Purdue University President Mung Chiang met with Mel Raines, the CEO of Pacers Sports & Entertainment, Thursday as part of the Presidential Lecture Series. They discussed the future of the Indiana Pacers and Fever, and reflected on Raines’s career.
The lecture opened with a discussion on Tyrese Haliburton and his injury in last year’s NBA Finals. “He’s not running yet, but I believe he will be soon … His recovery over the course of the season will be well documented for those who care to follow us,” Raines said.
Purdue President Mung Chiang and Pacers Entertainment CEO Mel Raines on stage before the Presidential Lecture Series Thursday.
Andrew Kahn | Staff Reporter
Next, they talked about the Indiana Fever and the team’s resilience in the face of injuries. “I really credit Stephanie (White) for navigating (the injuries) … I’ve never seen anything like it,” Raines said. The Fever has several starting players on the injured reserve list, most notably, guard Caitlin Clark.
Chiang and Raines then moved to a discussion on women’s sports as a whole. “I think for women’s sports, women’s professional sports, the biggest impediment right now is infrastructure.” Raines said. “If you’re an independent team … you’re playing in a smaller building, you don’t have the premium inventory, you don’t have the sponsorship inventory and all the things you need to build and grow a league.”
Raines then spoke about the new Fever training facility being built in Indianapolis. “Ground broke about a month ago, and our friends at Shiel Sexton, who are all Purdue grads … are leading that project,” Raines said. “It will be the best women’s training facility in the world, solely dedicated to their needs.”
Facilities will include mental health services, recovery equipment and trainers, podcast studios, and even a hair salon. “If you want to get your nails or hair done, I don’t want you to have to go to the other side of town. I’d rather have you spending more time in our building,” Raines said. “It will help us get the best free agents in the world, and retain the best players in the world.”
Next, Chiang and Raines moved on to NIL deals and the impact on college athletes moving into the professional world. “I think what the players expect when they get to (the professional level) will dramatically change as they go from being an independent contractor to joining a union,” Raines said.
The conversation then shifted to AI and its impact on college and professional sports. “(AI) is not going to replace you, but the person who embraces AI will,” said Raines. “I think (AI) is a decent thought starter. It has never replaced something that I would write myself, but it has been good for research.”
Towards the end of the event, Raines took questions from students in the Daniels School of Business. Students asked her to look back on her career and give advice to someone aspiring to go into a similar role to hers in the sports entertainment industry. “It’s a lot of hard work. It’s nights and weekends because people are coming to see these events in their free time,” she said. “Understanding it’s not a 9-to-5 is really important.”
Purdue President Mung Chiang and Pacers Entertainment CEO Mel Raines on stage during the Presidential Lecture Series Thursday.
Andrew Kahn | Staff Reporter
Finally, Chiang and Raines discussed the role of the CEO in the sports entertainment industry. “Our vision is as simple as this: make everybody a fan,” said Raines. “You do the boring stuff with … legal and finance and all those things, and then you do the fun stuff with marketing and new ticket promotions and go to practice sometimes, which is pretty cool.”
Most importantly, Raines highlighted the satisfaction she gets out of her job. “If what you love about it is that you’re bringing people together from every part of your community behind one team … I think you’re really going to love it.”
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