Indianapolis sports economy tops major U.S. metros in new study

A new study from the Indy Chamber and IU Indianapolis says Indianapolis has built one of the country’s most concentrated and fastest-growing sports economies, with strong gains in jobs, output and women’s executive leadership. The findings underscore how decades of sports investment have helped the metro outperform much larger rivals and strengthen its business case as a national sports hub. Why it matters: - Indianapolis is positioning sports as a major economic engine, not just a source of events and entertainment. - The metro’s performance suggests a smaller city can outpace larger markets when sports investment is coordinated over decades. - The findings matter for economic development, workforce growth and leadership diversity across the local sports industry. What happened: - The Indy Chamber and the IU Indianapolis Sports Innovation Institute released a study titled The Business of Sport: How Indianapolis Built the Most Powerful Sports Economy in America . - The report benchmarks Indianapolis against peer and aspirational U.S. metros across employment concentration, economic output, workforce development and leadership representation. - The study says Indianapolis has built one of the most concentrated and fastest-growing sports economies in the U.S. The details: - 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 specialization exceeds that of larger markets including New York, Chicago and Boston. - Sports-related employment in Indianapolis grew 44.3% between 2016 and 2024. - Sports-related Gross Regional Product rose 81.2% over the same period. - Indianapolis ranks second nationally in a benchmark analysis of women in executive sports leadership. - The region’s sports economy spans professional franchises, governing bodies, motorsports, sports technology, event operations, venue management and related business services. - The report says the metro’s roughly two million residents outperform far larger markets on both employment concentration and industry specialization. - The research partnership included sport management faculty, applied researchers, graduate students and economic development leaders. - The analysis examines the city’s sports business ecosystem through a workforce and economic development lens. - A full report is available online. Between the lines: - The study reframes Indianapolis’ sports success as infrastructure built through civic coordination, institutional leadership and long-term investment. - The women’s leadership finding points to an ecosystem issue, not just individual advancement. - The city’s advantage appears to come from breadth as much as headline events, with a network of teams, universities, motorsports groups, technology firms and civic partners. - Sports Business Journal ranked Indianapolis No. 3 among the nation’s Best Sports Business Cities in 2026, citing concentration, infrastructure, event portfolio and long-term strategy. What’s next: - Regional leaders are likely to use the report to support future investment, talent development and sports-related business recruitment. - The findings add momentum to Indianapolis’ push to market itself as a national sports business center. - The research partnership has created a baseline that can be used to track future changes in the city’s sports economy. The bottom line: - Indianapolis has turned sports into a broad-based economic asset, and the new research says that strategy is delivering measurable scale, growth and leadership strength.