Tourists spending time in northwest Indiana will find plenty of beaches and a good selection of casinos. 

Yet in terms of professional athletics, the region sports just a handful of minor league baseball teams. That’s something Rep. Earl Harris, D-East Chicago, wants to change.

This legislative session Harris is bringing House Bill 1292, which would establish the northwest Indiana professional sports development commission. 

The commission would be comprised of appointees from Gary to South Bend, and the bill authorizes the commission to conduct studies and lay the groundwork for bringing more professional sports to the area. How the commission would fund its studies, however, is not laid out in the legislation.

Harris told Inside INdiana Business his goal with the bill is to add more tourist draws to the northwestern part of the state. 

“This is an additional part of that and continuing to draw that. Our proximity to Chicago makes northwest Indiana a great place for tourism, which as we know, is a great economic driver here in the state,” Harris said. 

Since 2001, northwest Indiana has been home to the Gary RailCats in addition to a handful of teams in the Northern League—a summer league primarily featuring collegiate players. 

Harris’ bill—co-authored by Rep. Ethan Manning, R-Logansport—establishes the commission itself as well as a fund attached to it. The commission would have 19 members, 16 of which would be appointed by mayors or councils of cities in northwest Indiana. The remaining three members would be state appointees. 

The bill doesn’t specify a geographic boundary for where the commission could look at placing any interested teams and Harris said he intentionally didn’t put many constraints on what the commission can consider.

“It’s the whole northwest Indiana region and us working together to bring a sports stadium there, and sports teams there. Because in all honesty, wherever it lands, it’s going to benefit the entire area,” said Harris. 

However, the legislation does not set up any funding for the commission. Any allocations would need to be made by the assembly in a separate measure. Harris added that any development deals would be negotiated by municipalities, not the commission.

As for which teams he’d like to attract, Harris says he’s holding out hope the Chicago Bears will consider northern Indiana. But beyond that, he’ll be happy to let the commission do its work.

“I love sports so I will love anything as a starting point,” Harris said. “But the commission can really focus on what is the best sport to go after. What is the best possible team or teams to go after?”

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