MARK MONTIETH: Indians once again contend with nickname politics
The only Native American to have played for the team thinks the franchise should keep the name and use it to educate the public.
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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.
MARK MONTIETH: At 94, an NBA veteran tells tales of league’s hard-scrabble start
Terre Haute’s Duane Klueh remembers long, cold road trips and teams that pinched pennies to pay the bills.
Pacers organization terminates dozens of employees in cost-cutting move
Pacers Sports & Entertainment, which owns and manages the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever, has cut about 16% of its full-time workforce in response to financial losses during the pandemic, a spokesman told IBJ.
Indy Eleven first pro team in state to get back into action during pandemic
The Indy Eleven soccer team got back into action Saturday, opening its 2020 home season before a thinned-out crowd at Lucas Oil Stadium.
NFL teams could cover seating around field with ads to make up lost revenue
The NFL and its franchises are discussing a plan by which rows of seating closest to the field in stadiums this season could be covered and used to display the logos of sponsors and messaging for league and team initiatives.
Prosecutor says victims deserve ex-quarterback’s concussion funds
Former Colts quarterback Art Schlichter has received nearly $700,000 from a national settlement with the NFL over concussions. A prosecutor says that money should go to Schlichter’s many fraud victims.
Major League Baseball to come back with 60-game schedule
Major League Baseball on Tuesday night issued a schedule that will start July 23 or 24 in empty ballparks in its shortest season since 1878.
WNBA plans to play 2020 season in Florida starting in late July
Players would receive their entire salaries for the year despite playing a schedule that’s only about two-thirds the length of the 36-game one that was supposed to start May 15.
NFL commits $250 million over 10 years to ‘combat systemic racism’
The NFL pledged Thursday to contribute the money over 10 years to programs that address racial injustice, bolstering the league’s social justice initiatives first established in cooperation with a group of players amid the national controversy in late 2017.
NBA owners approve 22-team season restart plan
The NBA’s Board of Governors has approved a 22-team format for restarting the league season in late July at the Disney campus near Orlando, Florida. The Indiana Pacers would be among the 22 teams involved in the restart.
As pandemic delays continue, Minor League Baseball season facing growing doubts
According to more than a half-dozen general managers and player development executives, the best hope of salvaging even part of a minor league season might not come until late summer, and it could center more on intrasquad games rather than a full season.
Former Pacers GM, ABA commissioner Storen dies at 84
The Indiana Pacers remembered Mike Storen as the man who was instrumental in choosing the team’s name, designed the first logo, and “paved the way for the Pacers’ eventual entry into the NBA.”
Virus forces CIB to scale back first phase of $360M fieldhouse renovation project
The Capital Improvement Board is significantly scaling back the first phase of a $360 million Bankers Life Fieldhouse renovation as uncertainty about working conditions and the NBA season have thrown a wrench into the construction schedule.
British Open canceled, Masters moves to November in major rescheduling
Still to be determined is when—or even if—golf can resume depending on the spread of COVID-19 that has shut down sports worldwide.
Analysis: How long until sports can return?
Assessing probability is futile, but public health leaders indicate that fans and leagues should prepare for sports to remain absent not just for the coming months but into next year.
Fever’s Catchings to be enshrined in Basketball Hall of Fame
Catchings, 40, enters the Hall with an impressive roster of NBA stars who also recently retired, including Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and the late Kobe Bryant.
NFL ratifies 14-team playoffs, says it’s ‘pretty confident’ season will start on time
The NFL draft is to be held as scheduled April 23-25, but it will be a TV-only event after the live event in Las Vegas associated with it was canceled due to the pandemic.
What you need to know about the NFL’s new labor agreement
The deal makes changes for the 2020 season and runs for 10 years after that, through the 2030 season. It brings some significant changes to the sport.
Indy Eleven’s league suspends games for at least 30 days
The United Soccer League said it was “temporarily suspending” its season over COVID-19 concerns, following the lead of the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League and Major League Soccer. The Eleven will miss at least five games.