Oh, the humanity.
I'm in Indianapolis for a few days, trying to enjoy a family get-together. But our joy has been dampened by a catastrophe of such magnitude that the mind can barely comprehend it. The grief is palpable. Children weep, and grown men huddle in the shadows, afraid to talk about what the future might bring:
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In an apparently close vote, Indianapolis lost out today to Dallas in its bid to host the 2011 Super Bowl.“I'm pleased to announce that Super Bowl XLV will be played on Feb. 6, 2011 at the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said.But the Texas win, announced at an NFL owners' meeting in Nashville, is a blow to Indianapolis, which had worked for months to perfect its pitch. Officials said some 98,000 people would have attended a Super Bowl here, pumping $262 million into the local economy.
My brother lives in Texas now, so this is the kind of thing he could be expected to gloat over. But I think he senses what a fragile state this has put us in, especially my sister, who lives in Indianapolis and must daily deail with reminders of what might have been. So he consoles us as best he can, in that quiet, gruff Texas way of his. The quips can come later, when we have had a chance to heal.
We will get through this, as we are advised by the state's biggest newsaper, in its lead editorial today, appropriately headlined, "Runner-up can be a champ with team effort":
That the effort fell short to mighty Dallas with its milder winters and 100,000 seats is no shame and really no loss, inasmuch as Indy showed the world and itself what the Colts showed last February: competitiveness, cooperation and class.Just as the NFL team isn't about to go away or rest on its laurels, the city's political and business leadership surely will take the time, talent and treasure invested in the bid for Super Bowl LXV and turn them to the sort of civic betterment these entertainment spectacles are supposed to incidentally foster.
We will get through this together, so let's huddle up and keep our eye on the goal post. This is just a five-yard penalty, and it will soon become clear that God is on our side in this great endeavor. Soldier on, Hoosiers.
