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In recent years, my two brothers have been fond of referring to the Super Bowl as The Stupid Bowl. Disgusted by the
crass commercialism that has overtaken professional sports, they view The Stupid Bowl as the zenith of hype.
On
one level, I can’t blame them. The spectacle can be gaudy, and the dollars flying around the game—from the victors’
diamond-studded rings to the $3 million price tag on a 30-second television spot—are mind-numbing.
But being
more of an athlete in my day than either one of them ever was, I tend to forgive the negative aspects of pro sports and focus
on the competition and the athleticism.
Lo and behold, this year is different for my bros; they are into it. They
both watched the Indianapolis Colts beat the New York Jets on Jan. 24, and one of them even called me after the game to talk
about it. It’s a New Age.
It just goes to show what winning can do for you.
For those of us who
cheered the Baltimore Colts and remember the days when there were no Colts or stadium in Indianapolis, the evolution of this
team and its impact on the community has been quite a journey.
Since arriving in Indianapolis in 1984, this franchise
has slowly emerged from under the shadow of Baltimore and developed into one of the NFL’s elite organizations.
Look in the mirror: Indy is now a respected NFL town.
It hasn’t been easy; the early days were characterized
by erratic performance on the field, and an owner, Robert Irsay, who was volatile, unpredictable and stingy.
But
since the Tony Dungy era began in 2002, the team has won 99 regular-season games and lost only 29. The Colts have been in
the playoffs eight years in a row and lay claim to two AFC Championships and one Super Bowl title.
And, now, in
the dawning era of Coach Jim Caldwell, the team is off to the Big Game once again. Perhaps most remarkable, the city is hosting
the Super Bowl in 2012.
But it’s much more than the stellar win-loss record that separates the Colts from
the rest of the pack and at the same time raises our city to the upper echelon of the NFL.
By all accounts, the
Colts are a class organization from top to bottom. Dungy, who was hired by current owner Jim Irsay, was the poster boy of
class. Few coaches were more respected in the league; he was a good man and a winner.
Above the coach
in the Colts organization is General Manager Bill Polian, whom most people in the NFL consider a first-rate student of the
game and a savvy judge of talent when it comes to the draft.
Atop the Colts family sits Jim Irsay, a guy who has
lived and breathed NFL football and the Colts since he was a kid. In charge since his father died 13 years ago, he has concocted
a winning formula by being his father’s polar opposite.
Published reports—including IBJ’s
award-winning profile from Jan. 16, 2006, and a piece in the Jan. 25, 2010, Sports Illustrated—portray Irsay
as a unique guy who is into music and poetry just as much as football.
He’s had his issues, but as a musician
and a bit of a rebel myself, I have more than a little empathy for a successful businessman who plays music, has an enviable
guitar collection, and can quote Dylan Thomas poetry as readily as rock ’n’ roll lyrics.
In the SI
profile, he talks a lot about the “magic” in life. At the end of our profile four years ago, Irsay said, “We
want this [team] to be a vehicle that pulls this community together.”
Judging from what I’ve seen and
heard around this town over the last few weeks, I’d say he’s accomplished that goal and worked up some magic at
the same time. Heck, even my brothers are going to watch the Stupid Bowl, and that’s saying something.•
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Katterjohn is publisher of IBJ. To comment on this column, send e-mail to ckatterjohn@ibj.com.
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