INDIANAPOLIS — Just off the heels of All-Star 2024, the Circle City is getting another rush of visitors. This time, thousands of fans are watching young football stars try and make it big in the NFL.
NFL fans from all over central Indiana and the entire country are making their way out to Lucas Oil Stadium as the NFL Combine gets into full swing.
“We decided [to come] a couple weeks ago,” described Ohio NFL fan Morgan Pletcher. “I didn’t realize it was so close. And my son is just a diehard NFL everything fan. I’m a diehard Bengals fan. So, we just came to do the experience.”
“It’s awesome so far,” described Michigan NFL fan Lonnie Griffin. “We just got here. It’s my first time being here so, everything’s cool so far.”
Fans from neighboring states like Michigan and Ohio said a little weekend getaway is worth a couple of hours in the car.
“We’re going to stay tonight,” Pletcher said. “We came, we pulled him out of school earlier today and came up around noon. We’re going to stay here tonight and then all day tomorrow.”
“[We’re going to] pretty much do the fan experience, go eat and do, you know, the typical,” Griffin said.
Though the Combine is not expected to draw crowds quite the size of the All-Star Game, it comes with an estimated $10 million impact. Each additional dollar goes a long way for downtown businesses like O’Reilly’s Irish Pub and Restaurant.
“It’s a great influx of people,” said Joel Reitz, the bar’s co-owner. “[It’s] mostly people involved with the NFL. To be able to showcase our city to other people, it’s a great feeling.”
Reitz said All-Star 2024 brought a major increase in sales. The Combine usually does well too, he said. But most importantly, Reitz said it is great to see major events come to town almost every month.
“Our city leaders have done a wonderful job attracting business here, particularly post-pandemic,” he said. “During the pandemic, there was not much going on here. Not very exciting, but now it’s a very exciting place to be.”
The Combine takes place all weekend long. Gates open at 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.
