Myer explained. “There are more teams coming online so all of those things are really important in building things around that ecosystem.”
The goal of the new degree program is not only to fill a much-needed demand but also get graduate students to stay in the Hoosier State.
“Whether you want to be the the data analytics person or a marketer or a writer or an operations person and you have an interest in sports, Indianapolis needs to be the place for that.”
The curriculum will focus on topics such as sport marketing, sports analytics, and organizational leadership, as well as ticketing, sales, sponsorships, and venue management will be covered.
