pkatz

June 5th, 2014 at 5:53 PM ^

the decision to have those in Detroit was driven solely by the teams' success. It's not really a matter of successfully hosting either, it's a matter of what locations will bring in the most out-of-towners to spend their hard earned cash, and Detroit cannot hold a candle to Indy or Chicago.



As reported recently, Detroit needs to demolish 40,000 houses and buildings that are now vacant. 40,000 standing edifices... the city is a mess. You reap what you sow, brother.

ThadMattasagoblin

June 5th, 2014 at 5:57 PM ^

The downtown is really not that bad. The rest of the city is a shithole but you have 3 casinos (4 if you count the one in Windsor right across the river), numerous bars, hotels, and restaurants. Also crime is around normal for any other big city in the downtown area. It's the residential areas where most of the shootings take place.

Blue Indy

June 5th, 2014 at 6:58 PM ^

What's your point? Indy has also successfully hosted the superbowl and the final four within the past 5 years (and they're hosting the FF again next year), as well as the B1G  Tournament and previous B1G championship games, not to mention the Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400. To suggest that they're not able to host an event of this size is ridiculous. It's also much more centrally located than Detroit and a great deal safer and cheaper to find accommodations in. I know Indy isn't the most exciting city in the world but, outside of Chicago, it's probably the best location in the midwest to have it.

rob f

June 5th, 2014 at 9:08 PM ^

but I've been to Indianapolis numerous times and the best thing about going there, IMO, is leaving.  Not that there's anything particularly bad about the city, but of all the big cities I've been to, it is about the least exciting place in the world.  Just a generic-kind-of-place that just goes on and on and on, so vanilla and plain and blah.  I grew up in Grand Rapids before GR became a fun place (for a mid-size city) and it reminds me a lot of old sleepy GR but much larger. Give me GR or Chicago or Detroit or Memphis or Atlanta or Seattle or any # of other big cities, even Milwaukee, or most any decent-sized college town, anyday.

Guessing by your MGoUsername, maybe you live there and have a better perspective.  But my impression of Indy, in a word, is "boring".

ThadMattasagoblin

June 5th, 2014 at 5:20 PM ^

Should be rotated between Detroit, Indy, Minneapolis. The BTCG hasn't sold out yet in Indiana. It would go like hotcakes if it was in Detroit and Michigan was in it.

bsand2053

June 5th, 2014 at 5:34 PM ^

I don't understand why it isn't just held at Solider Field.  Its the headquarters of B1G.  Tons of B1G fans.  Everybody loves Chicago.  What's to lose?

michchi85

June 5th, 2014 at 5:41 PM ^

The B1G will want this to be a "showcase" game, meaning they want it indoors so that the weather doesn't play a factor.  Yes, it's a stupid reason.  And BTW Soldier Field's turf probably couldn't handle another December game without a complete resod.  

ThadMattasagoblin

June 5th, 2014 at 5:47 PM ^

Also Lucas Oil Stadium is only 2 hours from Columbus and 4 hours from Ann Arbor. I'd rather we just rotate it and throw a bone at each of the member schools by having it in Cincy for Ohio, Detroit for Michigan and MSU, Chicago for NW and Illinois, Indy for Indiana and Purdue, Minneapolis for Minnesota etc.

rob f

June 5th, 2014 at 9:29 PM ^

substitute Cleveland for Cinci to make it a little more centrally located for the sake of PSU, unless you were to add Pittsburgh to that rotation.

In the end, it doesn't matter so much the exact cities that the game is rotatated to as much as that they actually do move it around instead of keeping it in Indy forever.  The B1G is now so spread out that it seems so much more wise NOT to keep it in Indy when fans throughout the conference deserve a chance to see the B1G Championship Game in their local region occasionally.

Perkis-Size Me

June 5th, 2014 at 6:41 PM ^

Keeping it in Indy makes sense. Central location relative to all the schools, and Lucas is a good venue.



It would be awesome to have it at Soldier Field to give the game a real B1G feel out in the cold, but really, who's going to want to put up with that kind of weather? Chicago winters are some of the worst around.



That being said though, I'd love for the B1G to adopt the Pac-12 model. Top team gets the title game on their turf.

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

June 5th, 2014 at 10:47 PM ^

If I remember right, and I could be wrong and I don't want to look it up, but I think the A-10's contract with the Barclay's Center happens to run through 2021 as well.  I believe in coincidences, but not that one.