Pacers and Racers

I took this while at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway a couple weeks ago. Pacers flag and a green flag at the greatest race course in the world. Awesome.

            
          There was an incredible moment a few weeks ago when all was perfect in central Indiana. The Indianapolis 500 activities were under way and the Indiana Pacers were battling the Miami Heat in the second round of the NBA Playoffs. I was at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for most of that time but I can’t believe all the Pacers gear I saw people wearing. Never had I seen the amount of pride on display at IMS than I had for that one week.

As a native Hoosier, let me tell you that nothing means more to us than basketball and racing. As small of a state we are, we have a heck of a lot of history that is important to both sports. Our racing heritage goes all the way back to 1911 when the first Indianapolis 500 was run. Ever since that day, millions have come to Indianapolis to celebrate the greatest race in the world. In basketball, there may be varying opinions of when our mark was made in basketball. In 1932, Indiana-born John Wooden led the Purdue Boilermakers to the 1932 NCAA Championship. That would be the first collegiate championship for Purdue, but not the last as Indiana University would go on to win five more throughout the years. In 1954, a small high school from Milan, Indiana won the state high school championship. Their story is portrayed in a movie you may have heard of, called “Hoosiers”.

            It’s been a rocky few years for the Indy 500 and condition of basketball in Indiana, but now it seems like both are on the rise. The sanctioning body of the “500”, IndyCar, has struggled to gain popularity and fan support ever since the late 90’s. Just a couple of years ago, many thought the death of open-wheel in America was nearing. Although the league is nowhere near the same level of popularity as NASCAR, it is improving and could very well become the more popular series in the coming years. As for basketball, it all starts and ends with the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers have struggled to win games and fan support ever since the retirement of Reggie Miller in 2005.

           

IndyCar is on the rise, not just in Indiana, but across America. TV ratings increased in 2011 from 2010, and they are even higher this year.  Although the number of people tuning into races is measly compared to the NFL or even NASCAR, at least the numbers are going up and not down. There was a lot of momentum built after last year’s thrilling Indianapolis 500 but much of it was lost after the death of Dan Wheldon. This year’s “500” was even better. It was just what IndyCar needed, especially after the dominance of Chevrolet and Penske. What IndyCar really needs is Dario Franchitti to win a couple of more races and set up a Chevrolet/Honda and Penske/Ganassi showdown.

The Pacers have finally removed themselves from the “bunch of thugs” label that they were given after the Brawl in Detroit. They made it to the playoffs last year and this year they finished with the third-best record in the Eastern Conference. In the 2012 playoffs they made it to the second round but were defeated by the Miami Heat (who have two of the Top 10 players in the world on their roster). The Pacers may not win a championship in the next three to four years, but they will be one of the best teams in the NBA. They have a young team and a young coach that are hungry and determined to prove that you don’t need superstars to be successful.

            There’s also another basketball team in Indiana that’s pretty popular, the Indiana University Hoosiers. You may have seen a short clip of what happened during the Indiana Hoosier’s season last year. After beating the #1 Kentucky Wildcats on a last-second shot, hundreds of fans and students rushed the court and celebrated. After that victory, the rally cry of “we’re back!” could be heard and seen everywhere. The Hoosiers made it to the third round of the NCAA Tournament where they again would face the Wildcats. Although the Wildcats soundly defeated the Hoosiers, there is no doubt that the Hoosiers will be even stronger in 2012. Cody Zeller, one of the best freshmen in the country last year, will be back for his sophomore season. Coach Tom Crean was also able to bring in one of the best recruiting classes in the nation to help cement success in the future.