The American Basketball Association is best known as the league where the Indiana Pacers got their start, but a revival of the league has been around since 2000. A team in the new ABA wants to give fans the power of ownership.
The Hoosier State Instigators, who recently moved to the Best Choice Fieldhouse in Fishers, sell pieces of ownership to fans through the website Patreon. Those who buy in have actual votes in team management decisions.
"What if the fans chose the starting lineup?" said Instigators founder Corey Kern. "I sit on the couch all the time and think, 'Maybe I can do that better.' Now it's time to put our money and thoughts where our mouth is and prove that we can do it."
The ABA is headquartered in Indianapolis and has more than 150 teams nationwide according to co-founder Joe Newman. He said his goal with the new ABA is to make the business side of basketball accessible for everyone.
"I want to make it easier to own and operate an ABA team than any other so that they could not use money as an exclusion from ownership," Newman said.
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Kern said he was convinced of the fan-ownership model through his experience with the defunct Fan Controlled Football league. He believes it is a niche that can set the ABA apart from major sports leagues.
"We want to democratize sports and we wanted to find a way to get into professional sports and help fans get involved in their local team," Kern said.
ABA games take place on weekends between November and April. Other ABA teams in the area include the Indiana Legends in New Castle and the Indiana Lyons in Danville.
