A Pro Sports Tour of Indianapolis, Indiana

The Indianapolis Colts play their home games at the Lucas Oil Stadium
The Indianapolis Colts play their home games at the Lucas Oil Stadium | © Cal Sport Media / Alamy Stock Photo
Courtney Johnston

Indianapolis is a city full of sports fans, including basketball, football, baseball and hockey. Though Indy isn’t one of the more well-known cities in the US, several pro sports teams call it home. If you’re ever in the city, be sure to check out one of these pro teams in action.

1. Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever

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The game gets underway as the Miami Heat visit the Indiana Pacers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Saturday, June 1, 2013. (Al Diaz/Miami Herald/MCT)
© Tribune Content Agency LLC / Alamy Stock Photo

Basketball is a hallowed sport in the Midwest, and Indianapolis is no exception. Although high school and college basketball are huge in Indy, its men’s pro basketball team, the Indiana Pacers, is the biggest draw. The Indiana Fever, the pro women’s team, has a large following throughout the city as well. Both teams play at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse, which is different to most American sports stadiums because it was designed predominantly for basketball.

2. Indy Eleven

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The Indy Eleven are a professional men’s soccer team that was founded in 2013 and play at the IU Michael A Carroll Track & Soccer Stadium. The team’s name references the 11 players on the field and the 11th Indiana Volunteer Infantry Regiment, which served the Union in the Civil War.

3. Indianapolis Indians

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INDIANAPOLIS - JUNE 15: Victory Field, home of the Indianapolis Indians baseball team, is shown June 15, 2014. The indians lost
© Susan Montgomery / Alamy Stock Photo

Established in 1902, the Indianapolis Indians are the second-oldest minor league professional baseball team in the country. They’re a major league Pittsburgh Pirates affiliate and have won two International League and 12 American Association championships. The Indians play at Victory Field in downtown Indianapolis, which opened in 1996.

4. Indy Fuel

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Hockey is another hugely popular sport in Indianapolis. The Indy Fuel are a minor league ice hockey team that are associated with the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks and the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs. They were founded in 2013 and play at the Indiana Farmers Coliseum.

5. The Indianapolis Colts

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October 27, 2019: A general view of the action during NFL football game action between the Denver Broncos and the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. Indianapolis defeated Denver 15-13. John Mersits/CSM/Sipa USA.(Credit Image
© John Mersits / CSM / Sipa USA / Alamy Stock

Hoosiers in Indianapolis can’t help but bleed blue for their beloved home team, the Indianapolis Colts. Founded in 1953, this pro football team started in Baltimore, Maryland but the Colts officially relocated to Indianapolis in 1984 and won the Super Bowl championship in 2006. When the Colts first moved to Indy, they played in the downtown stadium first named the Hoosier Dome (later renamed the RCA Dome). In 2008, they moved to the newly constructed Lucas Oil Stadium.

6. Indianapolis Intensity

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For all Harry Potter fans out there – did you know that quidditch is now an official professional sport? Indianapolis couldn’t wait to get in on the action, forming its quidditch team, the Indianapolis Intensity, in 2015. You’ll find this intriguing sport go down at Watkins Park.

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