How Butler is building future of sports and entertainment
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Butler students Trevor Fox (far left) and Jonathon Dowding strike a pose with Butler Institute for Sports & Entertainment leader Bob Schultz; and Butler senior Gwen Hayes snaps a pic during LIV Golf Indianapolis. Photos: Courtesy of Trevor Fox and Gwen Hayes
A key part of Indianapolis' plan to become a global sports and entertainment powerhouse by 2050 resides at Butler University.
The big picture: Butler's development of the next generation of local sports and entertainment professionals is taking root as the city executes significant — and expensive — plans to boost its appeal as a host site.
Driving the news: The Butler Institute for Sports & Entertainment (BISE) launched in June to give students real-world experience and support our city's growing sports ecosystem.
- The institute's first partner, Hamilton County Sports Authority, called on Bulldog students to support communication and marketing for the record-setting LIV Golf tournament in Westfield earlier this month.
How it works: Butler created the institute to meet industry demands in the areas of experiential learning, media production, business analytics and fan engagement.
- University leaders say their effort to become the premier place for students looking to work in the sports industry is complementary to the academia pillar of Indiana Sports Corp's "2050 Vision."
- It's led by Bob Schultz, a former Downtown Indy, Inc. and Visit Indy exec who helped organize the 2012 Super Bowl, 2021 College Football Championship Game, 2024 NBA All-Star Game and every Men's Final Four since 2003.
- BISE offers partner agencies marketing services; video production and streaming support; event data analysis; kinesiology-related projects; and more.
Between the lines: A system designed to give students access to educational and employment opportunities within our booming tourism industry may convince them to keep their talents local post-graduation.
What they're saying: "I always use the mentality of 'so what, and why now?'" Schultz told Axios. "The 'why now' is this urgency to demonstrate Indiana's attractiveness for college talent, and then to retain them and keep them here to make our community and our ecosystem even stronger with that pipeline."
- "Sure, there will be students who leave. This is not a panacea for life after graduation ... but they can see themselves here. And it's not a hard leap at all."
Zoom in: Senior Trevor Fox is one of the students who contributed to the BISE's successful LIV Golf collaboration.
- A former high school athlete who didn't know what he wanted to study at Butler, Fox said the experiences provided through the institute have given him a better idea of life after college.
- "This really opened my eyes and showed me all the opportunities that are out there, especially here in Indianapolis, where every event you can think of is happening," he said.
For senior Gwen Hayes, the BISE is helping her achieve her childhood dream of working in motorsports.
- "I was 14. We were at the Gateway IndyCar race in 2017, and I remember leaving that race and telling my dad, 'This is what I want to do.' I haven't strayed from that ... it was kind of just a matter of finding my place in the sports world," said Hayes, who is currently an intern for Graham Rahal Performance. "It's an honor getting to be a part of the opening stages of this."
The bottom line: Indianapolis has plenty of rookies of the year on the court. Now we're developing them off the court.