NCAA title game earns best TV rating since 2005
More than 48 million viewers watched at least some of Monday night’s game, the most since 50 million tuned in for Arizona-Kentucky
in 1997.
More than 48 million viewers watched at least some of Monday night’s game, the most since 50 million tuned in for Arizona-Kentucky
in 1997.
Butler received so many visits to its main Web site, school officials had to beef up the computer system. School President
Bobby Fong is commissioning a study to gauge the value of the publicity earned through the Bulldogs' run to the Final
Four.
It was the third runner-up finish for the city in the past six months. The Indiana Fever lost in the WNBA finals, the Indianapolis
Colts lost the Super Bowl and now Butler.
National ticket search engine says about 4,500 remained Monday morning for the NCAA championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Butler is winning the war of merchandise sales, leading the other three
schools in the Final Four. A victory tonight, sports marketers said, would increase those sales fivefold.
As is the case at Duke, Butler graduates about 90 percent of its players. As is the case at Duke, there’s more than mere lip
service paid to the classroom at Butler.
Indiana and Purdue may be the state's traditional basketball powerhouses, but it's little Butler—enrollment 4,200—that's big time now. Butler is writing a Hollywood hoops script, a sequel to "Hoosiers."
The NCAA and city put together a deal to cover insurance and liability issues for this year’s Final Four, but are still finalizing
an agreement that assures the event comes back regularly through 2039.
A debate rages over how Butler's spot in the Final Four will blunt the event's economic impact. But predicting the Final Four's true impact is fraught with unknowns.
The NCAA appears to be on the verge of expanding the men’s basketball tournament to 96 teams.
Butler University basketball coach Brad Stevens has an annual base pay of $350,000 with another $37,851 in benefits and deferred
compensation. Not bad for a 33-year-old. But it’s no comparison to what big-time men’s college basketball coaches make.
Fans decked out in blue crowded Monument Circle and spilled onto Meridian Street in downtown Indianapolis, cheering on the
hometown Butler Bulldogs as they prepare for their first NCAA Final Four. Check out our photo gallery here.
Money proving to be a powerful motivator in earning Big Ten's support of NCAA tournament expansion plan.
Ticket brokers say a flood of tickets became available on the secondary market following losses by the No. 1-seeded Kansas
Jayhawks and Kentucky Wildcats.
Corporate hospitality at sports events has been stagnant in recent years, but organizers expect a big bounce for this year’s
NCAA Final Four in Indianapolis.
Besides an immediate bump in apparel sales, the university is expecting a jump in student applications, alumni contributions
and season-ticket sales, as well.
The goal of any host city of a major sporting event is simple: Rake in as much cash as possible during the days the event
is in town and maximize future economic potential by boosting the city’s image among everyone who watches on television.
Execution is more difficult.
Tickets were snapped up fast for this year’s Final Four, almost assuring a record economic impact for Indianapolis. But two
more wins for Purdue or Butler could bring down projected visitor spending.
The aim is to spur redevelopment on the city’s blighted near-east side before the 2012 Super Bowl is played in Indianapolis.
It started as a meeting seven years ago between the NCAA, city and state officials, representatives of the Indiana
Sports Corp. and a few others. The result was an agreement
assuring Indianapolis hosts a major NCAA event every year between now and 2039.