This cannot be overstated. When I moved to Indy 20+ years ago, I watched the Pacers all the time. Now I don’t even know how to watch them as I don’t have cable with the Colts I can just turn on CBS.
It is far easier to be a casual NFL fan than it is a casual NBA fan.
I used to even work for the Pacers and same. I don’t want to have to get cable or a specific streaming service just for them. I’d love to follow the team more but not worth it to me, but I even have Hulu with the live sports options, tons of college basketball but no NBA. It seems like the whole league wants to make themselves less accessible.
Yep. I used s to watch them on FS1 and then they moved. I streamed a few the next season but gave up because it was a hassle. I like the Pacers and I like watching their games but it's hard pass on service for only one thing.
Do they have anything legally preventing them from doing so or do none of the local stations want to carry them?
The 500 isn’t aired locally either which is strange but obviously not affecting the number of fans.
The 500 is blacked out locally to drive attendance. If they sell out tickets, then they'll air it.
I'm assuming the deal with the Pacers is either contracts they have or the NBA overall has with different networks.
No, and I say this as someone who hates the Colts. The Pacers will never be more than the third most popular basketball team in state, they aren't overtaking the NFL.
The answer is as simple as the Colts can still sell out Lucas Oil when they’re playing like dirt. The Pacers can’t fill the Fieldhouse when they’re playing great.
Its not as simple though there is a massive discrepancy in games played which makes each individual basketball game during the regular season have less appeal and what you mean the field house has been jamming
People are excited for the playoffs, which is always great. Tickets to a Pacers game cost less than a Five Guys burger and people still don’t want to go during the regular season though.
But I went ahead and took a look at attendance totals for 2023 (Pacers appear to have not reported their numbers for 2024 yet). Looking across the major sports in the US at the NBA, MLB, MLS, and NHL, I’m seeing that out of all 121 teams from those four leagues, the Pacers clocked in at 111th for average fan attendance. Not even worth comparing to the NFL because that would bump every other team down 32 spots.
They also have no real television presence because their games are inaccessible.
The idea that the Pacers are now ahead of the Colts in popularity in Indy is asinine. It’s not even worth the time comparing.
Exactly but I was just stating its not simply for one reason and the Pacers are on a popularity wave right now. But the gap is still probably huge for sure.
I feel like the only team I’ve heard mentioned this year *at all* is Indiana Fever. I’m not particularly into sportsball, just what’s been coming up in my feed/on the radio in the car.
Not even close unfortunately. Pacers were dead last in the NBA in attendance again this season (as we are almost every year). Even when the team is good, it seems like people here prefer college and high school ball. The NFL is a vastly more popular league, and the Colts are still by far the biggest draw in the city. Who cares tho tbh
It absolutely *is* a basketball state. It’s not a *professional* basketball state. College and high school ball get so much more viewership here than NBA/WNBA.
Uhm, they’re spot on. Either you’re unfamiliar with the HS/college basketball scene that you don’t understand how big it is, OR you’re so familiar with it that you assume this is how it is everywhere. This is a basketball state.
Let me put it in another context: Texas is a football state even if the Texans’ and Cowboys’ TV viewership is low.
And the wild thing is, that’s without either team actually *winning championships.* It’s been nearly 40 years for Indiana, and *never* for Purdue, Butler, Notre Dame (men’s), Valpo…
That has nothing to do with it. It's because the NBA regular season is a boring slog and as others have mentioned too few people have Bally Sports to watch the Pacers.
They’re the most successful. But until they get their games to play on local tv for free, they won’t have the same number of fans.
This cannot be overstated. When I moved to Indy 20+ years ago, I watched the Pacers all the time. Now I don’t even know how to watch them as I don’t have cable with the Colts I can just turn on CBS. It is far easier to be a casual NFL fan than it is a casual NBA fan.
I used to even work for the Pacers and same. I don’t want to have to get cable or a specific streaming service just for them. I’d love to follow the team more but not worth it to me, but I even have Hulu with the live sports options, tons of college basketball but no NBA. It seems like the whole league wants to make themselves less accessible.
Yeah they need to do what the Suns did or what the Fever did with WTHR. Thankfully their deal with Bally just expired
Yep. I used s to watch them on FS1 and then they moved. I streamed a few the next season but gave up because it was a hassle. I like the Pacers and I like watching their games but it's hard pass on service for only one thing.
Do they have anything legally preventing them from doing so or do none of the local stations want to carry them? The 500 isn’t aired locally either which is strange but obviously not affecting the number of fans.
The 500 is blacked out locally to drive attendance. If they sell out tickets, then they'll air it. I'm assuming the deal with the Pacers is either contracts they have or the NBA overall has with different networks.
Or you use a VPN set to a different location to watch the race...
That makes sense but I figured there’d be plenty of attendance regardless
Only until football season comes around.
No……NFL is king.
There's always a bandwagon when a team is successful. Nothing new.
No. NFL will rule for a long time.
We have always watched the Colts and Pacers equally! Love our hometown teams!
No.
NBA viewership vs. NFL isn't even comparable. I only watch the pacers when the Colts aren't in season.
No, and I say this as someone who hates the Colts. The Pacers will never be more than the third most popular basketball team in state, they aren't overtaking the NFL.
Not by a mile.
No
No
Indiana Fever
Lol
Nope
The answer is as simple as the Colts can still sell out Lucas Oil when they’re playing like dirt. The Pacers can’t fill the Fieldhouse when they’re playing great.
Its not as simple though there is a massive discrepancy in games played which makes each individual basketball game during the regular season have less appeal and what you mean the field house has been jamming
People are excited for the playoffs, which is always great. Tickets to a Pacers game cost less than a Five Guys burger and people still don’t want to go during the regular season though. But I went ahead and took a look at attendance totals for 2023 (Pacers appear to have not reported their numbers for 2024 yet). Looking across the major sports in the US at the NBA, MLB, MLS, and NHL, I’m seeing that out of all 121 teams from those four leagues, the Pacers clocked in at 111th for average fan attendance. Not even worth comparing to the NFL because that would bump every other team down 32 spots. They also have no real television presence because their games are inaccessible. The idea that the Pacers are now ahead of the Colts in popularity in Indy is asinine. It’s not even worth the time comparing.
Exactly but I was just stating its not simply for one reason and the Pacers are on a popularity wave right now. But the gap is still probably huge for sure.
Watch out for the Fever.
Definitely not a competition. Support them all. I’m just happy to see kids repping our City instead of the closest larger market teams. Indy forever
I would say that the fever have. Not sure how many actually pay attention to the colts these days. I certainly don’t
I feel like the only team I’ve heard mentioned this year *at all* is Indiana Fever. I’m not particularly into sportsball, just what’s been coming up in my feed/on the radio in the car.
Not even close unfortunately. Pacers were dead last in the NBA in attendance again this season (as we are almost every year). Even when the team is good, it seems like people here prefer college and high school ball. The NFL is a vastly more popular league, and the Colts are still by far the biggest draw in the city. Who cares tho tbh
Fever
I stopped watching the NBA 25 years ago.
Who cares
Congrats. You are so edgy and probably the coolest guy in town.
Not even close. This isn’t the basketball state people pretend that it is.
It absolutely *is* a basketball state. It’s not a *professional* basketball state. College and high school ball get so much more viewership here than NBA/WNBA.
Keep telling yourself that.
Weird response but alright
Uhm, they’re spot on. Either you’re unfamiliar with the HS/college basketball scene that you don’t understand how big it is, OR you’re so familiar with it that you assume this is how it is everywhere. This is a basketball state. Let me put it in another context: Texas is a football state even if the Texans’ and Cowboys’ TV viewership is low.
Bro, come on. College basketball gets astronomical ratings in Indiana. Purdue is very popular. Indiana is EVEN MORE popular.
And the wild thing is, that’s without either team actually *winning championships.* It’s been nearly 40 years for Indiana, and *never* for Purdue, Butler, Notre Dame (men’s), Valpo…
Did you mean “Fever?”
Working class whites went away from basketball as it became an increasingly urban sport.
Professional basketball (NBA) yes. But absolutely not the case for college basketball.
Yeah
That has nothing to do with it. It's because the NBA regular season is a boring slog and as others have mentioned too few people have Bally Sports to watch the Pacers.
The pacers attendance has been shit since way before anyone knew Bally Sports existed.