What’s in it for the individuals, organizations and companies that donate money to the efforts? Not typically tickets or advertising or big shout-outs. It’s civic pride more than anything else.
The Indianapolis Colts are among the 50 companies that have donated money to the Indy Championships Fund to help bring three huge sports events to Indianapolis: the NCAA Tournament underway now, the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2022 and the NBA All-Star Game in 2024. But the Colts have done more than donate. Pete Ward, the team’s chief operating officer, is on the fund’s board as well as the board of the Indiana Sports Corp., which is coordinating the effort.
Visit Indy plans to bring in a small group of “key decision-makers” from across the United States throughout the tournament, with the goal of letting major event executives safely see Indianapolis’ capabilities.
IBJ invited a group of community leaders who have been involved in sports and economic development throughout the past 40 years to talk about the city’s sports strategy, how it developed and why it remains important. The panel includes Mark Miles, Allison Melangton, Susan Williams, John Thompson and Ryan Vaughn.
It’s taken thousands of Hoosier residents willing to put community first in order to take Indy’s success to the next level.
The organization said it is “closely monitoring” the pandemic and will continue evaluating the feasibility of some fan attendance at some of the games.
Indiana Sports Corp. President Ryan Vaughn talks to host Mason King about the proposal to turn the Indiana Convention Center into a collection of basketball courts and locker rooms as well as the group’s finances and plans as it prepares to host major events in the coming months.
Local officials are betting big on Indianapolis’ continued success as a sports city by submitting two dozen bids for championship-level events slated through 2030.
Team Indiana is meant to give its members—about three dozen tourism and sports organizations across Indiana—better access to resources that will get the attention of sports governing bodies that decide where to play 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.
The games had been scheduled for Cincinnati, but the NCAA said the city needs time to complete renovations of its arena.
Visit Indy has held preliminary talks with the NFL about the city’s hosting the three-day event as soon as 2024.
With a big assist from the Indiana Sports Corp., Indianapolis has had quite a run, hosting more than 450 sporting events over four decades, including a Super Bowl, seven NCAA men’s basketball Final Fours and dozens of amateur world championships.
Local partners will include the Pacers, Colts and NCAA. But state officials declined to specify the contribution from Indiana’s Next Level Fund, a new state-backed venture pool with $250 million to invest.
The event, to be held at the newly renovated IU Natatorium, will determine the divers who will represent the United States at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Lucas Oil Stadium was “briefly considered” as the site of the 2021 NBA All-Star Game. But a desire to have the game in a more intimate facility led the league and team officials to choose the 18,165-seat Bankers Life Fieldhouse to host the game.
That compares to $30 million the Indianapolis business community contributed in cash and in-kind services to support the 2012 Super Bowl held at Lucas Oil Stadium.
At 138,800 square feet, it’s downtown’s 19th-largest office complex. But the building played a major role in the city’s efforts in becoming a sports town worthy of hosting a Super Bowl.
Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird on Monday delivered the city’s bid to host the 2021 NBA All-Star Game to NBA executives in New York City in a specially-themed IndyCar.
The NBA All-Star Game is broadcast to 215 countries and territories in 49 languages, according to NBA officials. In China alone, nearly 40 million people watch the game and another 10 million do so in Europe.
