It’s Indiana.
The famous words Indiana Coach Tom Crean continues to emphasize. However with the Indiana boys and girls all-stars in action all this week and battling Kentucky this weekend, does anybody care anymore?
Miss Basketball and Mr. Basketball in Indiana use to be a big deal. The Indianapolis Star has been the one consistent sponsor for the diminishing series with the Kentucky rivals. In past years, there would be tremendous hype for the new Miss or Mr. to be named in early spring. A couple weeks before the announcements there would be teases in the newspaper. Then once announced, the story would demand the sports front page. Until recently.
The past few years the story has been pushed to the inside of sports with a small banner on across the front page.
What has caused the games to diminish around the state?
It begins with class basketball. Since the change, Indiana basketball has lost its popularity, swag and flavor. No longer are gyms sold out across the state on Friday nights. Today it is more important that the small schools have a chance for the ultimate goal of a state championship and put schools of an even playing field.
The economy has been devastating to this small organization and its followers. Sponsors are down. Volunteers are down. And fans willing to make the drive and pay to watch these games are down. This isn’t just in Indiana…It’s all across the U.S. With the dwindling economy still in flux, families and fans are less likely to spend the money necessary to watch the all-star games.
Due to the lack of funding and attention, the games that once spanned across two weekends, now are squeezed into one. Two scrimmages with the junior all-star team during the week, then a back-to-back with the Kentucky All-Stars over the weekend.
A game that was once a hard ticket in town now struggles to give tickets away. The games would be an absolute sell-out at Market Square Arena and the early years at Conseco Fieldhouse. This year event organizers may be excited to see fans in the balcony. Let’s hope for 10,000—and Kentucky is even worse. In the last decade, fans in attendance down south have declined to a few thousand.
There have been some strides in the game as well. With the addition of Hometown Sports Indiana, the games against Kentucky and scrimmages with the junior all-stars are now broadcast live and shown again on replay multiple times. Meanwhile the players are getting more attention than ever because of the numerous websites online with interviews, videos and biographies on these young stars. Interaction is increasing yet attendance continues to decrease.
What can help attendance? That’s the big question. What you can do is attend the games and support these young athletes. As for the future of the program—the future isn’t very bright.
This series is special to young athletes. Being an “Indiana All-Star” is a dream for basketball players in Indiana. These all-stars are looked up to and admired. It is a restricted fraternity of people that are able to be amongst the honored players. This is the last feat for basketball players before heading off to college and beginning a new chapter in their lives. They are representing their school and the state of Indiana. It is with great pride and tradition that this series lives on…
You lead with “Indiana All-Stars Lack Attention They Deserve”. This is an interesting postion to take on sports and the individuals who participate. Regardless of the activity, sport, job, postion in life…humans that hunger for “what they (I) deserve” is a selfish position and demonstrates that a real inner maturity has not occured within. (philosophy!)
I would toss in for discussion that the angst for the dilution of social interest in the basketball all-star team and games has nothing to do with not giving the participants ‘what they deserve’ but rather a reflection that the relevance of high school basketball is an unintended outcome of more choices in the social strata of our Indiana culture today.
Scott…you raise an interesting topic for ‘backporch debate’…well done.