The state is expected to benefit from more than $140 million in economic impact and national exposure from the NCAA men’s basketball tournament alone, which will bring 67 games to Indianapolis, Bloomington and West Lafayette starting March 18.
Adam Silver expressed confidence Saturday that the worst of his league’s pandemic-related challenges, which included a four-month stoppage in play and billions in lost revenue, are in the past.
Other than a few facilities that will be COVID testing sites, team lounges or overflow areas, most event spaces that usually glean revenue from tournament gatherings could be left out in the cold.
Players will lose their NCAA eligibility but are promised a minimum salary of at least $100,000 per year, full health care insurance coverage, and aree guaranteed up to $100,000 for college tuition should they end their pursuit of a pro basketball career.
A limited number of spectators will be allowed to attend the Big Ten Conference’s men’s and women’s basketball tournaments in Indianapolis this month, the conference announced Thursday morning.
The State Farm College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Championships will be held at Hinkle Fieldhouse, along with a historic black colleges and universities all-star game.
It is a national passion that has been churning away across the country and is now culminating in the heartland—in a place where legends have pounded the hardwood, beat the buzzer and lovingly watched the ball kiss the ropes as it sliced through the net.
Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said the school went public last week with its decision not to be included in EA Sports’ new college football video game to call attention to a major issue that has not been thoroughly addressed.
The decision by the not-for-profit 500 Festival also applies to its 5-kilometer event. Both events still are set for May 8, albeit now in virtual formats.
Host Mason King talked with Mike Cranfill, co-owner of The District Tap, and Mike Cunningham, founder and CEO of Cunningham Restaurant Group, which owns 35 restaurants with plans to open several more soon, about what the NCAA tournament will mean for them.
Even after the NCAA said Feb. 19 that some spectators will be allowed at the games, local tourism officials and economists are still tempering their financial expectations.
Under a contingency plan released Thursday, the top four teams left out of March Madness will serve as potential replacements for any teams that are unable to participate due to COVID-19 issues.
Gold medal-winning coach John Geddert, who was suspended by Indianapolis-based USA Gymnastics, during the Larry Nassar scandal, took his own life Thursday after being charged with two dozen crimes, including forms of human trafficking.
The Indiana Department of Health told IBJ that the state’s COVID-19 testing data, which has been updated daily since the pandemic began almost a year ago, is limited to information on Indiana residents.
You can also pre-register for IBJ’s NCAA bracket contest, where you can try to out-pick a number of local celebrities we’ll unveil in the coming weeks (including IBJ’s own “celebrities”—think Eight@8’s Mason King and CEO Nate Feltman).
A huge event that kicks off next month is hanging like a plum: the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
Coverage from Selection Sunday on March 14 to the championship April 5 should bring an enormous payoff to Indiana, which will host all 67 games, and to Indianapolis specifically, which will host 55 of them.
Most of the games will be played at a handful of venues in Indianapolis, while remaining games will be played in West Lafayette and Bloomington.
Wentz finished third in NFL MVP voting in 2017 when he led the Eagles to an 11-2 record before a knee injury ended his season. But he just wrapped up the worst season of his five-year career.
The former CART rivals see an opportunity to attract young Mexican talent to racing and put IndyCar back in Mexico.
