Indianapolis isn’t lacking for post-Super Bowl commentary but I am in a unique position – small business owner, employee of another small business, privvy to some of the details of SB46 planning and able to view everything through the lens of a reporter – so I have decided to weigh in. Rather than stitch all of my thoughts together in a Frankentein’s monster of an essay, I decided to dedicate a post to each thought.

Building on yesterday’s theme of “was it worth it” it’s important to stress that securing a Super Bowl and hosting it successfully wasn’t an end in and of itself. It’s a membership card, a letter of reference, the beginning of a new chapter.

Was it expensive? Yes. Was it painful? In many ways, yes. But there’s always a cost of entry. Whether it’s a personal seat license, membership dues, or a kick in the teeth, you have to get jumped into the gang. Blood in, blood out. Once you are in the club the real work begins. You don’t pay thousands of dollars to join an exclusive club and then sit at home complaining that you’re not seeing any benefit. You can pay all the money in the world to become the official sponsor of an event or an athlete but if you don’t have the time, money and energy to market that relationship, you’re wasting your cash. You have to activate your membership/sponsorship. Indianapolis is the newest member of an exclusive club. Now we have to schmooze, play a round of golf, order a cocktail, have dinner.

Many people around the country doubted that we could pull it off. Many residents of central Indiana doubted that we could pull it off. A small number of fuddy duddies actively discouraged the city’s efforts to secure a Super Bowl, but of course they weren’t successful because fuddy duddies are never successful at anything but being unhappy. Our situation is not unlike the one Chicago found itself in when it hosted the World’s Fair in 1893. Against the supposedly better judgement of many citizens and critics, the event was staged and carried off with great fanfare and city leaders used that momentum to become one of the great cities of the 20th century. Indianapolis can use the momentum from Super Bowl XLVI to own the 21st century but we have to want it. We have to activate our membership in this exclusive club to attract events and employers and investment that will give Indianapolis the tools to improve its infrastructure, transit, and educational system.

We’re here. Let’s do something with the opportunity. More on that tomorrow…

Read more:

Bowled Over Part Two: The $100 Million Ad Buy
Bowled Over Part One: Let Us Give Thanks
Naptown To Super City (Video)