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Leagues and Governing Bodies

IndyCar Sees Strong Start To '17 Season With Better Competition, Sponsor Renewals

Two races into the Verizon IndyCar Series season, the "balance of power in the beleaguered series seems to have shifted," according to Jenna Fryer of the AP. Honda is "showing renewed strength after several years of Chevrolet dominance." Thanks in part to a "more competitive circuit, IndyCar is heading in the proper direction." Driver Ryan Hunter-Reay said, "Things are looking positive and there's traction." Hunter-Reay, cited "strong crowds" at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, plus the "planning for a new car" in '18. IndyCar "celebrated its kickoff by announcing that all four of its major partners -- Chevrolet, Honda, Firestone and Dallara -- signed multiyear contract extensions." Driver Helio Castroneves "feels the momentum in the series was built" around last year's 100th running of the Indianapolis 500. Castroneves: "Finally we are getting in our groove. Last year's Indy 500 probably caught a lot of attention from a younger group, and I think there's more room for us to grow. We still need to improve our TV numbers, the social media side, the marketing part, but we are making gains." Meanwhile, Fryer noted there have been "rumors of a 'showstopping' driver parachuting" into next month's Indianapolis 500, but "nothing has stuck." The marketing of the new Indy car, a "sexier version of the current Dallara, must be the focal point in creating hype for the series." Team Owner Chip Ganassi said, "I like the job that management is doing" (AP, 4/10).

DRIVERS, START YOUR ENGINES
: Indianapolis 500 race organizers said that they have "already exceeded their ticket sales goal and are making slight tweaks to the event" with fewer than two months to go before the 101st running of the race. IMS President Doug Boles said that this year’s attendance will "easily top" '15's. He added that he will be "disappointed if the figure doesn’t crack 300,000." SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's Adam Stern notes that would represent at least a 36% uptick from '15, though it would be an approximately 15% drop from the attendance last year. While not ruling it out, Boles "does not expect to fully sell out the 250,000 seats that comprise IMS’s sprawling grandstands" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 4/10 issue).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

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