Parks, Recreation and Tourism Alum Finds Career in Sports Marketing
At a Glance
- Parks, Recreation and Tourism alum Alex Aguirre turned his love of sports into a career in sports marketing.
- Hands-on classes and internships prepared him for real-world sports marketing work.
- Aguirre earned a competitive internship with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and eventually a full-time job with them.
Alex Aguirre has always loved sports.
Growing up in Utah, he spent his time playing soccer, watching games, and eventually dedicating entire Saturdays to college football. He wanted a career around sports but was unsure what to pursue.
Now a 2025 graduate of the Parks, Recreation and Tourism (PRT) program, Aguirre works in sports marketing after landing a job with one of the biggest brands in motorsports: the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
But getting there took some exploration.
Finding the Right Fit
Aguirre’s path was not a straight line. He originally attended Marquette University, planning on a pre-physical therapy degree but it didn’t feel right. Then he moved to University of Utah to study business.
But something still felt off.
“I didn’t feel like it was the best fit,” Aguirre remembers.
A friend eventually introduced him to the Parks, Recreation and Tourism major. After speaking with student advisor Eric Gardner and learning about the program’s required senior internship opportunities — including students interning all over the country and with organizations like the Minnesota Vikings — he was sold on the program.
What is Parks, Recreation and Tourism?
The Parks, Recreation and Tourism program prepares students for careers centered around events, communities, sports and recreation industries. Students learn skills in leadership, marketing, budgeting, communications, event planning and operations while gaining hands-on experience through internships and applied projects.
One of the biggest strengths of the program, Aguirre says, is its versatility.
“The type of person who should look into PRT is someone ambitious, someone who doesn’t fit into the regular business mold,” he says.
PRT graduates go on to careers in:
- Sports marketing and operations
- Event planning and production
- Tourism and hospitality
- Outdoor recreation and ski resorts
- Community recreation programming
- Parks management
- Public relations and communications
- Resort and destination management
“Classmates who graduated with me work at Snowbird, Alta, the Montage in Park City,” Aguirre says. “You can do everything from event planning to marketing like I’m doing.”
Learning Through a Sports Lens
For Aguirre, one of the most valuable aspects of the program was how it applied traditional business concepts to industries students were passionate about.
In one sports business course, he learned budgeting, Excel and financial analysis through the framework of athletics and sports organizations.
“It was really fun because I was looking at budgets and numbers through a sports lens,” Aguirre explains. “It gives you an opportunity to look at stuff in a fun, applied way.”
The program’s integrated core courses also gave him practical experience planning real-world events. During one semester-long project, Aguirre helped create an event for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Salt Lake City. That event served around 50 people. Later, he used the same planning skills to plan an event with thousands during his internship.
“It was the same type of project,” he says. “Just for thousands of people instead of 50.”
Taking a Chance on Indianapolis
Wanting push outside his comfort zone, Aguirre searched for internship opportunities outside of Utah. When he discovered an opening with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, he decided to apply — despite not knowing much about IndyCar racing at the time.
“I found the opportunity on a website and was intrigued,” he remembers.
Taking a big shot, Aguirre applied. And out of nearly 200 applicants, he landed the internship.
During his time there, he worked on grassroots marketing campaigns, fan festivals and community events to grow excitement around the Indianapolis 500. One project involved traveling to different towns with racing simulators so fans could experience driving an IndyCar.
Another highlight was helping organize Community Day, where Indianapolis 500 drivers visited elementary schools for special educational programming.
“Getting to plan that from the ground up was really fun and really cool,” Aguirre says.
Even though he entered the internship without much racing knowledge, he quickly became immersed in the sport.
“There was definitely a learning curve,” he said. “But ultimately I fell in love with it.”
Now, he enthusiastically encourages others to experience motorsports in person.
“It’s such a spectacle,” Aguirre says. “You see these massive cars going 180 miles an hour and then slamming on their brakes into a 90-degree turn. It’s incredible.”
Turning Coursework into a Career
Aguirre says the transition from the classroom to professional sports marketing felt surprisingly natural because so much of his coursework directly applied to the job.
He balanced budgets during his internship, collaborated with public relations teams and worked on vendor contracts — all things he had already practiced in class.
“Seeing it in an academic environment and then seeing it in a real-world environment was so cool,” he says.
After returning home from Indianapolis, Aguirre began applying for jobs in sports marketing and operations. Eventually, another opportunity with the Indianapolis 500 organization opened, and he applied, and got the marketing role.
“I never thought doing PRT I would be doing marketing,” he says. “I thought I would be in event planning, but marketing was a better fit for me.”
For students who feel uncertain about their college and career path, Aguirre says to explore your options.
“If you’re a student and kind of lost and don’t know what you want to do, have a conversation with an advisor,” he says.
For him, that conversation changed everything. He changed to a major her had never heard of and landed in his dream career –sports.