Kentucky’s ‘Big Blue Nation’ set to invade Final Four
Wildcat fans likely will take over Indianapolis for the weekend, because that’s what they do.
Lucas Oil Stadium
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Final Four payoff from 2004 NCAA pact continuing to escalate
A deal struck 10 years ago to bring the men’s Final Four to Indianapolis every five years has become a much-beefier cash cow for the city than any of the pact’s architects could have imagined.
LOPRESTI: Meet the real hosts of college basketball’s Final Four
The NCAA lists the Horizon League and IUPUI as official hosts. Indiana Sports Corp. does most of the legwork, and the NCAA signs all the checks, so just what do you do if you’re the official Final Four host?
Q&A: Departing CIB prez looks back on crisis
Ann Lathrop explains why she’s stepping away from the city’s Capital Improvement Board after helping pilot its recovery and cutting a deal to heavily subsidize the Indiana Pacers’ operation of Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Colts pick Lids in new merchandise management deal
Lids replaces Indianapolis-based MainGate Inc., which has been with the team since it moved into Lucas Oil Stadium. The Colts store at Circle Centre mall has closed, but at least one new store is in the works.
City interested in hosting college football title game
Indiana Sports Corp. officials who attended the first College Football Playoff Championship Game said they’d love to host the game at Lucas Oil Stadium under the right conditions.
Colts playoff tickets remain as Bengals fans swoop in
With 7,000 tickets still available as of early Tuesday, there’s concern in the Colts’ camp that Bengals fans will scoop them up and make the two-hour drive for the game.
Visit Indy negotiating to keep huge auto show until 2021
Three years ago, a long-term deal to keep the PRI Show in Indianapolis would have been almost unimaginable. The event with a $45.6 million annual economic impact now could be a fixture.
CIB closes business with state over facilities
The punch list is nearly complete on Lucas Oil Stadium and the expansion of the Indiana Convention Center, six and four years after their respective openings.
Large crowds buoying pro sports teams
There’s never been a better time to be a professional sports franchise operator in Indianapolis. Season-ticket renewal rates and attendance are near record levels. But some observers wonder whether too much of a good thing could turn into a bad thing if spending on sports outruns growth in the local economy.
Ten-acre parcel near Colts stadium hits the market
The vacant property west of Lucas Oil Stadium could get a boost from redevelopment efforts at the former GM stamping plant site just across White River.
Indy lands Big Ten championships through 2022
Football will stay at Lucas Oil Stadium, and basketball will alternate with Chicago. The move allays suspicion that the conference intended to shift championship play to East Coast venues.
Political conventions fell short on return on investment
Daunting scheduling and fundraising challenges led city officials to walk away from opportunities to bid on the 2016 national conventions for both Republicans and Democrats, but the city’s latest Super Bowl setback might make the 2020 political conventions alluring.
Indianapolis loses Super Bowl bid to Minneapolis and its new stadium
Despite having what several NFL executives said was the strongest proposal, Indianapolis lost out on hosting the 2018 championship game to a city with a new, $975 million stadium in the wings.
Bowl bid focuses on football safety, with Saturday at center of pitch
Indianapolis is betting that an ambitious project to study safety issues at all levels of football, plus expanding and snazzing up the Super Bowl Village, will help win the 2018 Super Bowl. And Jeff Saturday will help deliver the message.
MORTON: Indy’s road to Oz will end soon for sports team owners
The seemingly endless yellow brick road to Oz, or what residents of central Indiana have come to accept as privately owned professional sports franchises seeking financial sustenance to build and upgrade, is nearing a tipping point of practical expenditures.
Kentucky teams drive surge in demand for Indy’s NCAA regional
Demand for tickets and local hotel rooms spiked once it became clear that Kentucky and Louisville would meet in the Sweet Sixteen at Lucas Oil Stadium this weekend.
Big Ten football championship sells out, packs downtown hotels
The battle on Saturday between Ohio State and Michigan State, plus ESPN broadcasts and special events downtown, are expected to have a $15 million economic impact on Indy. That’s a vast improvement over the 2012 championship.
Bowl bid could come down to Indy, old Texas nemesis
League sources say Indianapolis and Dallas will be among the finalists announced Tuesday for the 2018 Super Bowl. That will pit Colts owner Jim Irsay against powerful Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
BENNER: Regrettably, not all iconic sports venues can be saved
Venues mean something. More than bricks and steel and concrete, if done right, they ooze character and provide a sense of special place.