The city of Indianapolis has long been viewed as one of the premier places to host major sporting events, and as its reputation has grown, the events have become larger. Bankers Life Fieldhouse (formerly known as Conseco Fieldhouse) has been a frequent host of the men’s and women’s Big Ten basketball tournaments, and both tourneys will return to Indy this March.
The inaugural Big Ten Football Championship was held at Lucas Oil Stadium this season, and it would be shocking if it didn’t return for many years to come. The NCAA Final Four has been held in Indy several times, and the men’s Final Four will return to Lucas Oil in 2015. Yet all of that might be a build up to the largest sporting event of them all—the 2012 NFL Super Bowl on February 5 at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Football has become the face of American sports, and the crowds that regular season games attract are anywhere from 60,000 to 85,000 fans. For an event like the Super Bowl, there will be hundreds of thousands of people—and that doesn’t even include the team of 8,000 volunteers that have been assembled to help with the various events.
The stage is set for a rematch of the 2007 championship. Peyton Manning never took a snap at Lucas Oil Stadium this season, but his brother Eli will be in town, searching for his second title. Tom Brady, widely regarded as the top quarterback in the league, will be leading the Pats in hope of bringing home yet another Lombardi trophy.
The Super Bowl XLVI will draw crowds of fans and tourists to Indianapolis for the big game.
Some may think that the Super Bowl is just another three hour game that will crown the champion of the NFL, but that is very wrong. It is a two-week event filled with concerts, festivals, fan experiences, stadium tours and of course the game.
Starting this week, the city of Indianapolis will be filled with events that all tie into the Super Bowl in some fashion.
Even if they don’t directly connect to the game, such as Disney on Ice, there will be more going on in the city than ever before to entertain the mass of NFL fans that will flock to the Circle City.
While not everyone is the biggest NFL fan, it would be silly to not drive 40 minutes down the road to experience the madness that this game will bring to central Indiana.
It could be a once-in-a-lifetime event and, despite the outrageous price of tickets, most of the other events are free.
After looking over the calendar of events here are a few that caught my eye:
• Super Bowl XLVI Stadium Tours
• Super Bowl Village
• LIVE and free concerts from various artists such as Bret Michaels, LMFAO, Dierks Bentley, Village People, O.A.R., DJ Pauly D, and Jon McLaughlin
• LIVE broadcasts of various ESPN shows such as Sportscenter, NFL Live, Mike and Mike in the Morning and The Scott Van Pelt Show
• Late Night Show with Jimmy Fallon (tickets are free but a short essay must be submitted to get picked to go)
These are just a handful of the events that Indianapolis has planned for the Super Bowl festivities. The complete list can be viewed at www.indianapolissuperbowl.com.
If the game and the other happenings run smoothly, then there is a solid chance that Indy could become a regular host of the Big Game.
The fans’ satisfaction will play a big role in that, and with the event so close, why not go walk around and enjoy the festivities?
