There’s never been a better time to be a professional sports franchise operator in Indianapolis. Season-ticket renewal rates and attendance are near record levels. But some observers wonder whether too much of a good thing could turn into a bad thing if spending on sports outruns growth in the local economy.
The vacant property west of Lucas Oil Stadium could get a boost from redevelopment efforts at the former GM stamping plant site just across White River.
Football will stay at Lucas Oil Stadium, and basketball will alternate with Chicago. The move allays suspicion that the conference intended to shift championship play to East Coast venues.
Daunting scheduling and fundraising challenges led city officials to walk away from opportunities to bid on the 2016 national conventions for both Republicans and Democrats, but the city’s latest Super Bowl setback might make the 2020 political conventions alluring.
Despite having what several NFL executives said was the strongest proposal, Indianapolis lost out on hosting the 2018 championship game to a city with a new, $975 million stadium in the wings.
Indianapolis is betting that an ambitious project to study safety issues at all levels of football, plus expanding and snazzing up the Super Bowl Village, will help win the 2018 Super Bowl. And Jeff Saturday will help deliver the message.
The seemingly endless yellow brick road to Oz, or what residents of central Indiana have come to accept as privately owned professional sports franchises seeking financial sustenance to build and upgrade, is nearing a tipping point of practical expenditures.
Demand for tickets and local hotel rooms spiked once it became clear that Kentucky and Louisville would meet in the Sweet Sixteen at Lucas Oil Stadium this weekend.
The battle on Saturday between Ohio State and Michigan State, plus ESPN broadcasts and special events downtown, are expected to have a $15 million economic impact on Indy. That’s a vast improvement over the 2012 championship.
League sources say Indianapolis and Dallas will be among the finalists announced Tuesday for the 2018 Super Bowl. That will pit Colts owner Jim Irsay against powerful Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
Venues mean something. More than bricks and steel and concrete, if done right, they ooze character and provide a sense of special place.
The biggest soccer match in Indianapolis history also marked the first time that a natural grass surface was was laid inside the Colts’ stadium.
Colts officials say local demand remains high for suites, even as other NFL teams struggle, and that season-ticket renewals are at 95 percent. The city will foot the $2 million bill for two new suites at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Up to $2 million of the costs for the suites project and other improvements will be paid by the Capital Improvement Board, the city agency which owns and operates Lucas Oil Stadium.
USA Swimming’s decision to torpedo a bid to host the 2016 Olympic Swim Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium casts doubts on the venue’s chances for future big-time, non-traditional events.
The Indianapolis Colts are playing defense as city leaders move to hike a ticket tax on downtown events by 67 percent. The team says raising the tax on tickets from 6 percent to 10 percent will harm its bottom line and that of local businesses that rely on Colts fans.
At the conclusion of this season, five-year contracts for many of Lucas Oil Stadium’s 7,100 club seats expire. Other club seats on shorter contracts also expire, pushing the total up for renewal to about two-thirds of club seat capacity.
Roughly four years after it opened its doors in late 2008, Lucas Oil Stadium appears to have crossed the threshold of dollars that its creators anticipated from hosting events beyond the scope of the Indianapolis Colts.
Forrest and Charlotte Lucas kept original touches including a painting with original owner Steve Hilbert holding a spear, but otherwise aimed to make the mansion more casual. (with 360-degree photos)
MainGate has developed the LucasOilGear.com website to sell apparel and novelties, including T-shirts and outerwear featuring the Lucas Oil Stadium, Lucas Oil and Lucas Oil Racing Series brands.
