Mask Madness is paving the way for March Madness in Indiana
March Madness 2021 is going to be different from any NCAA DI men’s basketball tournament ever before. In many ways. The NCAA decision to play the entire 2021 men’s basketball championship in Indiana, with most of the 67 games taking place in Indianapolis, was already something unique when it was announced in early January. Indiana has undoubtedly won a jackpot of an opportunity to bash in the limelights. The Hoosier state is growing as a host of sports competitions of all types, as you can find out by visiting TwinSpires where more information is available on various kinds of sportsbooks.
Embed from Getty ImagesMarch Madness in Indiana has its dates already set out, with selection Sunday scheduled for March 14th and the Final Four for April 3 and 5. Preliminary-round dates were announced by the NCAA already in January. Two courts inside Lucas Oil Stadium will host part of the games, while others will be played at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Hinkle Fieldhouse, Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, and Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington. At Lucas Oil Stadium, games will be played one at a time. The Indiana Convention Center will offer training space for the teams, with multiple courts set up inside the venue.
Accommodation for the teams has been organized on dedicated hotel floors, with physically distanced meeting and dining rooms. Secure transportation to and from competition venues will be provided. CBS Sports and Turner Sports will provide television coverage, showing all 67 games of the tournament across TBS, CBS, TNT, truTV, and their digital platforms, including March Madness Live.
Meanwhile, the Indiana Sports Corp has kicked off an additional initiative meant to increase public safety in view of the upcoming tournament. Dubbed as “Mask Madness,” the campaign was officially launched on January 25th with a “We say wear this today, so they can play” slogan. “Our goal is to distribute 100,000 masks across the state, so people feel part of March Madness coming up and really engage in a healthy and safe way,” explained Ryan Vaughn, president of the Indiana Sports Corp, who is cooperating closely with NCAA to create a safety system against the pandemic. Slowing the community spread of the virus is a common goal. NCAA has taken all possible precautions to manage the teams. Now Mask Madness is meant to take care of the public.
Vaughn said that 25,000 masks had been delivered to several cities and many universities and colleges across Indiana. More are being prepared for further delivery. The style is attractive, an elegant black with a white March Madness label in capital letters and bright blue graphic elements to complete the visual effect. Fans will not feel embarrassed wearing them; on the contrary, they will feel part of the festive atmosphere surrounding the sports event. Whoever is in the Indianapolis area and wants a March Madness mask can pick one up at several different sites, including City Market, the Indianapolis Artsgarden, the downtown transit center, Gleaners Food Bank and Eskenazi Health.
