In case you have been living on, say, the moon until recently, I will let you in on a little secret. The Indianapolis Colts, and in particular quarterback Peyton Manning, are having a fantastic season. Manning, in fact, is having what could be argued is the best season ever by a quarterback, breaking record after record. The Colts' talented trio of wide receivers set season and personal mark as well, and Edgerrin James is finally looking like the spring-loaded running back he used to be. With all of the Colts' key contributors on the offense re-signed to contract, Indianapolis will be enjoying top-flight NFL football for years to come.
Or they will, that is, if the Indiana General Assembly and new Governor Mitch Daniels can agree on a plan for a new stadium that would keep the Colts here another 30 years. A plan has been submitted by Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson and Colts' owner Jim Irsay. The new stadium would have 63,000 seats, have a retractable dome and be able to host everything from the Super Bowl to the NCAA Final Four.
Central to the debate is the use of gambling to finance the stadium deal. The mayor's plan originally called for "pull-tab" gaming to be installed in downtown Indianapolis. There have been several counter-proposals, which range from merely changing pull-tabs to slot machines, to moving all of the new gaming sites to horse tracks around the state.
Gaming funding has drawn fire from those both on the right and left -- though for strikingly different reasons. Many Republicans object to the expansion of gambling, not wanting to anger their constituents who might be morally opposed to the expansion of the gaming industry, and Democrats decry the new gambling sites as a tax on the poor.
What many on the right might fail to realize is that not too many people have a problem with other people gambling. What many on the left fail to realize is that most people who go to casinos, the horse tracks and so on are middle-class folks who can afford to blow a few dollars playing the slots. What they both fail to realize is that all the alternatives are worse.
If revenue is not raised through gambling proceeds, the only other alternative is a state tax (local hospitality and entertainment taxes for downtown Indianapolis are already a part of the package and do not raise nearly enough revenue to meet demand) of some kind. A state-wide tax for keeping the Colts really isn't fair to some parts of Indiana, Gary, for example, where most residents root for the Bears. Just in general principle, according to an Indianapolis Star poll, a whopping 71 percent oppose any sort of taxation plan.
If neither gambling nor taxes can raise the money for a new stadium, Indianapolis could be down to a one-sport town quicker than a Colts touchdown drive. Even outside of any loyalty to a sports team, with the Colts departure would go a great financial boon for downtown businesses in Indianapolis and for a large part of the state in general.
Here's hoping that Indiana lawmakers can see that while not everyone agrees with the Peterson and Irsay plan, it is the best of all alternatives, especially when one of those alternatives is watching Peyton Manning throwing touchdowns for the Los Angeles Rams.
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