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Indy Racing League enters talks for new TV deal: Negotiations start this month with ABC/ESPN, but deal may be shopped to other networks to gauge interest

After the checkered flag dropped on this year’s Indianapolis 500, the green flag fell on negotiations for a new television contract between the Indy Racing League and ABC/ESPN. The current deal doesn’t expire until the end of next season, but the contract calls for the parties to discuss an extension starting this month. Sources close to both sides said ABC/ESPN pays the IRL about $10 million annually, but getting that kind of guaranteed cash beyond 2009 could be difficult. Still,…

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Air race circuit still eyes Indy

The Detroit Free-Press reported that fans watching last weekend’s Red Bull Air Race World Series along the Detroit River got a “thrill-chill.”

The crowd size assembled along the river banks might have thrilled Indianapolis…

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Pacers revive draft party

The Indiana Pacers will host a party at Conseco Fieldhouse on June 26, where fans can watch the 2008 NBA Draft and hear from Pacers executives about the team’s draft. This marks the…

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NBA measures IU’s Gordon

The vital statistics are in from last week’s NBA pre-draft camp. It’s official: Eric Gordon is nowhere near 6-foot-4— the measurement used by Indiana University when he played there last season—not even in…

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Horizon League hunts sponsors

The Horizon League and Nelligan Sports Marketing Inc. announced that they have agreed to a long-term extension to their partnership agreement that continues the New Jersey-based company’s exclusive rights to manage the Horizon League’s corporate sponsorship and marketing rights.

“We are…

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Fisher races to get back on track

Sarah Fisher is speeding ahead with plans to do at least two more Indy Racing League races this season. Despite the defection of two main sponsors and a crash at last month’s Indianapolis 500, Fisher still thinks her team will…

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IRL wins again in Milwaukee

The Indy Racing League is continuing its popularity growth.

After a strong month of May in Indianapolis, the IRL saw a 30 percent attendance increase at its race yesterday in Milwaukee, to just more than 30,000.

While…

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NBA revenue-sharing plan could save Pacers: Team could get more than $6 million annually

The Indiana Pacers got an assist recently from other National Basketball Association owners that could push the team out of the red. In April, the league’s board of governors approved a 63-percent increase in the amount of revenue shared among teams after a letter signed by Pacers co-owner Herb Simon and seven other small-market teams urged the change. The revenue challenges faced by smallmarket teams can no longer be ignored, said the letter signed by Simon in late 2006. Though…

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SPORTS: Open-wheel racing’s full recovery still miles away

Well, to all but one sourpuss. “The [Indy Racing League] is garbage,” said caller “Gordon from Zionsville” on WNDE’s sports-talk show, “The Drive,” on the Tuesday following the big race. Gordon was weighing in to denigrate the IRL and praise NASCAR. Back to him in a moment. For the time being, the IRL’s competition isn’t NASCAR. While overnight ratings showed the afternoon Indy 500 scored a bigger rating than NASCAR’s prime-time 600-miler at Charlotte-and that Indy’s ratings were up from…

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Pacers sell $6 tickets

The Indiana Pacers today began offering season tickets for about $6 per game. That’s one of the lowest ticket prices in the National Basketball Association. The cost is cheaper if you figure in preseason games, which are included in the…

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Indy Star loses another sports vet

The Indianapolis Star is about to lose its third sports department veteran since April.

Star Sports Editor Jim Lefko announced this week that assistant sports editor Pat McKee will depart the state’s largest daily…

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Big Ten shoots for corporate deals

The Big Ten Conference recently hired Dallas-based Learfield Sports to bring in more revenue from sponsorships, hospitality and other corporate initiatives.

Big Ten and Learfield Sports officials announced they have signed a pact where Learfield will develop an exclusive corporate partner…

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IRL has new problem, new race

The Indy Racing League has a new problem.

Too many cars.

Twenty-seven car-driver combos are expected to show up for this weekend’s Milwaukee Mile. The problem is, the short oval only has room for 26…

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Pacers cool on IU’s Gordon

The Indiana Pacers won’t likely have a shot at Indiana’s Eric Gordon in next month’s National Basketball Association draft. Most hoops prognosticators project Gordon to go seventh or eighth in the June 26…

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There’s something about Sarah

People are still fascinated with open-wheel racer Sarah Fisher despite the problems she’s had during the month of May in Indianapolis.

Actually, sports marketers think people might be fascinated with her because of the…

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Bottle of milk cool at Indy

College football has the Heisman Trophy, hockey has the Stanley Cup and The Master’s has the green jacket. But none are as cool as the bottle of milk awarded to the winner of…

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Not all feel need for ‘Speed Zone’: Speedway’s $500M redevelopment plan is catching criticism from town’s residents

Speedway may have been built on motorsports, but some residents think a $500 million redevelopment plan that would transform the small town into a year-round racing-themed destination goes too far. The plan, which involves 350 acres south of Indianapolis Motor Speedway, has become the issue in town at a time when a certain race usually dominates conversations. At the cozy Charlie Brown’s Pancake and Steak House on Main Street, patrons mull over the project in-between forkfuls of the diner’s signature…

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We got game-what’s next?: Super Bowl may require 10 times the personnel of Final Four

While landing another Super Bowl may be a long shot, local leaders clearly intend to show what Indianapolis is capable of accomplishing. “Our perspective is that this is a one-shot deal,” said local attorney Jack Swarbrick, who was part of a small contingency that traveled to Atlanta last week for the bid presentation to NFL owners. “But if we do this, and we do it well, the world will know we can do anything. If you’re thinking of Indianapolis hosting…

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SPORTS: City’s Super Bowl score was decades in the making

Shoot, if I’d known city leaders were going to resurrect Dennis Hopper-Shooter, from my alltime favorite flick, “Hoosiers”- for the Super Bowl bid video, I would have suggested they also use Hickory High player Merle and paraphrase his memorable line: “Let’s win it for all the smaller NFL-designated market areas that never had a chance to get here.” Yes, we are the nation’s 13th-largest city. Thank you, UniGov. But in terms of market size, we’re 26th or so. Certainly not…

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Commentary: Putting rush hour on ICE

Last week, after spending $71.83 to fill up my car, I said to myself, “Tomorrow, I’m taking the bus.” So I did. It wasn’t my first time on the new IndyGo commuter bus from Carmel; it was my fourth in the last five weeks. On that particular day, I was fed up. It was the first time that gassing up cost me more than $70, and it made an impression. I guess that’s what it’s going to take for all…

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