>> HELLO AND WELCOME TO INSIDE
INDIANA BUSINESS, I AM GERRY
DICK.
FOR DECADES INDIANAPOLIS HAS
BEEN ONE OF THE MODELS FOR
HOSTING SOME OF THE BIGGEST
SPORTING EVENTS IN THE WORLD.
WHEN THE WORLD SHUT DOWN FOR
THE COVID-19 PANDEMICCITY AND
STATE LEADERS AND VOLUNTEERS TO
COME PERHAPS THE BIGGEST SPORTS
CHALLENGE OF ALL: CLOSE TO THE
ENTIRE 21 NCAA DIVISION I MEN'S
BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT.
MARCH MADNESS.
THE STAKES WERE HIGH IN THE
EYES OF THE WORLD WERE ON
INDIANA.
IN A BEHIND-THE-SCENES
DOCUMENTARY IS PROVIDING AN
EXCESSIVE LOOK AT HOW INDY AND
INDIANA PULL IT OFF AND WERE
INDEED, MADE FOR THIS MOMENT.
INDIANA SPORTS CORPORATION HAS
JUST DEBUTED THE DOCUMENTARY
AND I'M PLEASED TO BE JOINED BY
PRESIDENT OF SPORTS
CORPORATION, RYAN VAUGHN AND
WHAT WAS A SEMINAL MOMENT FOR
THE SPORTS MOVEMENT.
THANKS FOR BEING WITH US.
>> THANK YOU.
>> WHY DID THIS DOCUMENTARY?
I'VE SEEN MOST OF IT.
IT'S VERY WELL PRODUCED.
WHY PUT THIS TOGETHER?
>> IT ACTUALLY STARTED BEFORE
COVID.
IT WAS AN EFFORT TO CAPTURE OUR
RICH HISTORY AND IMPACT OUR
MISSION HAS HAD ON OUR
COMMUNITY.
IN SPORTS HAVE CERTAINLY HELPED
SHAPE BOTH ECONOMICS AND
GEOGRAPHY OF OUR CITY AND
STATE.
WE WANTED TO TELL THAT STORY
AND ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH THE
WILL CHANGE AND PRESENTED A
REALLY UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO
TURN THE LENS FROM A BROADER
STORY TO THIS VERY UNIQUE
MOMENT THAT WE ARE QUITE
LITERALLY BUILT FOR.
>> PART OF THE STORY IS THAT IS
VERY IMPORTANT IS BUILDING UP
TO HOW INDIANAPOLIS AND INDIANA
BECAME MADE FOR THIS MOMENT.
GOING BACK TO THE 1982 SPORTS
FESTIVAL-THE 87 PAN AM GAMES.
A LOT OF CONTENT IN THERE AS
WELL.
>> IT'S A GREAT SUMMARY.
MEMBERS OF HER OWN STAFF WHO
WERE YOUNG AND MAYBE NOT AROUND
IN THOSE TIMES LEARNED A GREAT
DEAL JUST BY SITTING DOWN AND
WATCHING IT.
IT'S A GREAT CIVIC LESSON ABOUT
WHAT WE CAN ACCOMPLISH WHEN WE
ALL WORK TOGETHER AND PUT OUR
MINDS TOWARDS SOMETHING AND
WHAT A GREAT IMPACT WE CAN HAVE
IN OUR COMMUNITY.
>> THE WORLD AS YOU SAID DID
CHANGE WITH THE PANDEMIC.
IT REALLY BEGAN THE DOMINOES
BEGAN TO FALL IF YOU WILL AT
THE 2020 BIG TEN TOURNAMENT IN
DOWNTOWN INDIANAPOLIS.
HERE IS A CLIP FROM THE
DOCUMENTARY THAT CAPTURES THE
SENSE OF URGENCY AS THE
PANDEMIC SHUT THINGS DOWN.
>> I REMEMBER BEING IN A ROOM
AND SEEING THE BANKERS LIFE
FIELDHOUSE LEADERSHIP RUN PAST.
I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, THIS IS
BAD.
WE HEARD ABOUT WHAT WAS
HAPPENING IN THE NBA AND WE
HEARD ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED AND
OTHER EVENTS.
IT WAS HAPPENING AT OUR EVENT
AND THAT'S WHAT MADE ALL THE
DIFFERENCE.
I THINK THAT'S WHEN REALITY
REALLY HIT.
>> THE NEXT DAY, NONE DAY TWO
OF THE TOURNAMENT THERE WHERE A
LOT OF THINGS WE DISCUSSED.
IT WAS LITERALLY 10 MINUTES
BEFORE THE DOORS ARE SUPPOSED
TO OPEN AND THEN IT'S FIVE
MINUTES BEFORE THE DOORS ARE
SUPPOSED TO OPEN.
EVENTUALLY, WE ARE GOING TO
HOLD THE DOORS AND NOT LET
PEOPLE IN.
>> THEN THE BIG TEN SHUTS DOWN.
THEN THE NCA SHUTS DOWNHEN
THE WORLD SHUTS DOWN.
WE WERE ALL LIVING BY THE SEAT
OF OUR PANTS AT THAT POINT.
>> SPORTS, BASKETBALL, SPORTS
SHUT DOWN AT THAT POINT.
SHORTLY THEREAFTER GET A CALL
LITTLE BIT LATER IN THE YEAR
FROM THE NCA SAYING THEY ARE
CONSIDERING PUTTING THE
TOURNAMENT IN 2021 AT ONE
LOCATION.
WHAT WAS YOUR THOUGHT PROCESS
WHEN YOU GOT THE CALL?
>> I WAS REALLY EXCITED.
WE KNEW THE 2021 FINAL FOUR
WHICH WAS ALREADY SCHEDULED
WOULD BE WAKING UP MOMENT FOR
OUR COMMUNITY.
WE KNEW HOW IMPORTANT IT WOULD
BE TOO INVITE PEOPLE BACK
DOWNTOWN TO RESTART OUR TOURISM
ECONOMY IN THAT WAY.
TO HAVE NOT ONLY THE
OPPORTUNITY OF THOSE FOUR GAMES
BUT POTENTIALLY TOWARD THE
ENTIRE TOURNAMENT ALONG WITH IT
WE KNEW IT WOULD BE A ONCE IN A
EXTRAORDINARY MOMENT.
AT A TIME WERE INDIANAPOLIS
CERTAINLY NEEDED IT.
>> INDY PULLED IT OFF.
HOW DID IT HAPPENED?
WE WILL GO IN DEPTH IN THE
SECOND HALF HOUR OF THE SHOW.
LOGISTICALLY OUTSIDE OF THE
OLYMPICS MARK SAID HE CAN'T
UNDERSTAND ME MORE DIFFICULT
LOGISTICALLY.
>> THAT 40 YEAR HISTORY
PARTNERSHIP AND EXPERIENCE IN
RELATIONSHIP BUILDING AND
PROCESS BUILDING, QUITE FRANKLY
I'M NOT SURE WE WOULD BE READY
TO PULL IT OFF.
WHEN WE HAD THE GREATEST
HISTORY AND RELATIONSHIP AND
THE THING THAT SET THIS
COMMUNITY APART AND I REALLY
BELIEVE THIS IS HOW QUICKLY WE
ALL WORK TOGETHER WE PUT OUR
MIND TO SOMETHING.
WE WERE LITERALLY PHONE CALLS
AWAY FROM PARTNERS TO RALLY
TOGETHER AND PUT OUR BEST FOOT
FORWARD.
THANKS TO THE COMMUNITY OF
VOLUNTEERS AND LEADERSHIP IN
THE STATE AND CITY WE WERE ABLE
TO DO IT.
>> OBVIOUSLY THERE WAS ECONOMIC
IMPACT TO THE CITY AND STATE
FOR THAT.
IN TERMS OF WHAT THIS MESSAGE
SENT TO BIG CONVENTIONS AND BIG
EVENTS AND OTHERS AROUND THE
COUNTRY AND AROUND THE GLOBE
CONSIDERING LOCATING -HOW BIG
OF A FACTOR DID INDY'S
PERFORMANCE PLAY TO THOSE
CONSTITUENTS?
>> IT WAS HUGE.
MY PEERS AROUND THE COUNTRY
CALLED AND CONGRATULATED US
WHEN IT WAS DONE.
IN THE COURSE OF THOSE
CONVERSATIONS I BECAME AWARE OF
HOW MUCH PERMISSION IT HAD
GIVEN THEM IN THEIR OWN
COMMUNITIES TO TAKE RISKS AND
OPEN BACK UP.
>> VERY GOOD.