Basketball temples in Indiana taking center stage at tourney
Six of the arenas that helped create Indiana’s basketball legacy will go on full display when the NCAA Tournament tips off later this week.
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Update: Dozens of teams already in town as last-minute tourney prep falls into place
Teams must undergo a quarantine and testing period when they arrive in Indianapolis—and no one from the schools was allowed to make the trip without seven consecutive days of negative tests.
Fans to be allowed at NCAA men’s basketball tourney games
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.
Capital Improvement Board ends 2020 with $40M deficit
The agency, which operates the Indiana Convention Center, Lucas Oil Stadium, Bankers Life Fieldhouse and Victory Field, was hit hard by the pandemic, with annual revenue off more than 50% from the previous year.
Indy Eleven soccer team moving home games back to IUPUI campus
The team’s return to the IUPUI campus follows challenges in scheduling weekend games at Lucas Oil Stadium, which already has a busy slate of conventions and other sporting events throughout the year—including Indianapolis Colts home games.
Pacers, city rethink massive change to fieldhouse exterior as part of renovations
Plans for a grand, glass-wrapped entry pavilion as part of the $360 million renovation to Bankers Life Fieldhouse have been tabled, in favor of minimal updates that largely keep the existing facade intact.
NFL broadcasts to feature phantom fans cheering stellar plays
The NFL is set to kick off its 2020 season Thursday night in Kansas City, where 16,000 fans are expected. But it will sound as if 76,416 spectators are cheering thanks to NFL Films, which is supplying prerecorded audio specific to each NFL venue.
Empty venues won’t kill Pacers, Colts profits; Indians, Eleven will struggle
NBA and NFL teams will face a considerable financial hit if they are forced to play with no fans in the stands, but, thanks to their lucrative TV contracts, it won’t knock them into the red.
Big Ten will play tourney games without fans starting Thursday
The decision came less than two hours after the NCAA said it would play its March Madness games in empty stadiums and shortly after the first Big Ten game tipped off at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Indy Eleven considers smaller, expandable stadium as search for site continues
With its chances of joining Major League Soccer in question, Indy Eleven is considering significantly cutting the number of seats with which its new stadium would debut.
Lawmakers consider bill to protect right to resell entertainment tickets
The legislation is meant to protect an individual’s right to sell or give his or her ticket to an event to someone else, should they choose to do so.
Indy Championships Fund raises more than $20M for major sport events
The money is expected to go a long way in funding three events on the city’s calendar: the NBA All-Star Weekend and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four in 2021 and the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2022.
MARK MONTIETH: City’s underappreciated ‘middle child’ of sports venues is loaded with history
Indiana Farmers Coliseum isn’t as old as Hinkle or as state-of-the-art as Bankers Life, but it’s hosted presidents, iconic entertainers and some of the best basketball games ever played.
Indy Eleven finishes 2nd in league attendance with uptick in home crowds
The Indy Eleven drew average crowds of more than 10,000 per game to Lucas Oil Stadium in their second year in the United Soccer League.
Penske says Formula One, 24-hour race could be in IMS future, but management change is not
Roger Penske—whose Penske Corp. is buying Hulman & Co. and its racing operations—said he’d also like to bring a third car manufacturer to IndyCar and maintain IMS’s relationship with NASCAR.
Pacers don’t expect new naming-rights deal for fieldhouse until 2020
Pacers Sports & Entertainment hopes to pin down a new multimillion-dollar sponsorship deal before the first phase of a $360 million renovation to the venue begins next summer.
Convenience vs. security: The dilemma of digital tickets
Some state lawmakers want to require paper tickets, but event organizers say they can easily be manipulated and duplicated. Digital ticketing reduces fraud, they say.
Experts say CIB is thin on liability coverage for event venues
The board carries $56 million in liability insurance for its facilities, including a $1 million general liability policy and a $55 million umbrella policy.
Grand Park developer, Kokomo partner on $86 million youth sports project
Westfield-based Henke Development Group, which helped the city develop Grand Park, plans to spend $77 million developing Championship Park, a commercial development on land next to the sports park. A hotel could also be part of the project.
Indy Eleven can’t move forward on stadium until team secures site, financing
Owner Ersal Ozdemir still has many hurdles to leap to make his soccer stadium a reality, even though he scored a huge Statehouse victory in April by winning approval of a funding mechanism.