Tonight, a friend of mine and I went to the Pacers v. Bulls game. After a rainy afternoon, the evening brought parted-clouds and a gorgeous sunset, which blinded both us following an irresistible glance directly into it from the inside of Conseco Fieldhouse. It beamed into the concourse, shining a bright light into a venue that has for many years, as the public now knows, struggled to succeed financially. Perhaps this ray of light inspired the Eastern Conference's 9th place team to produce a victory tonight. Regardless of any celestial influence, the Pacers pulled off a fantastic come-from-behind win against their conference neighbors (both geographically and in the current playoff standings).
As much as the win lifted the spirits of the moderately sized crowd in attendance Tuesday night, I think Indy, not unlike many cities around the country, is suffering through many painful issues right now. The numerous empty seats around the arena, even for a Tuesday night game, negated the crowd that cheered for a win that many wonder whether or not will be enough to make the playoffs. With only a few games left in the regular season, the Pacers have little gravel left in the road towards a playoff spot, and likely would not travel far down Playoff Avenue, should they make it there.
The bigger issue, though, is that the future of the Pacers as an Indianapolis professional sports franchise is in jeopardy. Despite the unbelievable generosity of the Simon family for their decade-long donation of pro basketball to the city, the model is clearly not sustainable, and even Indy's uber-successful 'mall entrepreneurs' would agree that some major steps must be taken to ensure a positive and fruitful future for the team, and its home-court venue, Conseco Fieldhouse (I happen to have some pretty good ideas for how to do some intense brand reconstruction, in case Rick Fuson or Larry Bird would ever like to sit down and discuss how).
Imagine this city without a professional basketball team. Or, look at it this way: imagine the 12th largest city in the United States having only one professional sports team (the Colts). I'm not saying sports are the only thing that make up a city, but we can hardly brag about our music, cuisine or fashion scenes, and in fact, we do tend to brag about our sports status. So, it would seem like our pro sports teams could and should be more successful. While the Colts have certainly built an incredibly respectable franchise, their widespread popularity is relatively recent. It took a long time to get the team, and the fan base, on track. Now, the city faces a bitter reality that the Pacers have struggled on the court in recent years, and the attendance at games has sank like a boulder in a lake since the 2000 season. This lethal combination has helped lead to the current situation, which has the Pacers pondering a lot more than who they will select in the 2009 NBA Draft.
The difficult task for Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard, who sat just a few seats in front of us at tonight's game, is that in addition to the financial struggles of our sports venues, the city's violent crime rate is on the rise, and an overwhelmed law enforcement simply cannot win the battle against a street level criminal force who does not value life, or our city. The irony of sitting behind Mayor Ballard at Conseco Fieldhouse tonight was magnified on my ride home. Upon entering the neighborhood, I heard gunshots near the intersection closest to my house, which interrupted an otherwise-quiet evening in the area. Two shady characters took off down the road and into the darkness, and the 'mystery shooting,' which I could only hear from around the corner, seemed to fail to raise an eyebrow or light up a porch. This is unfortunately all too common in my neighborhood and other neighborhoods around the city: violent crime and under-achievement have become so common that they go unnoticed.
This city is desperately in need of some champions. I challenge all leaders, including myself, in the business, non-profit, education and creative communities to do anything they can to disregard their own or others' excuses about the economy and the tough times we face. We must all confront a brutal reality right now. However, take it from someone who has struggled when others were soaring: we must all take ownership and be accountable for turning this situation around. Working harder, smarter and more effectively is not an option, it is an absolute requirement right now. We must do what we can to improve life in our communities and uplift the city to maintain the momentum from the incredible progress it has made so far. Indianapolis has a rare opportunity to grow from mid-sized city to major metropolis, and under its own terms, over the next several decades. We cannot afford to allow economic downturn, crime and irresponsible decisions in the past to ruin our future as one of the 15 major metropolitan areas in the United States. Civic and business leadership must create new ways to improve life in the city by encouraging (and supporting) ideas and innovations that can help shape our future.
It's time to open our minds to the solutions that will rebuild our economy and redirect the city into positive growth. Organizations must find time to interact and reflect with their employees and stakeholders, as well as their audience, through honest conversation. Take some risks that will not sink you, but that will act as a guiding light for how to navigate through the temporary darkness the economy now sheds on our nation. Partner. Innovate. Learn from this experience. Prepare for a time when things could be worse, and when they will be better.
Get to work, Indy! The future is ours!
From the Northwest Corner,
rh
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