Living in Indiana my whole life, I’ve been able to recognize that Hoosiers are very supportive to good sport teams. When you look at the Indianapolis Colts organization, viewers can see that they almost sell out every home game in successful seasons.
By watching the Indiana Pacers as the past few season have been up and down, you can see the fluctuation in home ticket sales. My only question is this: What happens when both of Indiana’s major professional sport teams have bad seasons?
Shortly after the Dallas Mavericks’ championship win over the Miami Heat this past summer, discussions began on a new collective bargaining agreement in the NBA. On July 1st, 2011 the National Basketball Association and the National Basketball Players Association couldn’t come to terms, and a lockout of the players ensued. Three months later, there still hasn’t been a new CBA signed between the two parties.
Last season, the Indiana Pacers had some ups and downs. The season was very exciting due to the Pacers reaching the playoffs, a feat that hadn’t happened since the 2005-2006 season. There were a lot of changes to the franchise the past few years, as the front office brought in new players and signed new coaches. And now it seems that right when the Pacers organization was beginning to peak, the NBA decided to have a lockout.
In the same summer as the NBA lockout, news broke that Peyton Manning would be having another neck surgery. As the NFL season drew closer, another bad story hit the news, as word came that Manning would not be starting as quarterback. So far this season, the Colts are 0-6 and things don’t look like they’ll get any better.
As of right now, the state of Indiana is looking for a successful sports team to cheer on. Unfortunately there aren’t many options. Every Division I team is struggling. There isn’t a MLB team in Indiana, and there aren’t any NASCAR or Indy races anytime soon. The game of hockey and soccer are practically non-existent in the state. Hoosiers are looking for a team to fill that void of Indiana sports.
This past weekend there was a feeling of excitement, as a new college basketball season is quickly approaching. Across the country, colleges and universities had their first open practice. At Indiana University, Assembly Hall was filled with Hoosiers excited to see what many hope is an emerging program.
With the NBA in a lockout and the Colts having a horrible season, I believe the Hoosiers will begin to focus their efforts towards the Indiana University men’s basketball team. IU coach Tom Crean has done a great job with bringing in new recruits such as Cody Zeller, Austin Etherington, and Remy Abell. Assembly Hall will begin to have packed games again as fans from across the state will fill in the seats.
The IU men’s basketball team will have a large crowd at each home game this year. As for the Colts and Pacers fans, hopefully things will return back to what they once were. If the lockout continues and if the Colts keep losing, it will make the appreciation for IU basketball a lot stronger.
