Indiana Pacers launch combine to scout for top salespeople
Representatives of at least 17 professional sports franchises will be here looking for talent to add to their business teams.
Representatives of at least 17 professional sports franchises will be here looking for talent to add to their business teams.
Hoosier basketball legend Keith Smart was appointed by the Golden State Warriors to replace Don Nelson, the head coach with the most victories in NBA history.
After overhauling the NCAA's executive staff, Mark Emmert sets his sights on talks with National Basketball Association
officials
about adopting a pro-eligibility policy that would keep players in school through their junior years.
The $33.5 million the Capital Improvement Board is providing the Indiana Pacers is merely a Band-Aid that will do little to
solve serious short-term and long-term issues facing the team.
Speedway businessman Tim Hicks will launch the Indianapolis Drive next fall as part of the ABA’s 11th season.
Three Serbian players, two of whom spent time in the NBA, allege Carmel-based Worldwide Associates LLC mismanaged over $12
million.
With Lucas Oil Stadium and other new city amenities to show off, local sports and tourism officials are considering making
a bid for the NBA’s midseason blowout weekend.
One of the legacies left behind by the late NCAA President Myles Brand is a 10-person startup company tucked in a high-rise
office building in downtown Indianapolis that is just starting to make its mark on the basketball world.
Ten years ago, the Indiana Pacers sold out their 69 Conseco Fieldhouse suites and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway
barely touched a phone to sell its 120 luxury boxes. But entertaining at luxury suites is out of vogue
now, thanks to the recession and companies keeping a closer eye on spending.
When Brett Favre signed with the Minnesota Vikings Aug. 18, cheers could be heard at MainGate Inc.’s 7900 Rockville
Road headquarters. Predictably, Favre jerseys went flying off the shelves—about 6,000 in the first 72 hours—and
MainGate gets to keep a portion of those sales. The Vikings are one of six teams the Indianapolis-based merchandising
specialist has signed deals with in 2-1/2 years, making MainGate one of the biggest retail players in the goliath of professional
sports leagues.
A newly released 2008 poll shows the Indianapolis Colts thumping the Indiana Pacers in fan support, which isn’t a
surprise given the recent fortunes of the teams. But some observers say the numbers are more a reflection of the popularity
of the National Football League and the Colts’ Peyton Manning than an indictment of the Pacers.
Without question, the Pacers’ road back to contending status remains decidedly uphill, but they have the talents of Danny Granger and other strong players and have worked hard to gain community support.
Of this, that and the other while wondering if NBA Commissioner David Stern had just taken a hit off Michael Phelps’ bong
when he proclaimed this to be "the golden age of basketball" during his all-star weekend news conference in Phoenix.
Professional and collegiate basketball are on the brink of a landmark agreement that hoops insiders said will change the landscape
of the sport in this country. Proponents say it would be good for basketball, but others say it’s an attempt to further commercialize
the sport.
The Indiana Pacers
have hit rock bottom. This month, the team slipped into last place in average home attendance among the 30 National Basketball
Association teams, falling behind the New Orleans Hornets, a team that is selling tickets in an area still ravaged by Hurricane
Katrina.
A push from Indiana Pacers co-owner Herb Simon and seven other National Basketball Association owners is spurring league officials
to adopt broader revenue-sharing measures. But those measures might not be enough to pull the Pacers out of the red.
Indiana Pacers co-owner Herb Simon has thrown his support behind an effort to pressure National Basketball Association Commissioner
David Stern to implement more aggressive revenue sharing among NBA franchises.