Indy’s Perfect Storm: College Sports Magnify Economic Impact
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana’s economy is getting a huge boost this weekend from a packed schedule of college sports, which Inside Indiana Business President and CEO Gerry Dick described as a “perfect storm” for economic impact in downtown Indianapolis.
The key events are the Big Ten Football Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium and the Indiana University basketball game against Louisville at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday. This combination brings a huge number of fans to downtown Indianapolis.
“The impact, which is always significant from the Big Ten Football Championship is going to be magnified,” Dick said in a Monday interview with 93 WIBC’s Tony Katz.
This boosted spending comes from a heavy flow of visitors, including those from Ohio State who “travels very well,” and Louisville, who are only “two hours away.”
This busy weekend is also an opportunity for Indianapolis to keep a key financial driver: the Big Ten Football Championship.
“The reality is these markets like Las Vegas, like a number of other markets around the country, are really going to be going after in a big way,” Dick said. “We’ll see where it plays out, but again, this is another opportunity for Indy to showcase why they are so good at what they do this weekend.” Dick said the Big Ten might be looking to start “sharing the wealth” with other cities, making Indy’s success this weekend crucial.
