The "Big Game" is More Than Just a Game
By: Michael C. Fehn
Updated: January 27, 2012
Four years of planning for a one day event. That's the situation
Indianapolis has found itself in, ever since it was announced the city
would host this year's Super Bowl.
It's been a marathon effort, and now those planning stages are in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter, so to speak.
But anybody who follows football knows the Super Bowl is not just a game anymore. The Indianapolis Super Bowl Committee has spent the last four years preparing, and the hard work is already paying off.
Director of Communications, Dianna Boyce says, "Exciting to see the level of interest, whether you're a Colts fan whether you're a football fan or not, people have embraced this Super Bowl and all that it can be for our community".
And just because you don't have tickets doesn't mean you can't be part of the festivities. The 3-block long Super Bowl village has specially designed NFL Indy-Cars, a tailgate town and 60 bands on two stages.
Kellie Bartoli, reporting: "It's not just Super Bowl Sunday. It's a ten day event filled with football, food, music and even ziplining, all right here in the super bowl village. And the NFL says it's the most compact, localized and convenient Super Bowl in history.
"We have the stadium, the Super Bowl Village and we have a good cluster of our hotels and more than 200 restaurants that are all right here in the hub of Indianapolis", says Boyce.
If inside is more your scene, the NFL Experience is taking over the Convention Center. The theme park has autograph sessions and tests your skills against NFL greats.
"It's for big kids and little kids. Kids of any ages will enjoy the NFL Experience because to be able to say, 'i ran the 40-yard dash in 5.2 seconds...hopefully you don't pull a hammie along the way...go home with some bragging rights."
Since Indy isn't quite in your backyard, there's parking at the old airport for 2-dollars a person, with a shuttle to take you to the heart of the party. And near the stadium, the city's designated "super" and "bowl" routes to get you where you need to be.
Hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected Super Bowl Weekend, but valley residents can get a home-field advantage. All the events, including the village and NFL Experience are opening up the weekend before the big game.
Boyce says, "And then you can go home, your kids can be in school on Monday. Super Bowl Weekend will happen and you can say when you watch the game on February 5...that was the best Super Bowl I never attended. because you were a part of it the weekend before."
It's been a marathon effort, and now those planning stages are in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter, so to speak.
But anybody who follows football knows the Super Bowl is not just a game anymore. The Indianapolis Super Bowl Committee has spent the last four years preparing, and the hard work is already paying off.
Director of Communications, Dianna Boyce says, "Exciting to see the level of interest, whether you're a Colts fan whether you're a football fan or not, people have embraced this Super Bowl and all that it can be for our community".
And just because you don't have tickets doesn't mean you can't be part of the festivities. The 3-block long Super Bowl village has specially designed NFL Indy-Cars, a tailgate town and 60 bands on two stages.
Kellie Bartoli, reporting: "It's not just Super Bowl Sunday. It's a ten day event filled with football, food, music and even ziplining, all right here in the super bowl village. And the NFL says it's the most compact, localized and convenient Super Bowl in history.
"We have the stadium, the Super Bowl Village and we have a good cluster of our hotels and more than 200 restaurants that are all right here in the hub of Indianapolis", says Boyce.
If inside is more your scene, the NFL Experience is taking over the Convention Center. The theme park has autograph sessions and tests your skills against NFL greats.
"It's for big kids and little kids. Kids of any ages will enjoy the NFL Experience because to be able to say, 'i ran the 40-yard dash in 5.2 seconds...hopefully you don't pull a hammie along the way...go home with some bragging rights."
Since Indy isn't quite in your backyard, there's parking at the old airport for 2-dollars a person, with a shuttle to take you to the heart of the party. And near the stadium, the city's designated "super" and "bowl" routes to get you where you need to be.
Hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected Super Bowl Weekend, but valley residents can get a home-field advantage. All the events, including the village and NFL Experience are opening up the weekend before the big game.
Boyce says, "And then you can go home, your kids can be in school on Monday. Super Bowl Weekend will happen and you can say when you watch the game on February 5...that was the best Super Bowl I never attended. because you were a part of it the weekend before."
