By Mickey Shuey
Indianapolis Business Journal
The Indiana Sports Corp. laid out the framework for the state’s athletics industry over the next 25 years on Tuesday, with a focus on attracting more events, promoting business, technology and academic opportunities, and becoming a hub for women’s sports.
The effort, known as 2050 Vision, is the first update the organization has made to the pillars of its mission since it was founded in 1979. The plan, revealed during the group’s State of Sports event at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, follows more than two years of internal discussions and engagement with more than 100 community leaders and advocates.
“The first strategy of the late ’70s was a city strategy, but this is really a statewide strategy to become the global epicenter of sports,” said Sarah Myer, chief of staff for the Indiana Sports Corp. “There’s a lot of opportunity there, because we have a lot of other communities in the state that are advancing through sports.”
The 2050 Vision centers on five key pillars tied to sports:
• Events, with a goal of becoming a top-three sports event host city in the United States, with a focus on large, multi-sports events with high visibility;
• Technology, and making Indianapolis the heart of entrepreneurship and innovation, and a national leader in the realm;
• Academia, by increasing academic offerings and research tied to sports and creating some of the world’s top sports education programs;
• Business leadership, through attracting and retaining decision makers and major sports governing bodies;
• Women’s sports, by building a landscape that can establish and maintain Indianapolis as a world capital for teams, events and organizations.
Myer said the Indiana Sports Corp. anticipates working with SportsTech HQ — an initiative of the Indiana Economic Development Corp. that falls under the sports tourism group’s umbrella — to help propel further investment by technology start-ups across the state. The organization also plans to work closely with local universities, national governing bodies for amateur athletics and existing business leaders to advance its efforts across the board.
The Indiana Sports Corp.’s effort to chart a path forward over the next 25 years comes on the heels of numerous major sporting events hosted in Indianapolis, including the NBA All-Star Game, the U.S. Olympic Team Swim Trials and several college basketball tournament games.
The city is also poised to host several high-profile events in 2025, including World Wrestling Entertainment Inc.’s Royal Rumble, the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Midwest Regional and the WNBA All-Star Game.
During the State of Sports event, the Indiana Sports Corp. recognized WTHR-13 anchor Anne Marie Tiernon with its Inspiring Sports Storyteller Award and former Pacers Sports & Entertainment CEO Rick Fuson with the renamed Jim Morris Pathfinder Award, which pays homage to longtime civic leader Morris, who died earlier this year.