Indianapolis Is Super!

Photo: REUTERS/Mike Segar

Source: Photo: REUTERS/Mike Segar

In the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl, I’m sure there was a lot of anxious nail biting by NFL and Indianapolis officials in regards to just how effective having a Midwestern city hosting the event would be. There were considerations heading into the first week of February. The last two years in Indianapolis saw some really nasty winter weather and that does not go hand-in-hand with serving the fans a festival-like, party atmosphere. How would the “Olympic Village” style go over in an urban area? Will the local business community relax their more stringent requirements for reservations and dining to accommodate traffic delays, confusion, and “hoodie” wearing fans? Well, none of the above turned out to be an issue, and the Super Bowl went off without a hitch, unless of course, you are a New England Patriot fan. In fact, the case is being made by many in the media that Indianapolis put on the best Super Bowl event...ever!

Personally, I’ve never been to a more well put together event. I’ve been to the NCAA basketball Final Four, NASCAR events, Red Sox versus Yankee games, and a BCS bowl in Miami and none of those could come close to the sheer volume of activities presented by Indianapolis. First off, the people were fantastic. Restaurants, clubs, and merchants seemed to be accommodating in most every instance. We had to change reservations several times to one of the more upscale dining establishments downtown and they never batted an eye. I also had the pleasure of interacting with a few of the Super Bowl scarf-wearing volunteers and they were all as helpful as could be. Not only that, they took the time to engage visitors in conversation. I cannot say that I am surprised, as I have found that the Midwest is one of the friendliest and most eager to please places in the country. There were several places to listen to live music, enjoy “ballpark food”, drink a cold beverage, and even fly down a zipline if you so desired. It truly was a fun place to be from morning until late into the evening.

Twitter was buzzing with praise for “Naptown” all week long. Mike Tirico, who has built his career at ESPN visiting world class sporting events, was gushing over the city’s performance; "Indy you get an 11 out of 10. Best collective effort by any city hosting any sporting event I've attended." [1] Former Indianapolis Colt head coach Tony Dungy, who has a great affection for the city, also commented on how well the Super Bowl went in his former town; "I am so proud of the city of Indianapolis. So many people have told me this is the best Super Bowl they have ever attended!"[1] Even the laid back styles of the western portion of the country were impressed, as Arizona Republic sportswriter, Dan Bickley, wrote; "Incredulity is in the air. Naptown is alive and thriving. The urban Super Bowl is a huge success, where everything is in walking distance, and everyone feels the electricity," [2]

The “Olympic Village” set-up was genius. Some of the busiest downtown streets were shut down and made into walkways for the fans, so there could be easy, comfortable movement between events. There was literally a party in the streets. Most folks do not think of Indianapolis as a place that would be teeming with high-end restaurants and significant high culture sensibility, but a trip to the city changed that for a lot of people, including myself. You could easily spend a week in Indianapolis, with nothing else going on and enjoy a fine place to dine every night, as well as taking in a special at their IMAX theater or visiting one of their many museums and parks. At this point, I must mention just how clean and safe the streets and alleys were. The Indianapolis police were present, but not a hovering presence and the crowds were friendly. The city crews worked hard at keeping things clean and easy to navigate and though they may not get as much credit as they deserve, they certainly merit praise for a job well done. Indianapolis was the total package and the folks who will be working on next year’s Super Bowl in New Orleans took note. The executive director of the New Orleans host committee Jay Cicero commented on what he observed as the event unfolded; “Although we’ve held this event many times before, Indianapolis is breaking a lot of ground and we’re learning many things from them.” [3]

Indianapolis deserves every bit of the praise they are getting in throwing this most super of parties. The NFL season had some great storylines, including the Green Bay Packers unbeaten streak, Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints record-breaking offense, and the blessed heroics of Denver quarterback Tim Tebow, and it was topped off by a very competitive playoff and championship. To have the events surrounding arguably the most popular game in the world go off without a hitch is a credit to, not only the city of Indianapolis, but the NFL brass and fans as well. Hopefully this will not be the last time we see Indianapolis host the Super Bowl. New Orleans, you’re up next! Let’s see what you have.

Freddy Caple is a writer for one of the internet’s leading Super Bowl ticket providers and his articles on NFL football, thoroughbred horse racing, and other major sports can be found in a variety of places on the world wide web, including right here at Hub Pages.

External Sources:

[1] http ://www .theindychannel .com /news /30387475/detail .html

[2] http ://www .huffingtonpost .com /2012/02/05/super -bowl -2012-indianapolis -host -naptown -rep _n _1255693.html