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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowYou don’t have to be a basketball fan to enjoy this weekend’s Final Four. But if you are, this should be like paradise.
Four powerhouse teams — Arizona, Michigan, Connecticut and Illinois — are playing for the Division I championship at Lucas Oil Stadium. But if you weren’t able to snag a ticket for those games (or just aren’t willing to pay the high prices the secondary market is commanding), you still have plenty of options.
There are team practices, a USA Basketball 3-on-3 tournament and the Reese’s NABC College All-Star Game on Friday at Lucas Oil Stadium — free, no ticket required. The State Farm College Slam Dunk & Three Point Championships are scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at Hinkle Fieldhouse, with tickets just $17.
And you can watch the Division II, Division III and NIT championships with a $40 ticket on Sunday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
Not a sports fan? No problem. The free March Madness Music Festival takes place Friday, Saturday and Sunday at American Legion Mall with marquee acts including the Zac Brown Band, Megan Moroney and Post Malone. Plus, there are fan events, street performances, murals and art installations, and even a coffee and chocolate event.
We encourage you to attend one or more events — but not just because we want you to have fun. Our encouragement is a little selfish, as well.
As IBJ Publisher Nate Feltman, a co-chair of the Final Four Local Organizing Committee, explains in his column at right, the city can’t take for granted that the NCAA and other organizations will continue to plan big events here. And while Nate is focused largely on the moves Indianapolis needs to make to stay competitive from an infrastructure perspective, we believe it’s also about the power of our people.
Central Indiana residents have traditionally embraced the city’s role as a sports and convention hub and showed up to volunteer to make the events run smoothly but also to attend games, festivals, fan events and more. That tells organizers — in this case, the NCAA — that this is a community that celebrates sports, music, the arts and more. That matters.
That’s why Indiana Sports Corp. President Patrick Talty is urging employers to “give your teams the flexibility to step away from the office, whether for a long lunch or an early close, to head to Lucas Oil Stadium” for Reese’s Final Four Friday.
It’s like Carb Day before the Indianapolis 500, a day at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway that is as much about community as it is about cars. Or like Kentucky Oaks Day in Louisville, when locals take off work to be at Churchill Downs for the festivities the day before the Kentucky Derby.
But in this case, showing up for Final Four Friday or for the music festival or on Sunday for the non-Division I championships means you’re helping make a case to the NCAA and others that Indianapolis continues to be the best place to host a sports event. And the good news is that you get to have a lot of fun while doing it.•
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