How To Be A Fan

by emiller17 on Oct 24, 2011 9:00 AM EDT in 2011 Colts Analysis

As I sit and watch the minor league football team that is the Colts, there is one question that keeps coming back into my head over and over; As a true fan, what do you do with a season like this? How do we support our team when there is nothing about this season that we want to support?

A little background from me. I was born in 1981 and grew up in Indianapolis. The first football I remember is listening to Bob Lamey on the radio. These were back in the days when home Colts games were not on TV. Nothing sold out, ever. Sometimes, we didn't even get to see the away games on TV. It was an exciting day to get to watch our Colts on a Sunday afternoon. I survived through those years.

I feel in love with the idea that we might get better...sometime. I feel in love with the hope that we could do better the next time around. It was good enough to live on that hope. It was all I needed. But things went horribly wrong. The Colts got good! With the addition of Polian (the good one back in those days) I knew we would get better and we did.

No longer was it if we could get better but about how good could we be. We were the envy of the league, a model of consistency and the franchise that most fans in the league would kill to be a part of. We lived in a dream world. Winning was the way we knew. It seemed like the only way things had ever been. It was easy to be a fan. Championships were expected and won.

Then came this year. A year that will take every fan to the extreme.

The question is not if I will remain a fan of the Colts. They got me. I'm in. I will always be a Colts fan. My question is, how do I show my support for my team when I am thoroughly frustrated with the course they have taken? How do you support something and show displeasure at the same time?

We can debate what went wrong with the season and this team until the cows come home (Indiana joke there). My personal opinion is that our lack of investment in the offensive line over a number of years have led us to rely too heavily on the mind of one man (#18) on the offensive side of the ball. A reluctance to embrace change in defensive philosophy and an penchant for overpaying in the wrong places (see Bob Sanders, Kelvin Hayden and Gary Brackett) have rendered our defense largely ineffective. Don't get me started on trainers either. How many times can we lead the league in injuries without doing something about it?

So how do we show how pissed we are about things while staying true to our fan-dom? How do we tell Irsay that busting on 3 entire drafts is not okay with us? How do we make it clear that one player, even if he is the greatest of all time, should not make our team? How do we show the players on the team that we expect more for them? How do we show coaches that the same old thing, without improvement is unacceptable?

Some will say go to the game and boo. That doesn't get through to management in my mind because they still get my money. What about bags on our heads? Too cliche?

Some say don't go to the games because that's the only way to get through, but I doubt that will make a dent. If enough people did it, they would just move the team and we couldn't be fans anymore.

Some will say screw it and pick a new team. That's not what being a fan(atic) is about.

Is there anything a fan base can do? Can we effect the path of our team? I feel so powerless. I don't have the answer. That's why I write this. I need help. What should we do to show how unhappy we are?

Maybe we support our team while on the road. I am headed to the game next week against in Nashville (and let me tell you, I'm worried about how pissed the Titans will be after getting manhandled on Sunday). I will be wearing my blue proudly for the first time in an opposing stadium and suffering, broken-heart-ed, through every minute.

I can't decide which is worse, living through hoping to get better or being better and then watching it fall apart.

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Comments

Yeah "Be a fan"

That’s exactly what Isray wants.

“You idiots just keep on buying my tickets and jerseys no matter how bad the product I’m selling you”.

All I know is that when I go to Mcdonalds my burger better be made right and my fries better not be cold.They will remake it or else I’m asking for a refund.

by odiesel on Oct 24, 2011 9:14 AM EDT reply actions

So YOUR the pain in the #$% that beats up on a 7/hr clerk

"If they want me to be a crazy, emotional, frenzied fan in section 603, then they can't expect me to be reasonable about the business of football"

by indylator on Oct 24, 2011 11:46 AM EDT up reply actions

you're

i don't give autographs

by muncie_in_this on Oct 24, 2011 11:58 PM EDT up reply actions

Not Gonna lie

Been a colts fan since 2003 and this is my first experience of having my Team SUCK. I’m not gunna lie when I say I’m pretty passionate about my team. When the colts lost the super bowl in 2009, I didn’t turn on my tv, radio or go to any sports related sites (besides this one) for two weeks straight. Before this year if the Colts lost, I would want to get set fire to kittens. But this year, Iv had let go. This team is gunna win maybe 1-2 games. But in my mind, I would much rather be the worse of the worse one year, then be back next year. This is why sports blogs are awesome, it lets us out of state colts fans know we aren’t suffering alone.

by otownballer94 on Oct 24, 2011 10:43 AM EDT via mobile reply actions

I like this post

It is absurd to think the Colts are going to do nothing in response to this season. We WILL see dramatic changes. As for ranting and name calling, etc, it may be theraputic, however it is a bit like howling at the moon. It will not respond. The Colts are going to do what they are going to do.

I thought I would only watch half that game due to the trouncing, but I watched every second, and like I have for the season as a whole, found myself looking for various signs of encouragement (like the run game) that we can carry to the next. I dare say I am slightly excited with anticipation to see what changes will occur on the mgt staff and if we will see roster moves that are unusual for the Colts.

"If they want me to be a crazy, emotional, frenzied fan in section 603, then they can't expect me to be reasonable about the business of football"

by indylator on Oct 24, 2011 11:52 AM EDT reply actions

Stay the course

Ihave been a COLTS fan since 1968 im 53 now and have been through it, all and would gladly do it again you take the good with the bad. That is life nothing last forever GO COLTS

by blue1958 on Oct 24, 2011 12:31 PM EDT reply actions

Everyone wants instant gratification and will complain when things don’t happen fast enough for them. I wouldn’t say the fans are spoiled. Everyone wants a winner, and Manning has shown why he’s one of the top quarterbacks of all time. To think that he could take this team to 9 straight playoffs and 1 SB win is nothing but remarkable. Brady may have more rings, but he had better teams (especially on ST and defense). You put Manning on NE and I bet they have more than 3 rings. You can’t always stay on top, you eventually find yourself at the bottom. I just didn’t think the bottom would come so soon, about 3 or so years too soon.

However, where I’m mad and will complain is just the lack of adjustments. It’s like the coaching staff was told to lose. How else can you explain it?

It’s either the coaching staff is being pulled by strings or are truly inept. Either scenario isn’t good.

And it's now my sig
by Bronn on May 17, 2011 4:56 PM EDT

by Sparhawk on Oct 24, 2011 12:50 PM EDT reply actions

You realise the reason the Colts are doing so poorly now is because they built the team around Manning, right?

To say Brady had a better defense is to miss the reason why he had a better defense.

"Perhaps it was the Noid who should have avoided me." Mayor Adam West

by ISN on Oct 25, 2011 8:39 AM EDT up reply actions

Nice Article

We are very very similar. I was born in 1980 and remember the bad, bad days. I lived in Ft Wayne so many of the seasons of games blacked out for you, I actually got to watch.

My recommendation is to continue doing what your doping and give Irsay a chance to fix things this offseason by clearing coaching house, getting rid of ol’ Bill, possibly keeping Chris (I think of 2011 draft is the best in years, unfortunately we’ve had a few too many injuries to the top 3 rd guys). Tell Chris he’s losing some power and we go and hire a real coach like Gruden or Cowher, that guy gets some roster decision ability to go along with the GM and we reshape the team. I think you bring back Mathis and Saturday. Unfortunately I think we lose both of my 2 fave jerseys to wear to games in Clark and Wayne. Pierre will be a maybe depending on price. I’d guess no more than 6 guys on the starting D return (Angerer, Nevis, Freeney, and 2 or 3 more out of Bethea, A Johson, Mathis, and Bullit).

This all assumes Peyton is back to being Peyton, if he’s not, just completely cut everyone.

But back to my recommendation for what to do as a fan………Root for the games to be competitive and then giggle quietly as we blow the lead in the 4th. Basically exactly what we did at Tampa and vs KC. I did the very same things in 1997 and 1998. And it resulted in us getting back future HOF’ers Peyton and Edge as luck would have it. Not going to games doesn’t help anything, it jsut reinforces the bandwagon jumpers image of Colts fans.

Now if the offseason comes and Irsay changes nothing but Caldwell. Then yea, start the fires, let’s start looting, and riot. But let’s wait and see what Irsay will do. Despite how much we make fun of him, I think he’s a very good owner.

by JHetfield99 on Oct 24, 2011 3:47 PM EDT reply actions

You touched on it

But I’ve been thinking this team has been a year or two behind on fixing position issues, mostly centering around the offensive line. Oh if we could just get better next year this nightmare may just fade with time.

by 18forPrez on Oct 24, 2011 8:19 PM EDT reply actions