Indiana's Game

About

To understand the state of Indiana, we can look to basketball. Basketball has been played in Indiana for more than 130 years, but much of the history has not been explored and myths have circulated for decades. In a new documentary film, WNIT – PBS Michiana will explore the arc of basketball history in Indiana from the first games played in 1892 to the present day.

Indiana’s Game will appeal to basketball fans and non-sports fans alike. Viewers will see how Hoosiers affected the game of basketball and how basketball affected Hoosiers’ lives. Experts, historians, and men and women who participated in the game will tell the story of basketball in Indiana.

Together, we will dispel the myth of basketball’s arrival to the state of Indiana. Watch how the game grew across the state. Show the popularity of women’s basketball before World War II, its destruction, and resurrection in the 1970s. Examine changes to the game that determined a championship-caliber team. Learn how a journalist piqued Hoosiers’ interest in high school basketball. See the impact of school consolidations and the rural-to-urban demographic shift. Explore the intersection between basketball and the fight for civil rights. Witness the game’s ongoing development and importance in Indiana.

Viewers will come away with ideas how basketball became such an integral part of Hoosier culture and what may have led James Naismith, the inventor of the game, to say, “Basketball really had its beginning in Indiana, which remains today the center of the sport.”

Expected release: January 1, 2026
Paul Wasowski, Executive Producer pwasowski@wnit.org
Matt Werner, Writer mwerner97@gmail.com