Mayor Ballard to announce 2012 Super Bowl bid today
The first time Indianapolis tried for a Super Bowl, it scored points with NFL owners, just not enough. Now the city is trying again.
At 3:30 this afternoon Mayor Greg Ballard and other leaders will make the official announcement about their attempt to get the 2012 Super Bowl to Indianapolis. Last year, Indianapolis lost the 2011 Super Bowl to Dallas by just two votes. Many believe Dallas’ big advantage was a stadium with more seats.
Now it appears Indianapolis is up against Phoenix and Houston which have comparable stadiums to Lucas Oil. Mayor Greg Ballard is quoted on NFL.com saying “Indianapolis is a great football city and, frankly, deserves a Super Bowl.”
Bill Benner with Inside INdiana Business agrees, and this is why he thinks Indy will beat out the two other cities.
“I also think Phoenix just had the Super Bowl, Houston is bidding to have it the year after Dallas has it, so that would be Texas back to back, so I think both of those factors weigh toward Indianapolis’ favor,” said Benner.
People living in Marion County have mixed emotions about the bid.
“It’s going to be a tremendous opportunity to showcase the innovation that happens here in Indianapolis, and show that we’re still a first-class city,” said John Orczyk.
“How much is it going to cost everybody? I know they talk about the money that comes in, but how much is it going to cost the taxpayers? How much money did it cost the taxpayers for Lucas Oil Stadium?” asked Patrick Marlow.
A study done last year found that a Super Bowl would bring nearly 100,000 people to the Circle City, and the economic benefit for all of Indiana would be about $262 million. The bid is due to NFL officials on April 1st, and we should know by May who wins.
Explore posts in the same categories: Local News