Naming rights to Bankers Life Fieldhouse, home of the Indiana Pacers, will hit the market, as the current agreement will not be renewed once it expires.
The current naming rights agreement for Bankers Life Fieldhouse does not expire until June 30, 2019. However, CNO Financial Group and Pacers Sports & Entertainment are jointly confirming that the deal will not be renewed. CNO Financial, which claims Bankers Life as a subsidiary, says it will explore ways to continue its relationship with the Pacers.
“CNO Financial and Bankers Life have been the naming rights sponsor of the Fieldhouse for nearly two decades, and we achieved and exceeded many of our sponsorship goals throughout the length of this partnership,” said Gary Bhojwani, chief executive officer of CNO Financial. “CNO is proud to be headquartered in central Indiana and to support the communities where our associates live and work. We are actively working with Pacers Sports & Entertainment to identify the next phase of our collaboration together.”
CNO Financial has held the naming rights for Bankers Life Fieldhouse — home to the Indiana Pacers, Indiana Fever and more than 600 events annually — since signing a 20-year sponsorship agreement in 1999. Pacers Sports & Entertainment will pursue a future naming rights sponsor and continue conversations with CNO Financial regarding a new partnership. CNO Financial employs more than 1,200 associates at its headquarters in Carmel, Ind., and is the title sponsor of the annual CNO Financial Indianapolis Monumental Marathon.
“CNO has been an outstanding team partner since day one of our relationship, with a tremendous impact on both Pacers Sports & Entertainment and the community,” said Rick Fuson, president and chief operating officer. “We thank CNO Financial and Bankers Life for years of dedicated partnership and we look forward to the next phase of our relationship.”
