Tourism officials in Northwest Indiana are up in a poo about a cheerleader calendar shoot. You see, the Indianapolis Colts cheerleaders shot their 2013 season calendar on a beach in Michigan. For those in the unknown Indianapolis is the big city in Indiana – whose northwest region lies along Lake Michigan. Yet Indianapolis chose to the beaches of Lake Michigan in the actual state of Michigan as the backdrop for its bikini-clad Coltettes.
The officials in NWI are upset because they say the Michigan shoot was a lost opportunity for gaining more fans in that part of the state. The Colts say it’s not so easy because league rules designate NWI as a marketing area for the Chicago Bears.
Funny though, in 2005 when the Bears were in the playoffs they were selling single-ticket playoff seats for Illinois residents only. So that met a resident in Alton, IL, a 300-mile, 4-hour drive from Chicago could buy a ticket but a Bears fan in NWI, a mere 30-45 minutes away, could not. Not sure if that rule still applies. Maybe if the Bears ever make the playoffs again we’ll find out.
Maybe the Colts should have brought the girls to the Gary airport. There is plenty of space to shoot pics on the runways because there are never any planes on them.
What I continually find interesting is there are people in NWI who claim it’s a suburb of Chicago (I’ve said that numerous times) and others who want no part of that distinction.
Chicago doesn’t seem to want any part of the region. And neither does the rest of Indiana. So I think of Northwest Indiana as a territory. Like a place in the Middle East but with less explosions (I take that back – NWI is the fireworks capital of the world and Gary has more gunshots than most cities combined).
Colts Cheerleaders aren’t allowed in northern part of state. (Colts.com)
The Dodgy 