Political Quotes

“I rise today to speak about a subject that is a point of pride and a source of passion for my constituents. Visit Indiana, and you are bound to see them: a backboard hammered to an old barn, rows of asphalt courts in city parks, a lone hoop in front of a cornfield or in a clearing, steel poles standing in driveways. Though basketball wasn't technically invented in Indiana, Indiana is indeed its epicenter. Even the game's inventor, James Naismith, once said: ``Basketball really had its origin in Indiana, which remains the center of the sport.'' So it is appropriate that this year's NCAA tournament will be played in its entirety in our State. Now this, of course, is in part because planning and hosting 68 teams in the middle of a global pandemic presents unprecedented challenges, challenges that Hoosiers in and around Indianapolis are going to be able to navigate. And they will be able to work their world-class college campuses in order to host teams from around the country. It is a great source of pride for us. But it is also fitting because this sport is so important to our State. You see, it is March Madness meets Hoosier Hysteria. The gyms where we play basketball are historic sites. The men and women who have competed and coached back home are Indiana folk heroes. We know their names. They are part of our common language: The Big O, Catch, the General, Bird, Wooden.…”