The Old Stomping Grounds

[GoColts8818]

First of all, the only times I've ever seen the Colts is in NY or Philly, and I've never worn a single item of Colts clothing to those games. That's called "asking for it". You WILL get verbally abused, and if you're not careful, worse. The content of what gets said may be different in Baltimore, but it's still irrelevant and not to be taken seriously. You are in "enemy territory" voluntarily, you deal with it. Than you go home and enjoy your team - without harboring a lifetime of resentment.  

You know what no it's not asking for it.  Wearing a visiting team jersey to another team stadium is NOT asking to be abused and does not make it right.  If I were to pick up a bottle of beer on the street and throw it at someone that's call assault.  Doing it in a stadium does not some how make it okay.  Particular when they are upset about something that happened when I was two years old and I wasn't even living in the city when it happened

 

Still if it were just a single experience I would just chalk it up to couple of drunks at a football game.  That happens every place.  However, I am far from the only Colts fan that has had this experience when going to Baltimore to watch a game.  Many people have shared stories of over the top abuse when going to a game in Baltimore for no other reason than choosing to support the Colts.  I am NOT saying all Baltimore fans do this.  However, there is a clear pattern of behavior here from many different people and that pattern of behavior is not okay. 

 

Further more I went to the Colts Titans game this year and seated next to me was a Titans fan with his young daughter and while we had some friendly back and fourth it was just that friendly we laughed and even shook hands after words as did others around him.  So no I don't subscribe to the theory that just because you choose to go to a road game you are some how asking for it. 

Secondly, you can't possibly believe that those comments - in person, in the media, or on a forum - should be taken personally. Nobody in their right mind would think that YOU did something, your jersey is just a symbol. If I was in that position instead of getting angry I would just say some variation of "I'm sorry man, I can imagine how you feel. If that had happened to me I would have been devastated. But I'm not going to deny that I'm glad it happened - the Colts are tremendously important to me. Curse Bob Irsay all you want, but you and I actually have something in common". We love the Colts." Or more realistically you keep your head guiltily down, let the noise pass, and get on with your life. You don't get mad at the victim, have some empathy.

Think about what you just said.  I shouldn't believe what someone says to me in person...

 

Here's a thought maybe the Baltimore fans shouldn't over react to try to actively ruin an experience for another fan who is just there to watch their team.  If I was standing up and being a jerk okay then I would get it but I wasn't.  Also this does not happen in every stadium.  I have also been to a Colts Packers game in Green Bay and Colts Bengals game in Cincinnati.  My dad has also been a Colts Texans in Houston.  All three places I would have nothing but positive things to say about the fans who sat around us as would my dad who saw the Colts play Houston.  That Houston game was the game where the Texans just drilled us down there with Peyton by the way and the fans were jacked that day but were still nice to Colts fans at least where my dad sat.  Cheer for your team but there is no need to heckle other teams fans who are there for no reason other than to watch their team. 

 

Also the point here is that the city of Baltimore is some how the only victim in this.  If you look at the story of why the Colts left the city played a rolled in this as well.  Again, like I said before you need to look at this like when a free agent leaves a team for another city.  Odds are if the team he was playing for was treating him right most of the time he will not want to leave.  Had Baltimore built them a stadium they wanted or not tried to take Bob Irsay's property odds are they might very well still be in Baltimore. 

 

Also if the city of Baltimore wants to be mad then fine but be mad at Bob Irsay not the city of Indianapolis.  All Indianapolis did was try to get a football team the only way they could because the league was not going to give them an expansion team.  What were they supposed to do say no?  All the fans did was support the new they got.  Again this is the same logic that some tried to use to be mad at Andrew Luck because Peyton Manning was released.  Andrew Luck himself had no part in the decision he just did the best he could for the team that drafted him.  Indianapolis saw the Colts were available and were willing to support them.  They did not make the decision for the Colts to leave Baltimore.  Bob Irsay did.  Also I think most Indianapolis fans see Baltimore fans as being a bit hypercritical that they will bash the city of Indianapolis for pretty much doing EXACTLY what they did to get the Ravens.

 

Indianapolis fans mostly HATE this topic.  We don't go looking to bring it back up and it normally only comes up when we play the Ravens when the Baltimore fans tend to bring it back up.  Again, did others and myself probably over react to this thread.  As I have said before probably.  With that said though I think the reason they did was because they had a feeling where this thread was going based on past experiences of dealing with Ravens fans. 

 

Also I don't think people in Indianapolis hold a life long resentment towards the city of Baltimore over this.  Frankly I think vast majority don't care but like anyone who has pride in their city if they think it is being unfairly attacked they are going to defend it.  Personally outside of the Ravens game I have zero issue with the city of Baltimore.  I would like to go and visit again.  However lets not try to pretend that the city of Baltimore is just poor little victims in this who have never done anything.  Yes they were the victims when they lost their team and I think most people in Indianapolis would feel sorry for them for that.   However, when they start to open bash our home town and abuse our fans they stop being victims and it's the later that people in Indianapolis have a problem with. 

Third - there is little comparison between the Colts move and the other teams that you mention. One could say that Irsay was a Chicago business man who wheeled and dealed his way into town, established himself as a miserable drunken jerk that paled in comparison to the previous owners, had some initial success, than did everything possible to drag the team to the pits of the league such that fans felt compelled to show their disapproval by not showing up at the stadium, and then used that as an excuse to take the team back to the vicinity of Chicago. Amazing coincidence that. And the last time I looked, the Browns still play in Cleveland, and the city was without a team for only three years. If the Colts had been reborn in Baltimore in 1987 I wouldn't be here to have this conversation, and I'd actually get to see them play at home occasionally. My only thought of Indy would be "thank you for taking the worst owner in professional sports off our hands". The other cities who lost teams were largely so oblivious to the franchise that there wasn't the same kind of passionate reaction. That's why they lost the teams in the first place. The fans in Baltimore have a unique response because it was a unique situation. And as someone who lived through it (albeit from three hours away) I FELT it and understand completely. The fact that Indy ignores the pre-Indy days isn't a sign of respect or compassion, it's just another slap in the face. Indy fans don't seem to value or respect the history, the VAST majority of them would prefer to pretend that it doesn't exist. I'd be 1,00 times happier if it was proudly embraced, but instead it's been ignored to the point it's in limbo - not really belonging to any franchise. It's hard not to draw the conclusion that Indy didn't just steal the franchise, they killed and buried it. Talk about rooting for the laundry. People like me are left just whistling in the wind, pretending that the Colts are the Colts, and the only thing that changed was the city. We are lying to ourselves. In fact the primary difference between Baltimore fans and myself is that I lacked the guts to cut the cord. I found it easier to pretend that everything was just fine. It was never fine. I don't resent you or any Indy fan for wanting a team, but I'd happily urinate on Irsay's grave if I had the opportunity. The next generation may not care, but anyone who lived through their team being ripped away in the middle of the night, and went TWELVE YEARS without a team, is going to harbor resentment for the rest of their lives. I suspect that it circumstances were reversed, so would you.

The city of LA has gone almost 20 years without a team.  You don't hear them hating the Rams or Raiders nearly as much as you do Baltimore complain about the Colts leaving and Baltimore HAS a new team while LA does not.  St. Louis went eight years between the Cardinals and Rams and don't hold anything near to this resentment towards the Cardinals.  Most of these cities that get a new team tend to embrace the new team not hate the one that left.  That's the point Baltimore would leave you believe they are the only major city to lose a team and some how that makes what they did different when they got the Ravens.  It's not it's no different than what Indianapolis did to get the Colts.  Here's the thing though, NEITHER city did anything wrong.  They both wanted a team and saw the ONLY way they would get one is for one to move there so they made themselves as attractable as they could and when one showed interest in them what were they going to do?  Say no?  Of course not. 

 

However the city of Baltimore can not have it both ways as they would like and act like what they did was okay while the city of Indianapolis is a monster because the Colts went there.  It's either okay to do or wrong to do.  It's not okay for one city to do but okay for another.  That's like if your house gets robbed thinking you have the right to go down the street and rob someone else's house to replace your stuff.  Now with that said what Indianapolis and Baltimore later did were not crimes so there were no wrongs here but that's the point just because someone feels wronged does not give them the right to turn around do it themselves and say well I was wronged so that makes it okay.  That mentality just doesn't fly with me and that's what the city of Baltimore tries to use when it comes to this. 

 

Also don't give me the whole because Browns left their colors and team name behind it some how makes it okay.  The city of Baltimore would still be crying that they had to go 12 years without football even if the Colts had done that and how Indianapolis robbed them of 12 years of football.  Also if you think the Browns there today are anywhere close to the Browns that would have been there had they never moved you are mistaken.  The Browns today are stuck in year in and year out rebuilding mood while the Ravens are one of the best teams in the league year in and year out, and most of the key players to this were brought in by the personal put in place before the Browns left Cleveland. 

 

You want to blame Bob Irsay for moving the team fine.  You want to blame the league for not giving them a new team sooner then fine.  You want to blame the government of Baltimore for not doing more to keep the team then fine.  However, don't blame the city of Indianapolis for supporting a team and don't do it when Baltimore city turned around and did the exact samething because I got news for you even if Indianapolis hadn't been around the Colts would have still left Baltimore so that tells me the issue goes beyond just blaming Indianapolis. 

[T Y Goodbye]

I used to live about 80 miles from Baltimore, in SE PA. I was never an Eagles fan, and I loved going to Memorial Stadium once or twice a year, and fell in love with the Colts. The last two years, in Baltimore, I became a season ticket holder, and never missed a home game. When the move was announced, my heart dropped..because I knew that seeing my beloved Colts wouldn't happen too many more times. Yes I was mad, and angry, but I never held a grudge or hated Indy for getting the Colts.. My friends and I were more angry at Irsay, for moving the team away. (At the time, I didn't realize all the eminent domain, or the situation behind why he moved, and basically I didn't care)..I grew up with the Colts, and when they moved, I still was a fan, because I felt, that it wasn't the players and coaches that moved, it was the ownership, and to this day I still have a severe dislike for Bob Irsay. These players were the players I rooted for every week, followed week in and week out...they were still the same players, just in a different city.

 

What's funny is that myself, and 3 of my friends, went to the Eagles/Colts game the following year..We didn't get heckled or insulted.. Most fans were sorry for us, and we even made everyone laugh way up in the rafters, as we put paper bags over our heads, with the Colts Logo, with the words Irsay Stinks(stronger verbiage)..

 

The Colts will always be the Colts, no matter where they hang their hat...Indy is a great city, with great fans and people. Since my family and I moved to California, I have only gotten to see one Colts game, in the RCA Dome..but the feeling was stronger than I remembered all those years back. I love the Indy area, and hopefully one day, my wife and I can move to Indiana, or close, (as she has family there)..Personally, I can't think of a more deserving city to have an NFL team than Indy..

[MAC]

You know what no it's not asking for it.  Wearing a visiting team jersey to another team stadium is NOT asking to be abused and does not make it right.  If I were to pick up a bottle of beer on the street and throw it at someone that's call assault.  Doing it in a stadium does not some how make it okay.  Particular when they are upset about something that happened when I was two years old and I wasn't even living in the city when it happened

 

Still if it were just a single experience I would just chalk it up to couple of drunks at a football game.  That happens every place.  However, I am far from the only Colts fan that has had this experience when going to Baltimore to watch a game.  Many people have shared stories of over the top abuse when going to a game in Baltimore for no other reason than choosing to support the Colts.  I am NOT saying all Baltimore fans do this.  However, there is a clear pattern of behavior here from many different people and that pattern of behavior is not okay. 

 

Further more I went to the Colts Titans game this year and seated next to me was a Titans fan with his young daughter and while we had some friendly back and fourth it was just that friendly we laughed and even shook hands after words as did others around him.  So no I don't subscribe to the theory that just because you choose to go to a road game you are some how asking for it. 

Think about what you just said.  I shouldn't believe what someone says to me in person...

No single example of a fan experience is going to tell the whole story. Sitting next to a family man at a game in the mid-west is probably a bit different than tail-gaiting in Philadelphia, which I have done. Anyone wearing a Colt's jersey there was strutting around begging to be taunted - they clearly craved the attention. I did not, and dressed accordingly. And that's for a team that no-one cares about, their relationship with Redskins/Cowboys/Giants fans is at a whole different level, and a Colts fan in Baltimore is at a whole different level than that. Your telling me that you had NO idea that wearing a Colts jersey in Baltimore might provoke a response? Instead of trying to control their behavior, how about controlling your own? Leave the jersey in the hotel room, don't walk around with a bulls-eye on your back and then complain when someone targets you. Yes, it is very much asking for it. And did it ever occur to you that a fan at a game in Baltimore isn't likely to assume that you traveled from Indy, they are going to assume that you are one of the many locals.who made a very different personal decision than they did. That's probably a constant irritation in their lives that's one of the reasons they can't let it go, and has nothing to do with Indy.

 

And no-one is defending the act of throwing a beer bottle at someone. People who do that are criminals, why they do it is just their excuse for the week. It has nothing to do with this. If someone did that to you than you should be mad at THEM. Being mad at the entire city of Baltimore for that is even more ridiculous than someone being mad at the entire city of Indy for what Bob Irsay did.

 

I think that I made it abundantly clear who it is that I'm mad at, and it isn't you or any other Indy fan. I'm just saying that you have no business telling me that I don't have the right to be mad in the first place, much less inventing reasons to get mad in return. It sounds to me that people just get their back up at any hint of confrontation without stopping to consider the motivation. If your wife cruelly dumped her x-husband to marry you, and he couldn't get over her, you might not want to see him hanging around or hear him complaining that you stole her from you, but you'd be a jerk to decide that you "hate" him for it. For what exactly? Is the poor schmucks suffering really that much of an inconvenience for you? You want the Baltimore fans to let it go, but that very much goes both ways, and it should be dramatically easier for you to do so than for them. 

[GoColts8818]

No single example of a fan experience is going to tell the whole story. Sitting next to a family man at a game in the mid-west is probably a bit different than tail-gaiting in Philadelphia, which I have done. Anyone wearing a Colt's jersey there was strutting around begging to be taunted - they clearly craved the attention. I did not, and dressed accordingly. And that's for a team that no-one cares about, their relationship with Redskins/Cowboys/Giants fans is at a whole different level, and a Colts fan in Baltimore is at a whole different level than that. Your telling me that you had NO idea that wearing a Colts jersey in Baltimore might provoke a response? Instead of trying to control their behavior, how about controlling your own? Leave the jersey in the hotel room, don't walk around with a bulls-eye on your back and then complain when someone targets you. Yes, it is very much asking for it. And did it ever occur to you that a fan at a game in Baltimore isn't likely to assume that you traveled from Indy, they are going to assume that you are one of the many locals.who made a very different personal decision than they did. That's probably a constant irritation in their lives that's one of the reasons they can't let it go, and has nothing to do with Indy.

You are right no single fan story is going to tell the whole story.  Which is why I said if I had just been the only one who had a story like that I would gladly chalk it up to just people being stupid at a football game.  However, several Colts fans have stories like mine or worse going to a game in Baltimore.  Heck even Peyton Manning shared his own story on the America's Game after the Colts won the Super Bowl.  I think his view point is where most Indianapolis fans view is on this.  If you want to be mad our owner's box is over there I didn't do it.  Like I said I was two years old when the Colts moved to Indianapolis and not even living here at the time.  I had NOTHING to do with the move.  So don't take it out on me that the Colts left your city. 

 

Also trust me the last thing I did when I wore my jersey was thinking man I really hope people pick on me today!  I did it because I always wear my Colts jersey on game day.  It's something I do for game day.  It's not done to try to get attention from anyone else.  Rather than excusing behavior that would be criminal in some cases if done outside of a football stadium maybe we should be taking issue with the behavior and calling it for what it is which is not acceptable. 

 

What I am saying is that I should have to suffer abuse because I wanted to support my team.  Just because the city of Baltimore lost their team does not give them some right to abuse people who elect to support the Colts when they go there.  I should not have to change what I wear on game days to avoid abusive behavior from other fans.  The abusive fans are in the wrong not me.  This is no different than if I had a really nice car and was driving it around town and someone stole it.  Just because I had a nice car and elected to use it does not mean I was asking for someone to stole it and it does not give someone the right to steal it.  Had I been being a jerk and taunting them then yes I would be asking for it right back but I did nothing.  I was just there to watch the game.  That alone is not reasoned to be heckled and abused by Ravens fans it's the same reason why stadium security ended up removing at least two of them when they started throwing things at other Colts fans in our section. 

And no-one is defending the act of throwing a beer bottle at someone. People who do that are criminals, why they do it is just their excuse for the week. It has nothing to do with this. If someone did that to you than you should be mad at THEM. Being mad at the entire city of Baltimore for that is even more ridiculous than someone being mad at the entire city of Indy for what Bob Irsay did.

That's my point I am not mad at the whole city of Baltimore never said I was.  In fact I have said the rest of the time I was there I really enjoyed my time there and would like to go back again.  Honestly I don't think most Colts fans really care about the Ravens and if pushed on it they would probably say they like the Ravens some what because they tend to beat teams or be a rival for teams that most Colts fans really can't stand in the Steelers, Pats, or Chargers.  The later three have caused me far more heart ache than the Ravens ever have.  For the record as much as I hate the Pats I have no ill feelings towards the city of Boston it's self.  Don't confuse dislike for a team as dislike for a city.  With a good chunk of Baltimore fans in a lot of cases there is a dislike of Indianapolis not just the Colts and I think that's what Colts fans take issue with because the city didn't move the team.

 

The Baltimore fan who honestly just can't stand Bob Irsay and is a fan of the Ravens but will never forgive the Colts for leaving I can understand.  It's the Baltimore fan that crosses the line and starts abusing people from Indianapolis that I have an issue with.  I have even more of an issue with it when they sit there and tell you how their city doing the exact samething your city did is okay but your city is awful for what they did.  Either both cities are awful for what they did or what both did is okay.  It's not okay for one while wrong for the other.  So Baltimore fans can't have it both ways. 

I think that I made it abundantly clear who it is that I'm mad at, and it isn't you or any other Indy fan. I'm just saying that you have no business telling me that I don't have the right to be mad in the first place, much less inventing reasons to get mad in return. It sounds to me that people just get their back up at any hint of confrontation without stopping to consider the motivation. If your wife cruelly dumped her x-husband to marry you, and he couldn't get over her, you might not want to see him hanging around or hear him complaining that you stole her from you, but you'd be a jerk to decide that you "hate" him for it. For what exactly? Is the poor schmucks suffering really that much of an inconvenience for you? You want the Baltimore fans to let it go, but that very much goes both ways, and it should be dramatically easier for you to do so than for them. 

I should be clear here when I say you in most of this thread I really mean a group of Baltimore fans more than you as in you. 

 

Also I am not saying you can't be mad you can be mad all you want but I can disagree with why you are mad and can point what I think are flaws in who anger is pointed towards.  Like I said for the people in Baltimore who point the fingers at people in Indianapolis and say "You stole my team." the truth is 99.9% of those people didn't have a thing to do with the move.  Don't blame me for something I had nothing to do with.  That's what people from Indianapolis stance is on this.  Like I said I was two years old when the Colts moved and not even living in Indianapolis at the time.  Please tell me how I had anything to do with the Colts moving?  Indianapolis fans just get sick of hearing it and get tired of being made out as bad guys here. 

 

I look at it this way when someone gets dumped at some point you have to move on from that relationship.  Some people from Baltimore seem to have a real issue with moving on from it.  While you might feel sorry for someone who got dumped for a while at some point you look at them and go get over it because others have been threw what they have been threw and gotten over it especially if that person has a new girl friend or boy friend like the city of Baltimore has with a new team in the Ravens.  I think that's where people in Indianapolis are in this and frankly where I a lot of the sports world is in general. 

 

With that all said I said from the start I think things are moving in the right direction though.  You don't hear nearly as much about the move as you did and I really do think the fact that they put Indianapolis Colts on the scoreboard is a sign that people are moving on from the move.  I don't think the hate is near what it was when I went there in 2001. 

[braveheartcolt]

Now I've read all these posts in this thread, sometimes it really is a benefit only being a Colts fan for 8 years, and coming from a different continent!

 

Wearing your team's colours in your opponents stadium is always a risk, no matter what the sport. Being brought up with soccer, it can get you stabbed or glassed or murdered. Being called a jerk or a thief is a luxury. Rightly or wrongly, you have to wonder if showing your loyalty by wearing your jersey is actually worth the risk. Deep down, you don't need some cloth to prove you are a fan. Their are evil people and clowns in every town in every country in the world. Add in copious amounts of alcohol and it is a recipe for trouble.

 

Ravens Smavens indeed.

[jerrylogan]

You say Indy tried to get an expansion team? When did this happen?

You know what no it's not asking for it.  Wearing a visiting team jersey to another team stadium is NOT asking to be abused and does not make it right.  If I were to pick up a bottle of beer on the street and throw it at someone that's call assault.  Doing it in a stadium does not some how make it okay.  Particular when they are upset about something that happened when I was two years old and I wasn't even living in the city when it happened

 

Still if it were just a single experience I would just chalk it up to couple of drunks at a football game.  That happens every place.  However, I am far from the only Colts fan that has had this experience when going to Baltimore to watch a game.  Many people have shared stories of over the top abuse when going to a game in Baltimore for no other reason than choosing to support the Colts.  I am NOT saying all Baltimore fans do this.  However, there is a clear pattern of behavior here from many different people and that pattern of behavior is not okay. 

 

Further more I went to the Colts Titans game this year and seated next to me was a Titans fan with his young daughter and while we had some friendly back and fourth it was just that friendly we laughed and even shook hands after words as did others around him.  So no I don't subscribe to the theory that just because you choose to go to a road game you are some how asking for it. 

Think about what you just said.  I shouldn't believe what someone says to me in person...

 

Here's a thought maybe the Baltimore fans shouldn't over react to try to actively ruin an experience for another fan who is just there to watch their team.  If I was standing up and being a jerk okay then I would get it but I wasn't.  Also this does not happen in every stadium.  I have also been to a Colts Packers game in Green Bay and Colts Bengals game in Cincinnati.  My dad has also been a Colts Texans in Houston.  All three places I would have nothing but positive things to say about the fans who sat around us as would my dad who saw the Colts play Houston.  That Houston game was the game where the Texans just drilled us down there with Peyton by the way and the fans were jacked that day but were still nice to Colts fans at least where my dad sat.  Cheer for your team but there is no need to heckle other teams fans who are there for no reason other than to watch their team. 

 

Also the point here is that the city of Baltimore is some how the only victim in this.  If you look at the story of why the Colts left the city played a rolled in this as well.  Again, like I said before you need to look at this like when a free agent leaves a team for another city.  Odds are if the team he was playing for was treating him right most of the time he will not want to leave.  Had Baltimore built them a stadium they wanted or not tried to take Bob Irsay's property odds are they might very well still be in Baltimore. 

 

Also if the city of Baltimore wants to be mad then fine but be mad at Bob Irsay not the city of Indianapolis.  All Indianapolis did was try to get a football team the only way they could because the league was not going to give them an expansion team.  What were they supposed to do say no?  All the fans did was support the new they got.  Again this is the same logic that some tried to use to be mad at Andrew Luck because Peyton Manning was released.  Andrew Luck himself had no part in the decision he just did the best he could for the team that drafted him.  Indianapolis saw the Colts were available and were willing to support them.  They did not make the decision for the Colts to leave Baltimore.  Bob Irsay did.  Also I think most Indianapolis fans see Baltimore fans as being a bit hypercritical that they will bash the city of Indianapolis for pretty much doing EXACTLY what they did to get the Ravens.

 

Indianapolis fans mostly HATE this topic.  We don't go looking to bring it back up and it normally only comes up when we play the Ravens when the Baltimore fans tend to bring it back up.  Again, did others and myself probably over react to this thread.  As I have said before probably.  With that said though I think the reason they did was because they had a feeling where this thread was going based on past experiences of dealing with Ravens fans. 

 

Also I don't think people in Indianapolis hold a life long resentment towards the city of Baltimore over this.  Frankly I think vast majority don't care but like anyone who has pride in their city if they think it is being unfairly attacked they are going to defend it.  Personally outside of the Ravens game I have zero issue with the city of Baltimore.  I would like to go and visit again.  However lets not try to pretend that the city of Baltimore is just poor little victims in this who have never done anything.  Yes they were the victims when they lost their team and I think most people in Indianapolis would feel sorry for them for that.   However, when they start to open bash our home town and abuse our fans they stop being victims and it's the later that people in Indianapolis have a problem with. 

The city of LA has gone almost 20 years without a team.  You don't hear them hating the Rams or Raiders nearly as much as you do Baltimore complain about the Colts leaving and Baltimore HAS a new team while LA does not.  St. Louis went eight years between the Cardinals and Rams and don't hold anything near to this resentment towards the Cardinals.  Most of these cities that get a new team tend to embrace the new team not hate the one that left.  That's the point Baltimore would leave you believe they are the only major city to lose a team and some how that makes what they did different when they got the Ravens.  It's not it's no different than what Indianapolis did to get the Colts.  Here's the thing though, NEITHER city did anything wrong.  They both wanted a team and saw the ONLY way they would get one is for one to move there so they made themselves as attractable as they could and when one showed interest in them what were they going to do?  Say no?  Of course not. 

 

However the city of Baltimore can not have it both ways as they would like and act like what they did was okay while the city of Indianapolis is a monster because the Colts went there.  It's either okay to do or wrong to do.  It's not okay for one city to do but okay for another.  That's like if your house gets robbed thinking you have the right to go down the street and rob someone else's house to replace your stuff.  Now with that said what Indianapolis and Baltimore later did were not crimes so there were no wrongs here but that's the point just because someone feels wronged does not give them the right to turn around do it themselves and say well I was wronged so that makes it okay.  That mentality just doesn't fly with me and that's what the city of Baltimore tries to use when it comes to this. 

 

Also don't give me the whole because Browns left their colors and team name behind it some how makes it okay.  The city of Baltimore would still be crying that they had to go 12 years without football even if the Colts had done that and how Indianapolis robbed them of 12 years of football.  Also if you think the Browns there today are anywhere close to the Browns that would have been there had they never moved you are mistaken.  The Browns today are stuck in year in and year out rebuilding mood while the Ravens are one of the best teams in the league year in and year out, and most of the key players to this were brought in by the personal put in place before the Browns left Cleveland. 

 

You want to blame Bob Irsay for moving the team fine.  You want to blame the league for not giving them a new team sooner then fine.  You want to blame the government of Baltimore for not doing more to keep the team then fine.  However, don't blame the city of Indianapolis for supporting a team and don't do it when Baltimore city turned around and did the exact samething because I got news for you even if Indianapolis hadn't been around the Colts would have still left Baltimore so that tells me the issue goes beyond just blaming Indianapolis. 

[braveheartcolt]

Wait until we run out of Luck at QB, and we relocate to the UK......will I still be welcome on the London Colts forum?

[GoColts8818]

You say Indy tried to get an expansion team? When did this happen?

Indy had made it know it was interested in a football team long before they knew they had a shot at the Colts.  It's the whole reason the RCA Dome was really built in the first place. At the time the league was looking into expanding but did not end up doing it till years later when the Jags and Panthers came into the league.  Indianapolis was interested in one but had all but been told the league would not give them one because Indianapolis was not large enough to support a team. 

 

I got this from a wonderful documentary that WFYI/Indy Star did about the history of sports in Indianapolis that aired last year around the Super Bowl.  For the first time they really told Indianapolis story with the move.  Highly recommended viewing if you get a chance.  It's call from Naptown to Super City.

[jerrylogan]

So the purpose of building the RCA dome in 1983 was to try to take a team from an exsting NFL city? 

Indy had made it know it was interested in a football team long before they knew they had a shot at the Colts.  It's the whole reason the RCA Dome was really built in the first place. At the time the league was looking into expanding but did not end up doing it till years later when the Jags and Panthers came into the league.  Indianapolis was interested in one but had all but been told the league would not give them one because Indianapolis was not large enough to support a team. 

 

I got this from a wonderful documentary that WFYI/Indy Star did about the history of sports in Indianapolis that aired last year around the Super Bowl.  For the first time they really told Indianapolis story with the move.  Highly recommended viewing if you get a chance.  It's call from Naptown to Super City.

[GoColts8818]

So the purpose of building the RCA dome in 1983 was to try to take a team from an exsting NFL city?

it was to get a NFL team rather from expansion or to get a team to move to Indy.

[John Dee]

Anyone remember the Indianapolis ARROWS??/    Indy's push for a MLB team?

Indy had made it know it was interested in a football team long before they knew they had a shot at the Colts.  It's the whole reason the RCA Dome was really built in the first place. At the time the league was looking into expanding but did not end up doing it till years later when the Jags and Panthers came into the league.  Indianapolis was interested in one but had all but been told the league would not give them one because Indianapolis was not large enough to support a team. 

 

I got this from a wonderful documentary that WFYI/Indy Star did about the history of sports in Indianapolis that aired last year around the Super Bowl.  For the first time they really told Indianapolis story with the move.  Highly recommended viewing if you get a chance.  It's call from Naptown to Super City.

[T Y Goodbye]

If you think its bad in Baltimore towards Colt fans..go to any game in Philly...if you wear any colors other than the Eagles, you get doused with beer, batteries thrown at you, and can get into physical altercations..Its so bad in Philly, they even had a judge and a jail at the games..They'd lock you up, and after the game take the entire jailed people to the station. Knowing this beforehand, having been to a lot of Eagles and Phillies games, I still wore my jersey, but wore a neutral colored sweatshirt on top of it. Nothing is more important to me than my family's, my friends, and my personal well-being, just to go to a game where there are ignorant drunks, just looking for a reason to fight..I love and support my team, but there are some places, no matter what, you're asking for trouble if you wear your team's jersey in their stadium...

 

No its not like this everywhere, Years ago I went to a Charger/Colt game in San Diego..i got a couple fun loving heckles and some stares, but I sat with a ton of Charger fans, and they were very nice and respectful...I've been to other stadiums as well where you aren't mistreated..But Philly, Baltimore, (if you wear Colts colors), New York Jets and Giants, its not worth it to risk your health and well-being over a game. Its not right, and shouldn't happen, but its a reality..And to those that say go get an usher..that's fine, and they do what they can to try to control the crowd, but they can't be everywhere at all times, and you are bound to have some jerk berate, harass, and possibly attack you, and they really can't do anything unless the damage has already been done..and, if you get an usher, and someone gets escorted out, his buddies will work on you even worse after the usher goes back to his assigned position.

 

I'd love to go to some more games than I do..but not living near Indy, and other complications, I probably won't be seeing a game unless I go back to Indy for a visit...That's why I budget for Direct TV and the NFL package, so I never miss my Colts playing...Its not worth it anymore...unless its a home game for us...

 

All in all, its better to be safe, than sorry...

[braveheartcolt]

If you think its bad in Baltimore towards Colt fans..go to any game in Philly...if you wear any colors other than the Eagles, you get doused with beer, batteries thrown at you, and can get into physical altercations..Its so bad in Philly, they even had a judge and a jail at the games..They'd lock you up, and after the game take the entire jailed people to the station. Knowing this beforehand, having been to a lot of Eagles and Phillies games, I still wore my jersey, but wore a neutral colored sweatshirt on top of it. Nothing is more important to me than my family's, my friends, and my personal well-being, just to go to a game where there are ignorant drunks, just looking for a reason to fight..I love and support my team, but there are some places, no matter what, you're asking for trouble if you wear your team's jersey in their stadium...

 

No its not like this everywhere, Years ago I went to a Charger/Colt game in San Diego..i got a couple fun loving heckles and some stares, but I sat with a ton of Charger fans, and they were very nice and respectful...I've been to other stadiums as well where you aren't mistreated..But Philly, Baltimore, (if you wear Colts colors), New York Jets and Giants, its not worth it to risk your health and well-being over a game. Its not right, and shouldn't happen, but its a reality..And to those that say go get an usher..that's fine, and they do what they can to try to control the crowd, but they can't be everywhere at all times, and you are bound to have some jerk berate, harass, and possibly attack you, and they really can't do anything unless the damage has already been done..and, if you get an usher, and someone gets escorted out, his buddies will work on you even worse after the usher goes back to his assigned position.

 

I'd love to go to some more games than I do..but not living near Indy, and other complications, I probably won't be seeing a game unless I go back to Indy for a visit...That's why I budget for Direct TV and the NFL package, so I never miss my Colts playing...Its not worth it anymore...unless its a home game for us...

 

All in all, its better to be safe, than sorry...

 

If you think its bad in Baltimore towards Colt fans..go to any game in Philly...if you wear any colors other than the Eagles, you get doused with beer, batteries thrown at you, and can get into physical altercations..Its so bad in Philly, they even had a judge and a jail at the games..They'd lock you up, and after the game take the entire jailed people to the station. Knowing this beforehand, having been to a lot of Eagles and Phillies games, I still wore my jersey, but wore a neutral colored sweatshirt on top of it. Nothing is more important to me than my family's, my friends, and my personal well-being, just to go to a game where there are ignorant drunks, just looking for a reason to fight..I love and support my team, but there are some places, no matter what, you're asking for trouble if you wear your team's jersey in their stadium...

 

No its not like this everywhere, Years ago I went to a Charger/Colt game in San Diego..i got a couple fun loving heckles and some stares, but I sat with a ton of Charger fans, and they were very nice and respectful...I've been to other stadiums as well where you aren't mistreated..But Philly, Baltimore, (if you wear Colts colors), New York Jets and Giants, its not worth it to risk your health and well-being over a game. Its not right, and shouldn't happen, but its a reality..And to those that say go get an usher..that's fine, and they do what they can to try to control the crowd, but they can't be everywhere at all times, and you are bound to have some jerk berate, harass, and possibly attack you, and they really can't do anything unless the damage has already been done..and, if you get an usher, and someone gets escorted out, his buddies will work on you even worse after the usher goes back to his assigned position.

 

I'd love to go to some more games than I do..but not living near Indy, and other complications, I probably won't be seeing a game unless I go back to Indy for a visit...That's why I budget for Direct TV and the NFL package, so I never miss my Colts playing...Its not worth it anymore...unless its a home game for us...

 

All in all, its better to be safe, than sorry...

Sad but true.

 

Unless you go to Wembley, where it's all high fives. Although the 'fraidy cat' Colts won't go there.

[MAC]

Now I've read all these posts in this thread, sometimes it really is a benefit only being a Colts fan for 8 years, and coming from a different continent!

 

Wearing your team's colours in your opponents stadium is always a risk, no matter what the sport. Being brought up with soccer, it can get you stabbed or glassed or murdered. Being called a jerk or a thief is a luxury. Rightly or wrongly, you have to wonder if showing your loyalty by wearing your jersey is actually worth the risk. Deep down, you don't need some cloth to prove you are a fan. Their are evil people and clowns in every town in every country in the world. Add in copious amounts of alcohol and it is a recipe for trouble.

 

Ravens Smavens indeed.

Wow. I think you deserve a beer.

[braveheartcolt]

Wow. I think you deserve a beer.

Yep, but had a pile already! 3am here, watching the Packers cruise into the next round. This is how you play a mobile QB....

[jerrylogan]

it was to get a NFL team rather from expansion or to get a team to move to Indy.

I don't understand why you would build a stadium in 1983 when expansion was set by the NFL in 1995. A big difference is St Louis (after the Cardinals moved) and Baltimore after the Colts moved waited until the expansion in 1995 to try to get a team through expansion. There were four teams that applied were St. Louis, Baltimore, Charlotte (Carolina), and Jacksonville.  When St. Louis and Baltimore were denied teams they then tried to acquire existing teams. St. Louis and Baltimore were given no choice.  A see a significant difference in the process St. Louis and Baltimore followed in comparison to Indy.  

[GoColts8818]

I don't understand why you would build a stadium in 1983 when expansion was set by the NFL in 1995. A big difference is St Louis (after the Cardinals moved) and Baltimore after the Colts moved waited until the expansion in 1995 to try to get a team through expansion. There were four teams that applied were St. Louis, Baltimore, Charlotte (Carolina), and Jacksonville.  When St. Louis and Baltimore were denied teams they then tried to acquire existing teams. St. Louis and Baltimore were given no choice.  A see a significant difference in the process St. Louis and Baltimore followed in comparison to Indy.  

The league had been talking about it.  Indianapolis had been interested in a football team dating back to the 1976 expansion that brought the world the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks.  They were told they didn't have any place to play a team and they didn't.  So they built the RCA Dome in hopes of landing a pro-football team or a baseball team and eliminate the problem of not having a place for a pro-team to play.  It turned out the Dome was too small for baseball so they doubled down on football.  Once it was built the league pretty much told them that if they expanded they wouldn't give Indianapolis a team because they didn't think they could support it.  So they were left with no choice but to try to bring a team to Indianapolis that was already in the league.  That's when the story started to break that the Colts wanted out of Baltimore.  Indianapolis wanted a team and the Colts were available.  Again what were they supposed to do say no? 

 

Worth mentioning the Dome was also built for other reasons.

 

1.  To help keep the state basketball finals in Indianapolis.

2.  To give the city another venue for the 1987 Pan-Am Games

3.  To have a venue that could host many other events such as the National Gymnastics finals that were held there for a long time.  (the Dome was built as Indianapolis was doing it's best to draw as many Olympic sports heads to Indianapolis as possible in attempt to be the Amateur Sports Capital of the World. 

4.  Also the city of Indianapolis is not home to any of Indiana's major D1 colleges (Butler was no where near what Butler is today at the time) so building the Dome gave them a venue that could host basketball and football games in Indianapolis for IU and Purdue alumni.  Heck even Ball State and Indiana State played some games in the Dome. 

5.  It also gave them a venue that could be used to help draw the Final Four to Indy.

6.  It was also apart of the convention center to help draw conventions to town.

 

Don't get me wrong the main goal was to get a football team or baseball team here but it was built with other events in mind.  One thing I have noticed about the Indiana Sports Courp (the group behind the Dome) they have always had an eye to the future and while we are enjoying whatever the latest big event is in our city they are already thinking about the next big event they can get here and the Dome was a part of that process.  They knew for Indianapolis to be seen as a real sports city they had to have a venue like the RCA Dome and their vision paid off.  For example the Sport Courp has said one huge advantage they had over Phoenix and St. Louis when they were trying to get the Colts here was that when the other two cities were promising they would build the Colts a new stadium they were able to say we already built it.  In fact per the documentary I watched what sealed the deal was Bob Irsay standing in side the Dome and looking at the blue seats with the white roof and going "It's Colts colors its just meant to be."  For the record the blue seats were just by chance the original plan called for the stadium to have multicolored seats it was switched at the last second to save a little money. 

[Wayne Lewis]

Bmore Fans Give It Up We Would Take The Ravens Over the Colts Anyday   Out With Thw Old And In THe With The New  Great Season Colts You Will Only Get Stronger