FanHouse

Let me say this right up front -- I have nothing against the city of Indinapolis. Several of my friends live in Indianapolis. I've visited it many times and had lots of fun there. It's not a bad city.

That said, I'm not so sure it would be a good thing if Indianapolis won its bid to host Super Bowl XLV.

Sure, the game would be played in an awesome new stadium and would bring a lot of tourism money into the city, but it would also bring in a lot of journalists. This will be the city's biggest problem. Just about every sportswriter will look at that schedule in 2011 and say to themselves, "Aw, hell, I gotta be in Indianapolis in February?" That attitude is going to come through in just about every story written about the city.

You see, sportswriters are not necessarily the most diligent people. They're on deadline, and they don't always have the time to seek out all the hidden gems in any city. They'll look at a town on the surface, and if they don't like what they see, they'll bash it. More sports fans probably remember Tony Kornheiser's anti-Jacksonville rant during Super Bowl XXXIX than they do anything else about that city. When someone as well-known as Kornheiser attacks your town, good luck defending it.

I enjoy Naptown, but this city's reputation isn't the greatest, and if it gets the Super Bowl, city leaders had better put on the best show ever. Otherwise, you can expect a steady stream of anti-Indy columns early in 2011.