Sports, Media
+ Infrastructure Business Academy

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About the Program — Sports, Media + Infrastructure Business Academy

About the Program

Sports, Media
+ Infrastructure Business Academy

SMIBA is a five-day workforce and supplier training program that turns student-athletes into infrastructure professionals. Participants earn verified credentials, visit real project sites, compete in live business challenges, and build the supplier and workforce connections that drive education and careers in sports, energy, construction, maritime, manufacturing, and digital infrastructure — powered by The SPIN Foundation.

Days

Teams

Challenges

$5K

Stipend Per Team

Training Hours

Reality Show

July 13–17

2026

2026 Season

2026 Teams

🟡

Team

Yellow Team

🔵

Team

Blue Team

To Be Announced

🔴

Team

Red Team

To Be Announced

🟢

Team

Green Team

To Be Announced

About the Program

Sports, Media + Infrastructure
Business Academy
2026 Season

Pre-Season — Spring 2026

Rookie
Orientation

1-on-1 Virtual Meetings

Spring
Virtual

1-on-1 Intake Meeting

A private spring meeting. Goals aligned. Career Playbook foundation set.

1-on-1 Virtual Spring Intake & Alignment Playbook Foundation

Training Camp

Virtual Group Meeting

Early June
Virtual

Orientation, Cohort & Individual Draft Challenge

Commissioner, GMs, and Coaching Team meet. Rules set. Challenge announced. Execution sets draft pos.

Virtual Team Orientation Challenge I Launch

Draft Day

Team Selection

Wednesday Evening
July 12, 2026
Virtual

Rankings, Team Selection & Activation

Draft rankings go public. GMs select rosters. Student-Athletes receive their team, colors, and staff

Draft Rankings Team Assignment 4 Teams GM Draft

Regular Season — July 13–16, 2026

Day 01

Monday

Sports Power Rating Day

NYC/Long Island

Student-Athletes complete a verified performance assessment translating athletic discipline, leadership, and communication into measurable professional value. Then meet mentors and begin media training.

Sports Power Rating Assessment

Verified assessment of performance, leadership, and readiness. Foundation of their Career Playbook.

What is Infrastructure 101 Intro to Construction Safety

Sports + Infrastructure Case Studies, Team Planning + Media Meetings

Case studies, team strategy alignment, and first media production meetings. Tone set for the week.

Pathway Alignment Mentor Matching Media Production Intro

Day 02

Tuesday

Infrastructure Day

NYC / Long Island
Sponsor Site

Student-Athletes visit active infrastructure companies and project sites, observing how development is managed, how materials and labor move, and how businesses coordinate at scale.

Team Sponsor Site Visit

Field exposure to active development projects. Supply chains and infrastructure observed firsthand.

Documentary Field Capture

Field footage captured by Student-Athletes and pro media. Core content for storytelling challenge.

Sponsor Activation Field Documentation Supply Chain Exposure

Day 03

Wednesday

Sports Day & Industry Day

New York City
World Cup Fan Fest — Queens

Networking and public engagement are core business skills. Student-Athletes move through one of the world's largest sporting events conducting live interviews, then connect face-to-face with utility, energy, and construction leaders at the Athletes Make the Best Breakfast.

Athletes Make the Best in Utility, Energy & Construction Breakfast

Rooftop networking breakfast with leaders across sports, utility, energy, and construction.

On Location: Media Day

Cinematic street-level shoot featuring professional and fan interviews, professional imagery for media, sponsors, and the Media + Commerce challenge. Set against the energy of World Cup Fan Fest around one powerful theme: Athletes Make the Best.

World Cup Fan Fest Live Interviews Industry Networking Photoshoot Athletes Make the Best

Day 04

Thursday

Real World: Sports & Infrastructure

NYC / Long Island
Live Stream
Sponsor Interview

Teams compete live through every phase of a public-private infrastructure project: RFP, permitting, construction, operations, and maintenance. All judged in real time.

Real World: Sports & Infrastructure Game Show

Teams compete through every phase of a public-private infrastructure project — RFP, permitting, construction, and operations — judged in real time.

Media Day — Local Partner Interviews

Student-Athletes interview industry partners on camera, building media presence and documenting the economic impact of sports and infrastructure.

Mentoring & Challenge Support

Industry coaches work directly with teams, providing feedback and guidance to sharpen championship submissions before Friday.

Game Show RFP & Development Media Day Mentor Support Partner Interviews

🏆 Playoff Finals — July 17, 2026

Finals

Friday

Playoff Finals

NYC/Long Island

Championship standings are determined by Regular Season performance data across supplier and workforce development, media and commerce, and storytelling. One team is crowned champion, takes home $5,000, and a verified Sports Power Rating.

Championship Competitions

Challenge I

Supplier Development

SMIBA partners need suppliers. Teams identify, recruit, and educate businesses on how to become certified partners across sports and infrastructure.

Challenge II

Workforce Development

SMIBA partners need talent. Teams recruit and educate job seekers on careers available through participating academy partners across sports and infrastructure.

Challenge III

Media & Commerce

SMIBA teams become brands. Each team runs a full commerce operation: professional photoshoot, online store, and in-person pop-up, competing for top sales.

Challenge IV

Storytelling

SMIBA partners have impact. Teams produce short-form content documenting that impact, competing for views that prove sports and infrastructure drive real community outcomes.

🏆

The winning team is crowned the Sports, Media + Infrastructure Business Academy Championship Team. Each student-athlete's verified Sports Power Rating is publicly announced, and every member of the winning team receives a $5,000 team stipend.

Post-Season — July 18 through Labor Day

Invitation Only

All-Star
Challenge

For the most competitive Student-Athletes and partners only. The All-Star Challenge is kept a secret until it is announced Friday afternoon at the Playoff Finals. It runs from July 18 through Labor Day.

🔒 Details Revealed Friday Afternoon — Playoff Finals

Sports Power Infrastructure is a talent intelligence platform that uses sports as a distribution engine to certify workforce and suppliers for infrastructure markets.

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