The Hoosierist: Team Spirit

Q: Fort Wayne has three minor league sports franchises. Is that unusual for a city so small? A: Plenty of Indiana towns sport minor-minor-league baseball, soccer, hockey, and basketball teams. Sports Business Journal reporter Bret McCormick says municipalities use them to anchor tax-generating districts. “If a town can offer live pro sports at a venue that also draws concerts and other things, it makes a smaller city feel like a bigger deal,” he asserts. Which is likely why Gary has the SouthShore RailCats (baseball), and Evansville hosts the Thunderbolts (hockey) and the Otters (baseball). Towns in Indy’s doughnut counties are also getting in on the act. Fishers plays home to the Indy Fuel (hockey), and in 2023, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA’s G League decamped to Noblesville, where this season they’ll play at a new 3,400-seat arena—and retire the name Mad Ants in favor of something more Noblesville-ish, whatever that may be.