MVN - Most Valuable Network

It’s official: Indy to host 2012 Super Bowl

The biggest game of them all is coming to Indianapolis in 2012 (of course, that’s assuming this whole brewing NFL labor dispute thing doesn’t spoil it).

I’m not really sure who to “thank” for this.

You could thank Shooter from Hoosiers, who apparently delivered an impassioned video message extolling the virtues of Indianapolis as a host city for an event that is truly world class.

You could thank former Mayor Bart Peterson, who for years touted Indianapolis as a world-class city capable of hosting such a spectacle. He was instrumental in keeping the Colts in Indianapolis and helping them secure a new stadium.

You could thank current Mayor Greg Ballard, who picked up on the threads of last year’s failed Super Bowl attempt and decided to give it another go.

You could thank 32 members of the class of 2012, who traveled to all 32 NFL cities (even enemy territory in a place called Foxborough) to give a “personal touch” to Indy’s quest for a Super Bowl.

Or you could thank the men and women of Indy’s Super Bowl Committee, who worked tirelessly to organize a championship pitch.

If it hasn’t sunk in yet, my point is simply this: there are a lot of people, countless people, to thank for this honor. Indianapolis will host the NFL’s premier event only because of their hard work, dedication, and persistence.

Let’s face it, I didn’t think Indy had a chance of hosting the Super Bowl after last year’s failed attempt. Dallas, boasting a more flamboyant owner, a bigger stadium, and more cash, won the day. Indianapolis had a “great pitch,” the NFL owners agreed. It just wasn’t enough to sway them in Indy’s favor. That’s despite some of the advantages Indianapolis offers, including a compact downtown area where pretty much everthing could be going on at one time. There would be no long commutes; no going between three different areas to experience everything that comes along with the Super Bowl.

In fact, last year’s attempt was a $25 million gamble that didn’t pay off.

If the committee hadn’t succeeded this time around, you could’ve made it a $50 million gamble that didn’t pay off.

Yet, here we are: within four years of its christening as the new home for the Indianapolis Colts, Lucas Oil Stadium will host the biggest game of them all. A media horde will descend upon the Circle City. Hotel prices will skyrocket. People will complain about the weather, the quaintness, maybe even the lack of grandeur. After all, this isn’t Arizona; there’s no Grand Canyon in Indianapolis. This isn’t Houston; there’s nothing Texas-sized about Indiana’s capital city. But over the next four years, some incredible changes are going to take place in Indianapolis.

The city is proud of its reputation for hosting world-class events, from the races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to the Final Four. Yet, despite these great events, some in the city dreamed Indianapolis could become something even greater.

And now, they’ve convinced NFL owners to share that vision.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 20th, 2008 at 2:01 pm and is filed under Colts, Super Bowl. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.