Colts aggressively selling season-ticket waiting list

The billboards showing up around town urging Indianapolis Colts fans to join the season-ticket waiting list have nothing to do with the fact that the team has stumbled a few times this year and has largely underperformed.

The Colts, who were predicted by many to contend for the Super Bowl this season, are 5-5. Granted that’s tied for first place in the AFC South, but still, it’s well under expectations.

Colts Chief Operating Officer Pete Ward insists there’s no mass backlash from season ticket holders. At least not to the point where they're threatening not to renew their season tickets.

“This is something we do every year,” Ward said. “The inventory in the stadium is essentially sold out. The waiting list is something we have to sell, so we market it.”

Maybe because there seems to be a billboard—on U.S. 31 South and U.S. 37 South—in every direction I turn traveling to and from work downtown, it merely seems like the campaign is more high-profile this year than in the past. There are about the same number of billboards—six or so—being used for the campaign this year as previous years, Ward said.

The team’s season-ticket waiting list is just above 4,900, Ward said. That’s a couple thousand lower than Colts officials reported it was a year ago.

Fans who want to join the season ticket waiting list are required to submit a $150 non-refundable deposit. The deposit is a one-time fee that is applied to the cost of the season ticket once a seat or seats become available.

Season ticket holders will still get tickets for eight regular-season games next year. An Oct. 2 regular-season game the team is playing in London against the Jacksonville Jaguars will be an away game for the Colts.