Pacers Sport & Entertainment cuts full-time employees due to pandemic

INDIANAPOLIS (Inside INdiana Business/WISH) — Pacers Sports & Entertainment is cutting some of its full-time employees as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

A spokesperson for the company, which owns the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever, has confirmed to Inside INdiana Business the move will affect about 16% of its workforce.

The spokesperson did not give a number of people affected. Online information shows Pacers Sports & Entertainment employs about 180 full-time workers.

President and Chief Operating Officer Rick Fuson said in a statement that while the company has been able to avoid workforce disruptions over the last four months, “the continued uncertainty of a return to fully-attended events” has made continuing such measures unavoidable.

“As a result, we have reduced our full-time workforce and have implemented other significant cost-cutting measures in response to the effects of these unprecedented and unforeseen circumstances,” Fuson said. “To our colleagues that are affected by this reduction, we will provide severance wages, a health care subsidy, and connections to resources and support services to help them transition to their next professional opportunities.”

Fuson called the decision “very difficult” and expressed gratitude to the employees affected by the move.