The Pacers’ $16M investment “in a sound system and gargantuan new scoreboards at Bankers Life Fieldhouse could signal the team’s commitment to Indianapolis for the long haul,” according to Jon Murray of the INDIANAPOLIS STAR. Pacers execs said that for fans, the upgrades “will modernize the audio and visual experience” and will “keep the city-owned Downtown building in the top tier of arenas.” The Pacers are currently “preparing for a new round of negotiations with the city” for their lease. Indianapolis Chief of Staff Ryan Vaughn said while the amenities would improve the fan experience, “they will not be a factor during the negotiations to extend the long-term management contract for the fieldhouse.” As the team prepares for negotiations, Pacers Sports & Entertainment President Jim Morris said that the Pacers are “looking beyond simply extending a three-year side agreement struck with the CIB in 2010 to cover some of the team’s operating costs.” Morris said that Pacers Owner Herb Simon’s eye “is on the teams’ overall lease, which expires in 2019.” Simon is “committed to keeping the teams in Indianapolis well beyond then.” Morris also said Thursday that the team “still was struggling to break even, though a playoff run last season and higher ticket sales had narrowed the gap.” Murray notes the sound system “debuted Thursday night during an Indiana Fever women’s basketball game.” The scoreboards -- including “one hung above center court with two 50-foot-wide high-definition screens, five times as big as the screens they’re replacing -- should be ready for the Pacers’ home opener Nov. 3.” The new 45,000-pound center scoreboard “will be built by Purchase, N.Y.-based ANC Sports.” Plans also call “for installation of 330 HD flat-screen televisions in concourse areas on all levels” (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 8/17).
