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Sports Business
In the new year, building on the successes of 2005:
January 2, 2006
Bart PetersonThis past year was one of the most active and successful in our city's history. We pushed through legislation to fund an expansion
of the Indiana Convention Center and build a new multi-purpose stadium, both of which will be tremendous boons to our region's
economy, pumping in more than $2.25 billion in investment and creating more than 4,200 permanent jobs over the next 10 years.
In addition, through the leadership of the governor and legislature, a one-of-a-kind regional funding solution...
MoreTOM HARTON Commentary: On defense, Republicans get divisive
January 2, 2006
After Republicans Scott Keller and Lance Langsford broke party ranks at the Dec.19 City-County Council meeting and voted for
cop consolidation and an expanded human-rights ordinance, fellow Republican Jim Bradford e-mailed them and questioned whether
they were true Republicans. Lately, it's Bradford and other Republican hard-liners who don't seem like the Indianapolis Republicans
of old. Republicans mayors Richard Lugar, William Hudnut and Steve Goldsmith provided pragmatic, progressive leadership here
in the 1970s and '80s and '90s. Lugar and longtime Council...
More2006: Making Indianapolis a family affair:
January 2, 2006
Isaac RandolphWhat's the most pressing issue facing Indianapolis now and in the future? Depending on a pundit's passion, answers can range
from maintaining a professional sports team to supporting the cultural and arts community, from improving the quality of public
schools and parks to making affordable housing available, from low taxes to a state-of-the art public mass transit system.
Yet each of these areas, while they may reflect an interest group's unwavering and at times irrational fixation, taken at
face value...
MoreSPORTS: At Rose-Hulman, a great sports story that won't sell
December 26, 2005
Bill BennerThe Indianapolisbased NCAA generated more news Dec. 19 with the announcement of the new Graduation Success Rate, which measures
the graduation rates of Division I studentathletes. The news was predominantly positive. The NCAA is doing a much more accurate
job of tracking studentathletes, in particular those who transfer at some time during their collegiate careers. Previous measurements
taken by the federal government automatically counted a transfer as a failure, even if that student-athlete departed his first
school in good academic...
MoreFinally, a new stadium, and not just for football:
December 26, 2005
-Anthony SchoettleAfter years of angling and months of negotiating, city and state officials finally came to an agreement with the Indianapolis
Colts to build a $625 million retractableroof stadium south of the RCA Dome. With a drum roll and a crowd of 1,200 fans and
dignitaries counting down-three, two, one-Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, Gov. Mitch Daniels, Mayor Bart Peterson and others
shoveled a little dirt on the future home of the city's new stadium in a formal ground breaking Sept. 21....
MoreA game competitor: Sales surge for maker of Gnip Gnop, What's in Ned's Head?
December 19, 2005
Anthony SchoettleThe atmosphere is lighthearted at the westside headquarters of Fundex Games Inc., where ideas sketched on cocktail napkins
become award-winning games like What's in Ned's Head? and Alfredo's Food Fight. And why not be happy at a company whose more
tasteful games, such as Gnip Gnop and Phase 10, have helped grow revenue from $4.6 million to $20 million in the last decade?
If there's any nail-biting at Fundex it's because this is the most important time of the year....
MoreSPORTS: We trusted and got burned; now it's time to move on
December 19, 2005
Bill BennerReaction to the news that a soon-to-be-former Indiana Pacers forward wants to relocate his talents elsewhere reminds me of
a scene from the classic cinematic comedy "Animal House." One of the most noticeable results of a fraternity night out that
had gone hopelessly awry was the destruction of a car that character Kent "Flounder" Dorfman had "borrowed" from his brother.
As the Deltas surveyed the damage, Eric "Otter" Stratton looked at his distraught fraternity brother and said, "Face it Flounder;...
MoreGERALD BEPKO Commentary: Don't underestimate value of teamwork
December 12, 2005
Any area of human activity can be improved by good teamwork. Teamwork requires leadership, by both those designated as team
leaders and team members alike. In sports, as in life, the most valuable player is often not the person who calls the plays.
Teamwork is explored in an interesting way in a 2002 book by management consultant Patrick Lencioni titled, "Five Dysfunctions
of a Team." The book is getting renewed attention because of the interest of sports leaders. Seven NFL...
MoreECONOMIC ANALYSIS: Economy is doing great, but what about next year?
December 12, 2005
Patrick BarkeyHere's a question the visually oriented news media face all the time-what does a strong economy look like? Belching smokestacks
and humming assembly lines are the clichés of yesteryear, now that we've entered an era when knowledge and services account
for more output than do physical goods. But somehow the picture of an office worker tapping on a keyboard or a group of executives
huddled around a conference table doesn't quite convey the vitality and power of the world's largest...
MoreSPORTS: The season that should have silenced BCS bashers
December 12, 2005
Bill BennerOn a recent Sunday morning, the talking head on ESPN introduced NCAA Division I-AA football playoff highlights by saying,
"And now let's go to the action from where they actually decide the championship on the field." Ah, how tiresome. How unfresh.
How unoriginal. Just another shot taken at the Bowl Championship Series, another regurgitation of the media mantra aimed at
the decision-makers in Division I who refuse to enact a championship playoff. So, this year, we must settle for the...
MoreCHRIS KATTERJOHN Commentary: Guidant scenario recalls '80s-almost
December 12, 2005
Last week, I was itching for a fight. When Boston Scientific surprised all but the deepest of insiders with its bid for Guidant,
I was suddenly transported back to the 1980s, an era of hostile takeovers so intense it spawned books and movies. Some called
it "The Decade of Greed." Every day there was news of a new hostile takeover or a bidding war or a leveraged buyout of epic
proportions. And there were names and personalities to match. Remember...
MoreUnder pressure?: Largest outside shareholder could be pushing Marsh to find buyer
December 5, 2005
Matthew KishMarsh Supermarkets Inc.'s decision to seek a buyer might not have been made within the company's Indianapolis headquarters.
It might have come from 115 miles away in Cincinnati. That's home base for the c o m p a ny 's largest outside shareholder,
A m e r i c a n Financial Group Inc., an insurer controlled by the family of billionaire tycoon Carl Lindner. A source knowledgeable
about the discussions said AFG, a Marsh shareholder for more than two...
MoreSPORTS: Eggs laid in NFL preseason usually don't hatch
December 5, 2005
Bill BennerThoughts about this, that and the other: By the time you read this, the Tennessee Titans may have sprung the biggest upset
of the NFL season, rendering some of the discussion moot. Remember, on any given Sunday. That's why I always say that, in
the NFL, every game is a big game. Therefore, that the Indianapolis Colts made it at least into December winning every one
of those big games is an amazing accomplishment, especially when you recall the hand...
MoreCHRIS KATTERJOHN Commentary: Setting an example for Sacramento
November 28, 2005
"To improve Sacramento, learn from Indianapolis" was the headline of a column in the Nov. 18 Sacramento Business Journal.
It's always nice to get a compliment and some good PR. Turns out a delegation of nearly a hundred Sacramentonians-or is it
Sacramentites?-were here in October on a three-day study mission to learn how to become a great city. It was the seventh year
in a row for them to make a learning visit to another community. Tom Stallard, head of...
MoreIndustry races to promote itself: Statewide motorsports group hopes to thwart competition from other U.S. markets
November 28, 2005
Anthony SchoettleArea motorsports leaders are gearing up for another run at unifying the industry and assuring the region retains its status
as one of the world's leading motorsports markets. Organizers of the latest effort promise they won't spin their wheels this
time around. They're casting a wider net-going statewide with a motorsports association-to attract more members and build
more clout with the media, local and state lawmakers, and service providers, such as banks and insurance companies. The Indiana
Motorsports Association Inc....
MoreSPORTS: Final Four director takes readers on inspiring ride
November 28, 2005
Bill BennerFor six years, he was a part-time resident of our city. Believe me when I say Indianapolis was full-time better for it. Not
many folks here know this fellow named Bill Hancock, or the integral behindthe-scenes role he has played in the NCAA's staging
of its showcase event, the men's basketball tournament and the Final Four. I'll sum it up this way: The NCAA's tournament
manual is about 4 inches thick. Hancock, who served as the tournament director, could quote...
MoreSPORTS Bill Benner: Still haunted by the video clip that won't go away
November 21, 2005
It was a year ago on a mid-November Friday night when we had settled into our easy chairs, watching on television as the Indiana
Pacers were wrapping up an impressive and statementsending early-season victory over the Detroit Pistons in Auburn Hills,
Mich. Then, of course, all hell broke loose and the franchise we had grown up with-indeed, all of the NBA-took a hit harder
than any administered in the stands. In today's mega-media world, few events in sports history have...
MoreHigher stadium price looms: Hurricanes likely to blow up costs for construction projects
November 21, 2005
Anthony SchoettleThe Gulf Coast hurricanes may push construction costs sharply higher for several years, experts say, potentially adding millions
of dollars in costs to the $625 million football stadium as well as other public projects in their early stages. "Even a 1-percent
cost increase on a project like [the stadium] is significant, and the effects from these hurricanes is likely to be higher
than that," said Patrick Barkey, an economist and director of economic and policy studies at the Miller College...
MoreSPORTS: IU sneaking up on Purdue, but not on its leader
November 14, 2005
Bill BennerOne year ago, I used this column to be critical of my alma mater, Indiana University, while lauding upstate rival Purdue.
In the nearly five years I've been writing for Indianapolis Business Journal, no column of mine has received as much reaction
as that one. And while 90 percent of that piece was devoted to the athletics programs-football, in particular-the 10 percent
in which I referred to the respective images and leaderships of Indiana and Purdue received the most attention....
MoreCould race teams bridge divide without series' blessing?: Ganassi pushing for IRL-Champ Car cross-pollination
November 7, 2005
Anthony SchoettleThe pull of some Champ Car markets is so strong, it has the owner of a prominent Indy Racing League team talking about launching
a cooperative effort with a team from the rival open-wheel racing series. And he's urging other IRL teams to do the same.
Chip Ganassi last month proposed IRL and Champ Car teams partner so they can compete in both series' biggest races and perhaps
even square off for a cross-series championship. Ganassi told Speed TV that...
MoreButler construction project targeted for fall '06 finish: Student housing, rec center to join historic campus
November 7, 2005
Scott OlsonThe landscape around Butler University's historic Hinkle Fieldhouse is undergoing dramatic changes not seen on the private
campus since the early 1960s. Construction began in May on a $50 million project to build a student recreation center west
of the 77-year-old arena and student housing to the east. Both should be finished by the start of the fall semester in August.
The construction projects are the largest since Irwin Library, Clowes Memorial Hall and Lilly Hall were built in 1961,...
MoreIce Miller experiment turns financial corner: IMSS is only area sports agency licensed by NFL, NBA
November 7, 2005
Anthony SchoettleAt a time when many sports agents are getting squeezed out by mega-agencies with Shaquille O'Neal's mass and New York Yankee-like
resources, a small Indianapolis firm is becoming a real player. A curious experiment launched in August 2001 by local law
firm Ice Miller has become a profitable venture despite long odds and a slow start. "It's fair to say that launching this
effort has been harder than we thought," said IM Sports Services LLC Chairman John R. Thornburgh. "After...
MoreSPORTS Bill Benner: Peyton on paychecks and his final pass
November 7, 2005
Part II of my no X's-and-O's interview with Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning: Benner: Conseco Fieldhouse could
be called the House That Reggie Miller Built. Obviously, a great number of people have been involved in the new stadium. Yet
it could be known as the House That Peyton Built. How do you feel about your role in elevating the franchise to the point
where the stadium became a necessity? Manning: It gets me excited. That we can have a state-of-the-art...
MoreSPORTS: Q&A: Peyton Manning on priorities, life after Reggie
October 31, 2005
Bill BennerThe Indianapolis Colts' bye week has arrived, which means it's time for a casual conversation-no X's and O's or New England
Patriots talk allowed-with quarterback Peyton Manning. Not long ago, I sat down with No. 18 to talk about his place in the
community, rather than his place behind center. Here is the first of a two-part interview. Benner: Your community service
work through the PeyBack Foundation is wellknown. It's now given more than $1 million to youth programs here,...
MoreStartups offered a fast track: Motorsports-themed incubator gets green light in Brownsburg
October 31, 2005
Matthew KishHendricks County officials hope a new business incubator there revs the engines of local entrepreneurs. The motorsports-themed
facility, to be known as Fast-Start, got the green light after a year-long feasibility study concluded the project was a logical
fit for a community that already houses Prudhomme Racing, John Force Racing and Bill Simpson's Impact Racing. "It would help
achieve some of our goals in Brownsburg," said Jeanette Baker, town council president and treasurer of the Hendricks County
Economic Development Partnership,...
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Irvington is up and coming much like Fountain Square. We would love to have something like this in our neighborhood!
Why do we care who has submitted proposals if we can't review the proposals? It's publicly owned land, but the public has zero say in what gets chosen to be built there. Yep, that sounds about right.
Perhaps May 21 is "Evangelical Day" over at the IBJ?
I don't know what's more depressing: that this passes for a defensible elective in a publicly funded SCIENCE class, or that more than half of the posters here are defending this charlatan. Intelligent design is creationism. Creationism is religion. Yes, we have freedom of religion, which deserves to be protected. Now someone kindly show Professor Hedin his freedom by escorting him over to the Religion department at BSU. Carry on.
I hope people realize that the 'vocal' opposition at the meeting represent the minority of people against this project. As with any controversial project - those who don't want it are the loudest, while those who like it or really don't care one way or the other don't come to such meetings. Unfortunately the same may be true of the survey now being offered by the BRVA. I live less than a 5 minute walk from BR Avenue and can tell you that I and most of my neighbors are support this exciting project, or are ambivalent. And how great that it includes quality apartments - something that BR sorely lacks. This is a first class opportunity that we should embrace (and no, I'm not with the BRVA or the developer.) As for the fellow who owns the Good Earth store, if he doesn't want competition then let him pull together his own investors and out bid Whole Foods to operate the proposed grocery component! Come on folks - let's move ahead.