Pacers launch new entertainment partnership, Iowa sells out of Fever tickets fast, Mystics change home venue: the Caitlin Clark Effect
Ahead of Indy hosting the WNBA All-Star game in July, Pacers Sports & Entertainment has brought on Hartbeat to help produce major events. More Fever news, plus a special ABA documentary worth seeing.
Pacers Sports & Entertainment announced a new partnership with Hartbeat, owned by comedian Kevin Hart, that has been months in the making.
Indianapolis knows how to host big events. It starts with the people — that’s where Hoosiers Hospitality stems from. Then it’s because of the downtown setup as well as the venues.
PS&E hosts hundreds of events each year. More than Pacers and Fever basketball, there’s concerts, comedy shows, corporate events, and both high school and college tournaments.
The NFL Scouting Combine invades the city this week; then for the next two weeks, it’s the Big Ten women’s and men’s basketball tournaments. In another month, regionals for NCAA men’s basketball.
And just over one year ago, it was the NBA All-Star game. That was a big hit.
One of the league’s top event directors was Joey Graziano and he made such an impression on the Pacers, including ownership, that they hired him and his top associate out of the New York offices.
He was tasked to think differently, find new opportunities to raise the bar even further, and bring in new business.
The organization has named Hartbeat, which is based in West Hollywood, as their “cultural curator.” They’re teaming up to create more live experiences and bring in special acts including, but no limited to, stand-up comedy, musical acts, half-time shows, festivals, scripted content and bespoke merchandise collaborations.
It will first be on display this summer as Indy hosts WNBA All-Star Weekend for the first time. It’s set for July 18-19 and Hartbeat is already planning an inaugural event to make the weekend bigger and better than ever before.
“Hartbeat will curate a dynamic lineup of comedy and music acts for an unforgettable live experience,” the announcement said of All-Star Weekend.
Several months ago, PS&E hosted Hart, along with Hartbeat President and Chief Distribution Officer Jeff Clanagan, to The Fieldhouse to discuss this possibilities of this partnership. They toured the building and even stopped by Pacers practice, allowing for Hart to visit with players.
“Hartbeat is a dynamic industry leader with extensive experience transforming high-impact moments into enduring cultural movements. Our creative collaboration with Hartbeat will redefine the fan experience in sports and entertainment and set a new standard for the intersection of basketball and culture,” said Graziano, the EVP of Strategy and New Business Ventures at PS&E.
“This partnership is for every fan. We’re thrilled to tap into Hartbeat’s creativity, distribution network, and access to talent to amplify our family of brands and deliver exclusive live performances and content to our global and growing fanbase. This partnership will produce a year-round lineup of new programming and events that will continue to showcase Indianapolis as a premier entertainment destination.”
The proof will be in the product — and they intend to lean into music festivals, comedy, and other live events that have both national and local appeal.
They have Gainbridge Fieldhouse, they have Bicentennial Unity Plaza, and there’s plans for a new Live Nation entertainment venue across Pennsylvania Street in a few years. That’s part of a larger investment from Herb Simon.
“When it comes to delivering world-class fan experiences, we want to continue to raise the bar and this partnership does just that,” added CEO Mel Raines.
🎟️ Tickets to Clark’s Return to Iowa Sellout in 42 Minutes
On Tuesday, the University of Iowa announced how ticket sales would go down for the Fever’s special visit on May 4, scheduled to face the Brazilian National Team in a preseason game.
It didn't even reach general ticket sales because 15,000 tickets are quickly snatched up in less than 45 minutes on Thursday.
That’s no surprise — it’s the Caitlin Clark Effect.
It's a Fever home game with a third-party company (ProHoops Sports & Events) coming in to run the game. However, ticket distribution is being handled by the university so donors and season-ticket holders had first dibs — up to four per customer.
Clark led the Hawkeyes to back-to-back national championship games, she’s a two-time Wooden Award winner, college basketball’s all-time leading scorer, and she is beloved everywhere — but especially back home in Iowa.
🏀 Washington Mystics Move Home Date With Fever
The Washington Mystics announced on Thursday that they are moving four home games to different venues, including both dates against the Fever.
Games on May 28 and Sept. 7 have been moved from their home arena with 4,200 seats to CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, which has room for 14,000. (And get-in prices for tickets are $400 on the resale market.)
That’s no surprise — it’s the Caitlin Clark Effect.
Last season, the Fever played both games at Capital One Arena, home of the Washington Wizards. Both games attracted more than 20,000 and the regular-season finale set a WNBA record for the largest attendance in league history — with 20,711.
Of course they were going to run it back.
However, that arena is undergoing significant renovations, expected to cost at least $285 million, so it is unavailable. Much like in Indy several years ago, they plan to get right to renovations once the Wizards’ season ends in mid-April.
The irony here, though, is that Mystics co-owner Shiela Johnson spoke out negatively about Clark in mid-December. It was after Clark was named Time Magazine’s Athlete of the Year. Instead, Johnson suggested putting the whole WNBA on the cover.
“When you just keep singling out one player, it creates hard feelings,” she told CNN Sport.
It also celebrates greatness. We didn’t hear that of Tiger Woods, LeBron James or Serena Williams…
It was Clark that led to record TV ratings, shattering of attendance records, unprecedented merchandise sales, and brought a massive new audience to the WNBA.
📽️ Special Screening of “The Waiting Game” on Friday
If you’re looking for plans on Friday, basketball fans may want to head to Newfields to see a special screening of “The Waiting Game” — a 90-minute film on ABA players helping to create the rich value for NBA players that we see today.
They weren’t so lucky and many players often worked multiple jobs to make ends meet. Now, the league minimum for a player contract is $1.2 million.
Newfields is showing the film as part of their Black History Month celebration. The cost is 11.99, including fees. (Click here for tickets)
Darnell Hillman and Wayne Pack from the ABA Pacers will be there and hold a Q&A afterward.
It was directed by Michael Husain, produced by Bryan Boyd and Amy Pauszek.
The Waiting Game (2024) is a powerful documentary that reveals an incredible battle between the NBA and a tiny not for profit working to gain full recognition for the men of the ABA–a colorful, exciting, rival league that arguably invented the modern game of basketball. It's a fight for benefits the players of the ABA felt were promised, but never delivered. While following an investigation of the legal trail of the ABA-NBA merger, key impact journalism and the advocacy for justice, the film reveals the lines that can stand between raw corporate interest and basic human dignity.