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Indianapolis has submitted its bid to the National Football League to host the 2018 Super Bowl.
It’s one of the final steps in the process.
Indy is one of three finalists to host the NFL’s 52nd annual title game, along with Minneapolis and New Orleans.
Mayor Greg Ballard calls the competition stiff, because of a new Stadium in Minneapolis and New Orleans’ 300th anniversary in 2018.
But, he believes the high marks of hosting the Super Bowl two years ago and how the Indianapolis handles other large sporting events gives it an advantage.
"If you do something right, if you got the positive coverage like we did with the Super Bowl, you can see benefits later on," said Ballard. "People do want to be here. Companies are talking to us a little bit. You saw Cummins just recently, and they see the vibrancy of Indianapolis, so I think it all kind of works together."
Ballard says he has "complete faith" in the job done by the host committee and thinks how the city hosted this past weekend’s college basketball tournament is another selling point.
"We know how to put on a big event and when people come here they enjoy Indianapolis," he said. "Just when I was out riding my bike, Sunday, I stopped and talked to some Kentucky fans I saw at a restaurant and they said they were having the time of their life. They love it here. They love how it's just kind of all put together and they just love the attitude of the people. We just know how to put on a big event. We do it very, very well."
The city will give its final, formal presentation at the NFL owners meeting next month.
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