I love the Colts probably as much as any guy in the state of Minnesota. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean that I am a fan of Indianapolis. I can’t imagine why anyone really would be. Imagine my surprise, then, when the NFL decided that the city of Indianapolis would be hosting the 2012 Super Bowl. Wow.
Sure, the city hosts two huge sporting events a year, in the Indy 500 and the Brickyard 500, both auto racing events, and every once in a while, they have an NCAA Final Four. That being said, NFL fans are a bit more discriminating than NASCAR fans, and more voluminous than college basketball fans.
The downtown entertainment district nearest the stadium is impossibly small, and the next closest real place to have a good time is Broad Ripple on the northside. But don’t go too far, because then you’re just looking at a lot of corn. Not in February, I suppose, but the point holds true. The Indianapolis metro is small and without a whole lot to entertain the teeming masses for a week. You can only check out the Speedway so many times. And it won’t help that everyone there will also be trying to visit the Speedway (which happens to be in a rough side of town. Speaking of, most of Indianapolis can be a rough part of town if the Pacers are around). I’ve often said that the best thing to do in Indianapolis is go to Chicago.
Then there is the other concern. The Colts are building this new stadium, to be used to host the Super Bowl. I had the opportunity to stay right across the street from the stadium and look into it this past weekend from my hotel room:
I can’t tell exactly what that looks like, but I have a few ideas.
Williams Arena
A large indoor swimming pool
Stockyards
A huge F’in barn.
But I’m sure that’s the image Indy is looking to project. We’re completely rural hicks. Join us as we drink beer in a field and play football in our barn.
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