Indianapolis is making a strong case for being the premier sports destination in the United States from amateur to professional sports leagues.

Some of the country’s largest scale sporting events have been hosted in Circle City, including the Pan American Games, NCAA Men’s and Women’s Final Fours, the Solheim Cup, and the Super Bowl. In fact, since 1979, over 450 national and international sporting events have been held in the area.

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The state, known as The Crosswords of America, also churns out sports stars. Nine-time Olympic swimming champion Mark Spitz swam for Indiana University from 1968 to 1972. The state also produced Larry Bird, the Boston Celtics legend who once led Indiana State University to the NCAA Championship game against Magic Johnson’s Michigan State University Spartans. The 1986 movie Hoosiers, about a small-town Indiana high school basketball team, is one of the most popular sports films ever made. A history this rich made it difficult to choose, but Travel Noire has selected a few of the spots that should be on every sports lover’s list when visiting Indy.

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The Greatest Spectacle in Racing is also the world’s largest single-day sporting event. Over 300,000 people converge at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway each year for the Indianapolis 500 or Indy 500, as it is more popularly known. Thirty-three drivers race 200 laps totaling 500 miles culminating with a bottle of cold milk for the winner. You don’t even need to be a racing fan to enjoy one of the social events of the season, which takes place every Memorial Day Weekend.

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We’ve mentioned that Indianapolis has hosted several NCAA Final Fours over the years. But this year, due to Covid-19 concerns, the entire men’s tourney known as March Madness is taking over the city. Over a span of 30 days from March to April, 98 college basketball games will be played. This will be preceded by the Horizon League and Big Ten Championships.

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Lucas Oil Stadium is the multi-purpose stadium in Downtown Indianapolis, which serves as the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts’ home field. Affectionately referred to as ‘The house that Peyton built’ (a nod to legendary quarterback Peyton Manning), the complex was the site of Super Bowl XLVI in 2012.

For more info on sports sites and other attractions in Indianapolis head to Visit Indy.

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