Amateur sports capital

TD Ameritrade Park is expected to once again bring in well over , baseball fans to the ballpark. Fifty-three American swimmers are headed out to Tokyo because of how they faired in an Omaha pool. We have the venues and the people, the volunteers, and support staff. Indianapolis, Indiana, is often considered the amateur sports capital of America.

For nearly a century, the most recognizable landmark in downtown Indianapolis was the the foot Soldiers and Sailors Monument, begun in as a Civil War memorial. Never heard of it? Neither has most of the country, which is natural. Until recently, one could plead the same blissful ignorance about. Indianapolis is now recognized nationwide as the amateur sports capital of the country, a distinction that will be underlined when the 10th Pan American Games open here Aug. To celebrate the occasion, the city will have a new memorial of sorts: the Pan American Plaza and office tower.

Beginning back in the s, Indianapolis leaders made a concentrated effort to bring athletic teams, events, and governing bodies to the city. Every May, Indy comes alive with the roar of engines. It hosts the largest single-day sports event, the Indy People from all over the country flock to watch the 33 drivers compete for miles to drink that cold bottle of milk and kiss the legendary bricks. Hoosiers love their basketball — and for good reason!

Miles came to Hulman in after working to bring the Super Bowl to Indianapolis in WM caught up with Miles and Vaughn on the seventh floor of The Pagoda at IMS—overlooking the Speedway and with a view of the Indianapolis skyline—to hear their perspectives on sports as an engine of economic and cultural development and to glimpse their visions for attracting the next generation of events, fans, and supporters. WM: When you look out these windows, what do you see?