Articles

Manning vs. Manning II

Less than two weeks after Super Bowl XLII, N.Y. Giants quarterback Eli Manning is already picking up ground on older brother Peyton, Indianapolis Colts QB, at least in terms of jersey sales.

Merchandise sales is a big revenue line for the…

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Big Ten tourney interest rising?

Thirty six hours ago, it looked like the Big Ten tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse March 13-16 would be an attendance blockbuster. Indianapolis has had difficulty matching the tournament’s crowds at Chicago’s United Center, but this figured to be the year…

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Burton’s prime time smack down

Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., was front and center yesterday at the hearings on steroids in baseball. Burton appeared to side with pitcher Roger Clemens, while repeatedly attacking Clemens’ former trainer Brian McNamee.

McNamee has said he injected Clemens on numerous occasions…

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IU phone flap packs financial sting

With the revelation that the NCAA discovered more possible wrongdoings by Indiana University basketball coach Kelvin Sampson than the school reported in October, the embattled coach and his boss, athletic director Rick Greenspan, could become marketing liabilities for the school…

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Danica races into SI swimsuit issue

You can’t say Indy Racing League driver Danica Patrick doesn’t make a splash. Patrick can be found gracing the pages of Sports Illustrated’s annual swimsuit issue, which hits…

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Smart strategy or spinning wheels?

While the lights for an Indy Racing League-Champ Car merger appear to be turning green, smoke is apparently pouring from Champ Car’s balance sheet. Two well placed sources confirmed Champ Car will likely file bankruptcy, possibly as early as today.

Champ…

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Batter up: Indians score big profit

While it’s still frigid outside, it will be heating up inside the corporate offices at Victory Field today, where the Indianapolis Indians will conduct the franchise’s annual shareholders meeting at 3 p.m. It’s difficult to say how the team will…

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SPORTS: Once in Knight’s doghouse, I never came out

If memory serves, the year was 1982. I was in Bloomington covering a Bob Knight media gathering for the local daily when one of the employees of Indiana University’s sports information office tapped me on the shoulder and said I had an emergency call from my wife. I immediately picked up my notepad and tape recorder and called home. Our 2-yearold daughter was apparently seriously ill and my wife was in the process of taking her to the hospital emergency…

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City getting new marathon

Organizers for a new Indianapolis marathon and half-marathon think the event will become a national draw, showcasing downtown
monuments and historic neighborhoods. The first Indianapolis Monumental Marathon, to be held Nov. 1, is the brainchild of
Carlton Ray, a former city engineer who worked in the Hudnut, Goldsmith and Peterson administrations.

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Fishers’ hoops venue signs 2 franchise deals, plans more

A multi-court basketball fieldhouse is doing such brisk business in Fishers, its owners have decided to franchise the operation.
Scott Burton, CEO of The Fieldhouse, said deals have already been signed with franchisees in Merrillville and in Naperville,
Ill.

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Open-wheel unity talks rolling again

Sources close to the Indy Racing League and Champ Car say both sides have agreed on terms for a merger that will take place this year.

Indy Racing League boss Tony George is set to help any Champ Car teams that…

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Pan Am Plaza building exodus

IBJ reported Jan. 21 that USA Diving, USA Gymnastics, USA Track & Field and U.S. Synchronized Swimming were considering relocating to the Disciples of Christ building on East Washington Street. None of the officials for those sports-sanctioning bodies would confirm…

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Will taxpayers support Super Bowl?

Arizona residents’ willingness to pay higher taxes may have a strong impact on Indianapolis’ effort to land the 2012 Super Bowl. Funding from Arizona’s corporate community paid for 80 percent of the host city’s Super Bowl bill this year. But…

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Sparks fly over unification talks

Two recent revelations left open-wheel racing fans and sponsors wondering if the unification of the Indy Racing League and Champ Car is finally at hand. What is less clear is if unification of North America’s two largest open-wheel racing circuits…

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Knight moves make waves

Bob Knight leaves a tsunami-like wake wherever he goes. Even in retirement, the waves from his larger-than-life persona are being felt from Lubbock to Bloomington and beyond. The business impact of Knight’s retirement looms large locally. There are numerous central…

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Major League Winners

Author and former IUPUI dean Mark Rosentraub is writing another book.

This one, titled “Major League Winners,” focuses on the five U.S. cities he thinks have most successfully used sports as an economic…

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Manning vs. Manning

The day after the New York Giants’ improbable Super Bowl XLII triumph, sports marketers are already lining up to talk with the game’s MVP, Eli Manning. And there’s speculation that Manning’s sudden success will have a profound effect on older…

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Speedway shows popular on Joost Web network

Shows provided by IMS Productions, the video production arm of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, are among the top draws for Joost, a high-profile Internet provider of television content launched last October.

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SPORTS: NFL retirees want to help banged up brethren

Before Bob Sanders, the last strong safety wearing a Colts uniform to achieve Pro Bowl status was Bruce Laird. Laird played from 1972 through 1981 for the Baltimore Colts, then closed out his career in 1983 with the San Diego Chargers. Like Sanders, Laird was known for “laying the wood” to opposing players. Translation: He was a hard hitter. These days, he still feels those tackles. “I felt great until I was 47, then, all of a sudden, nothing worked,”…

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Deal’s dead for race track

The deal to sell O’Reilly Raceway Park in Clermont is dead, and racing insiders said the opportunity to raise the local facility’s profile even higher might have died with it. Some within the racing community felt the suitor, a Santa…

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