Nick Kopka is a doctoral candidate at the University of Louisville pursuing his degree in Educational Leadership and Organizational Development with a specialization in Sport Administration. His current research interest is the social impact of sport tourism. Nick graduated from Ball State University in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science in Sport Management and Ohio University with a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Sports Administration in 2017 and 2018, respectively. He worked a variety of events including the 2015 Men’s Final Four, Men’s and Women’s Big Sky Basketball Tournaments, USA Cycling Amateur Road National Championships, Connect Sports Marketplace 2017, USA Cyclocross Championships, 2023 and 2024 Indianapolis 500, and the 2018, 2024, and 2025 Super Bowls.

Before pursuing his doctoral degree, Nick worked with the Louisville Sports Commission, the 500 Festival, and the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission. He worked in both event management and sales roles along with volunteer recruitment and budget oversight.