06/16/2026
In partnership with the IU Indianapolis Sports Innovation Institute, the Indy Chamber has released a new research study examining the structure, scale, and economic performance of Indianapolis’ sports industry, finding that the region has built one of the most concentrated and fastest-growing sports economies in the country. 📈🏟️
The report, "The Business of Sport: How Indianapolis Built the Most Powerful Sports Economy in America," provides a comprehensive analysis of Indianapolis’ sports sector as an economic cluster, benchmarking the region against peer and aspirational U.S. metros across employment concentration, economic output, workforce development, and leadership representation.
Key findings include...
➕Indianapolis ranks among the nation’s leading metros in sports employment concentration, with a Location Quotient nearly double the national average.
📍The region’s sports economy demonstrates a level of specialization that exceeds significantly larger markets, including New York, Chicago, and Boston.
👩💼Indianapolis ranks among the nation’s top markets for women in executive sports leadership, placing second nationally in a benchmark analysis of professional sports organizations.
🔗Learn more about how the Circle City is becoming the epicenter of America's sports economy: https://hey.iu.edu/uqB2V