What's Next For Indy?

            
            We did it Indianapolis! We showed the world that we aren’t just some Midwestern town. We proved that we are a city capable of hosting any event, anytime of the year. Super Bowl XLVI? No problem. More than 1 million people in a week? We can do that. Free concerts every night in frigid temperatures? Yep. Showing “Hoosier Hospitality” to thousands of visitors from across America and the world? Check. Nothing stood in the way of Indianapolis and a successful Super Bowl. Everybody in Indiana should pat themselves on the back because we all played a part in hosting one of the best Super Bowls in history.

           

So what’s next for Indy? Of course we will make another bid for the Super Bowl. In fact, rumor is we will most likely have the 2017 game. What else is out there though? Should we look for just sporting events?

            I read a few articles that said we should try to get a political convention. My first thought is “BORING!” What would that accomplish for us? How would that improve our image? In one of the articles, the writer said that thousands more reporters cover the big conventions than the Super Bowl (I find that incredible hard to believe). Ok great, but do 111 million Americans watch the conventions? Denver held the 2008 Democratic Convention. They have never had a Super Bowl. We are better than Denver. If hosting a convention like that is our next goal, then somebody needs to go to a dictionary and look up the word “ambition”.

Why not stick with sporting events? Indianapolis has the potential to be the greatest sports city in America. We have a professional football and basketball team. We have a minor league baseball and hockey team. We are the home of the NCAA. Dozens of NHRA and IndyCar teams are headquartered here. We are in the heart of Big Ten country. We host the Big 10 Basketball and Football Championships. Did I mention we host the most prestigious race in the United States?

What Indianapolis really needs is a big college football game. I’m pretty certain that we are the only city that has hosted the Final Four and Super Bowl, but never a bowl game. It’s outrageous that some Midwest schools have to travel more than 1,000 miles to play in bowl games while Southern and West Coast teams travel less than 100 miles. Put a big name bowl game in Indy and give the Big Ten an advantage like other conferences get.

If we’re not going to get a post season bowl game, why not a game at the beginning of the season? Chik-fil-A has sponsored a game in Atlanta the past few seasons that matches up two Top 25 teams. There is also an annual kick-off game in Dallas in the new Cowboys Stadium. Sure, we wouldn’t be able to get a showdown between Ohio State and Notre Dame at first, but someday that may happen. It could start off with a second-tier Big Ten team (Purdue, Iowa, Penn State, Nebraska) and second-tier ACC team (Virginia, Clemson, Georgia Tech). Maybe I’m just biased, but a preseason or postseason college football game would be awesome.

            I have also heard people mention hosting an international event. The Olympics or the World Cup is too big for us, so there is a limit on what we could or should have. London is hosting the 2012 Summer Olympic Games and Beijing had them in 2008. We are not on the same level as either of those two. It would be great if Chicago was the host city for either of those events. Then some events and festivities could be held here.

Besides the Super Bowl, Olympics, and the World Cup, what else is there? There are World Championships every year, but Indy has hosted one of those before. There are Formula 1 races, but we had several of those in the early 2000’s. If Indy really wants to break into the soccer world and get some events, then we need to get a professional team. No World Cup or exhibition game is ever going to be played here if we don’t have a soccer team of our own.

             Regardless of what Indianapolis goes after next, I can without a doubt guarantee we will not only get that event, but be the best hosts possible and surpass the expectations of every party involved. Indy is here to stay. Get used to it Chicago and Detroit!