A stadium on the plate

OK, forget about the Colts' Thursday loss to New England. They may not go to the Super Bowl, but regardless, the Indianapolis Colts are a part of central Indiana and one that our state needs to support. Despite the fact Indianapolis football fans are often called "fair weather," you should see how hurt the city is every time they are just-so-close, but not close enough. We need to support the Colts with a new stadium, but the state feels it can't afford the cash. That's why Republican gubernatorial candidate Mitch Daniels wants to sell Colts license plates to help pay for a new stadium, which will benefit the local economy without putting a burden on taxpayers. It's a plan that will work.\nThe stadium plan will most likely happen if the money is there or not. The deteriorating RCA Dome has been in downtown Indianapolis since before most IU students were born - which doesn't make it appealing for fans to pack the stands. Although it may not make sense to some people, it's a fact that new stadiums bring in more fans, even if the team slips in its performance.\nBut what most people have overlooked in the debate for a new stadium is that it would be designed not just for football, but for NCAA basketball tournament games. With several Final Fours guaranteed to Indianapolis for the next decade, a nice place to draw fans wouldn't be a bad idea economically. Millions of dollars will come into Indianapolis as a result of this new venue, which will benefit restaurants, hotels, taxi drivers and all sorts of other industries.\nYet, both candidates for governor have questioned whether the state should help pay for this stadium. They claim it would mostly benefit Indianapolis and not the rest of Indiana. They support the idea, but want the city to take care of it itself.\nMitch Daniels' plan will help with some of the cost Indianapolis might incur and is one that has very little risk. Hoosiers can show their support with a specialty Colts license plate for a $50 fee. According to the Indianapolis Star, Sept. 10, in 2003, 306,000 specialty plates were sold, raising $6.6 million for the various groups. Daniels admits in the article that the plan "is not earth-shaking but could offer a contribution ... to keep the Colts in Indiana."\nThe Kernan campaign took shots at the idea, with spokeswoman Tina Noel saying, "This is what Daniels calls a freight train of change?" But the idea is that drastic change isn't always needed. Yes, the license plate will probably only raise a little over $1 million, but that's money that wasn't there before. Every little bit helps. And the best part of this plan is that it is voluntary. The people of Indiana decide if they want to support the Colts, instead of being unfairly taxed for a team they may not like. Nobody will be outraged at this idea.\nStill, we can't be naïve and think that novelty license plates will solve the financial issues surrounding a new stadium. We must still search for other ways to help pay for this much needed construction. But in the mean time, a voluntary system of raising a few bucks isn't such a bad idea. It may not be the cure-all, but it's worth a shot.