In the two days after Peyton Manning announced he would retire from the NFL, the sale of items autographed by the all-pro quarterback skyrocketed 1,000 percent. Only New York Yankees Derek Jeter has rivaled that type of sales increase, according to one New York memorabilia dealer.
Sales at the 2014 Super Bowl in New York were huge. But sales at this year’s 50th Super Bowl featuring the aging Peyton Manning were even bigger for Indianapolis-based MainGate Inc.
Indianapolis’ relatively low key approach to the NFL Combine, which will attract all 32 team owners and around 2,000 team and league personnel, is part of what makes the Circle City such a great host of the event, said event organizer Jeff Foster.
Any sort of official Manning farewell in Indianapolis or elsewhere now has the potential to devolve into a first-rate public relations fiasco as new questions arise about an alleged sexual assault in 1996.
Spurred by a love of quarterback Peyton Manning, a higher percentage of people in the Indianapolis market watched Sunday’s Super Bowl than almost any other city in the U.S.
Once upon a time Super Bowl stars used to shout “I’m going to Disney World.” On Sunday—on one of America’s biggest sporting stages—Manning chose to shout: This Bud’s for you!
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wants as many as 2,000 fans admitted into the Combine, which would nearly triple the current number allowed to see the tightly-run event, said a league source.
The TV ratings for Sunday’s AFC Championship game were nearly 25 percent higher in the Indianapolis market than they were nationally, according to Nielsen Media Research.
An average Jacksonville Jaguars home game brings in $3.7 million in ticket revenue, while their game in London against the Colts is expected to generate $11 million. As the visiting team, the Colts get 34 percent of that.
The team’s weak conference surely didn’t help as games against AFC South rivals were some of the least-watched Colts games in central Indiana. The team’s sub-par play certainly was a factor too.
A single Indianapolis Colts home playoff game helps sell nearly 15,000 hotel rooms, tens of thousands of meals and reams of merchandise while scoring the city and state a seven-figure tax windfall.
Adam Vinatieri is joining forces with two-time Indy 500 runner-up Scott Goodyear and Jack Miller, the racing dentist, to give young drivers an entry into open-wheel racing.
The new-look Capital Improvement Board–which owns Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Victory Field and Lucas Oil Stadium as well as the Indiana Convention Center–will probably be less cheerleader and more watchdog.
If Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay doesn’t hire Peyton Manning to be a part of his front office, Manning, with the help of Bill and Chris Polian, could take over football operations for a conference rival.
The Indianapolis Colts could rake in tens of millions of dollars from a fee the NFL plans to charge the team or teams moving to Los Angeles. And the cash could start coming in soon.
A trip to London for an Oct. 2 game against Jacksonville will cost the Indianapolis Colts hundreds of thousands of dollars more than a typical away game due to increased expenses for an international flight, daily charter buses and a long hotel stay.
Although the Pacers have beaten expectations through 14 games and are sitting in position to contend for a top playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, tickets for its games on the secondary market are still fetching some of the lowest prices in the NBA.
The billboards showing up around town urging Indianapolis Colts fans to join the season-ticket waiting list have nothing to do with the fact that the team has stumbled a few times this year and has largely underperformed.
Indianapolis microbrewery Tow Yard Brewing Co. and Denver-based Factotum Brewhouse are partnering to make a Peyton Manning-themed beer—named Oatmaha—ahead of this Sunday’s Broncos-Colts clash at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Indianapolis Colts are adding a swimming pool and administrative office space as well as expanding the cramped lobby at its 30-year-old training facility.
