College football championship organizers prepare for kickoff
IBJ sat down with leaders of College Football Playoff Inc. and members of the local host committee to discuss the preparations underway to make the January game a reality.
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NFL, players agree to end ‘race-norming’ in $1B settlement
The vast majority of the league’s players—70% of active players and more than 60% of living retirees—are Black. So the changes are expected to be significant, and potentially costly for the NFL.
IBJ Podcast: Driverless race cars to compete in first-ever challenge at Speedway
The Indy Lights-style cars will be outfitted with sophisticated sensors to recognize their (quickly changing) surroundings. The cars then will rely on their programming to navigate the oval at speeds expected to reach 100 miles per hour.
Tony Stewart forms Brownsburg-based NHRA team with fiancee
Tony Stewart, who fell in love with National Hot Rod Association racing while tagging along with fiancee Leah Pruett at her races the past two seasons, will be an official part of the sport in 2022.
Lebanon plans 95-acre development anchored by $25M sports facility
The massive hospitality and entertainment district is slated to be anchored by a $25 million multisport venue surrounded by apartments, hotels, medical office buildings, restaurants, stores, senior-living facilities and condos.
WNBA considering expansion, changes to playoff format
The WNBA finds itself at a crossroads, of sorts, as viewership of the league continues to trend upward. With interest at an all-time high, but only 12 franchises in the league, the constant conversation centers on expansion.
IBJ Podcast: Will a joint men’s and women’s Final Four solve the NCAA’s equity problem?
Host Mason King talks with IBJ sports business reporter Mickey Shuey and with Michelle Perry, a former NCAA executive and now a sports consultant, about what a combined Final Four event could mean for the city of Indianapolis, women’s basketball and the sport’s fans.
Should men’s and women’s Final Fours be held in the same city, same weekend?
The NCAA’s efforts to address equity imbalances could lead to a joint championship site later this decade, with Indianapolis believed to be a likely contender for hosting such a spectacle.
Two-time Indy 500 winner Sato out at Rahal Letterman
Takuma Sato has raced in IndyCar since 2010 following seven seasons in Formula One. The Tokyo native has driven for Rahal the last four years, winning four races including the Indy 500 in 2020.
Fieldhouse deal should boost Indy-based Gainbridge’s profile
Experts say the deal could be a boon if the annuity and life insurance firm manages to leverage the exposure in a manner that pushes the bounds of a traditional naming-rights deal.
Sporting-goods firm establishing HQ, manufacturing in Plainfield, plans to hire 300
The company, recently formed to consolidate several prominent athletic gear brands, plans to invest nearly $19 million in the new facility. The state has pledged $5 million in economic development incentives.
Carlisle’s approach brings welcome change to Pacers
After a season that tested everyone’s patience, Pacers players embraced president of basketball operations Kevin Pritchard’s decision to bring in a known commodity in coach Rick Carlisle.
NCAA to look into holding both Final Fours in same city
Combining the tournaments was one of the recommendations stemming from an external review of gender equity issues of the tournaments.
NLRB: College football players are employees, can unionize
National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo also threatened action against schools, conferences and the NCAA if they continue to use the term “student-athlete,” saying that it was created to obscure the employment relationship with college athletes and discourage them from pursuing their rights.
NCAA to start using ‘March Madness’ for women’s hoops tournament
Using the phrase, which has been associated with the men’s tournament for years, was one of the recommendations stemming from an external review of gender equity issues of the tournaments.
Pacers announce deal that puts a different insurance company’s name on fieldhouse
The 18,000-seat venue downtown is now called Gainbridge Fieldhouse, thanks to a multiyear sponsorship deal between Pacers Sports & Entertainment and Indianapolis-based insurance holding firm Group One Thousand One LLC, the parent of Gainbridge Insurance Agency LLC.
Palou becomes first Spaniard to win IndyCar championship
Palou’s 35-point lead meant a finish of 11th or better at Long Beach would win him the title, and once challenger Pato O’Ward was knocked out with a mechanical problem, Palou just needed to make it to the finish.
Indy Eleven commits to fielding women’s team for new league
The “pre-professional,” or developmental league, called the USL W League, is expected to have at least 30 teams when it begins play in May 2022. At least 17 teams have already committed to the league.
Is Irsay pop-culture collection Indy’s next museum?
Jim Irsay wants to share his memorabilia with the world—and he’s been having early conversations with Indianapolis and other cities about creating a museum to do just that.
Henke Development plans expansive clubhouse for Zionsville’s Holliday Farms community
Westfield-based Henke Development Group had its development plan for a nearly 79,000-square-foot clubhouse featuring a slew of golf- and non-golf-related amenities approved this week by the Zionsville Plan Commission.