Basketball? ~Lucas Oil Stadium~Indy H.S. Football is Huge! (Indianapolis: tenant, schools)

[Toxic Toast]

Originally Posted by jeff3166

I don't agree with that. From the perspective of the fans, the future of IU basketball has not looked brighter, than it does now, in quite some time. This coming season will probably be brutal, by IU standards, and an NIT berth will be a successful season. With that said though, 9 out of 10 IU basketball fans will tell you that a return to annually competing for the NCAA Championship is imminent. There's a lot of excitement surrounding the IU basketball program right now.

I can only speak for the IU fans I know (sadly, I know many IU fans); and I am not an IU fan and I really don't care, but for the first time, the football team has an opportunity to fare better than the basketball team. They have a returning senior QB, some solid recruits, and a chance to go to back to back bowl games. The basketball team just when through an ugly divorce and has one player coming back. Every IU fan I know is excited about IU football, not so much about basketball. That is my only point, and what happens in 3-5 years has nothing to do with my original point. Which is this; football is red hot right now in this state, especially high school football.

Grrr, no more IU talk.....BOILER UP! BOILER UP! BOILER UP!

[jeff3166]

Originally Posted by DC 38

I can only speak for the IU fans I know (sadly, I know many IU fans); and I am not an IU fan and I really don't care, but for the first time, the football team has an opportunity to fare better than the basketball team. They have a returning senior QB, some solid recruits, and a chance to go to back to back bowl games. The basketball team just when through an ugly divorce and has one player coming back. Every IU fan I know is excited about IU football, not so much about basketball. That is my only point, and what happens in 3-5 years has nothing to do with my original point. Which is this; football is red hot right now in this state, especially high school football.

Grrr, no more IU talk.....BOILER UP! BOILER UP! BOILER UP!

Oh, ok...I understand what you're saying now then.

[Jaxson]

Originally Posted by domergurl

Sorry, but like the Bears are the Chicago Bears and NOT the Illinois Bears (although in their song they state that they are the pride and joy of Illinois), the Colts are the Indianapolis Colts, not the Indiana Colts.

I wasn't talking about the team names I was talking about the building the teams play in domergurl. Like the Hoosier dome was fitting for the Hoosier state.

But that leads me to ask wonder why we do have the Indiana Pacer then the Indianapolis Colts? Before anybody else takes that wrong I know other states use both their state and city names in professional sports. I am just wondering is all.

[Jaxson]

Originally Posted by jeff3166

Do you know the reason for the way in which the Colts left Baltimore, in the middle of the night?

I believe because the Irsay family wanted a new stadium and threatened to leave Baltimore if they didn't get it. Then the city got involved saying they would use eminent domain to take over the team. The Colts organization decided to boot scoot out of town in the dark of the night before it was passed into law. Indy news stations sent reporters and helicopters to keep the waiting Hoosiers in the know of the team moving out their equipment onto semi trucks.

Funny how now our state (or whomever) that tired to take over Hurst Beans to tear it down for parking spots was threatening eminent domain huh?

[Interpol76]

Whats going to happen when the colts get crappy and all of their bandwagon fans jump off again?? Hmmmmm....the Los Angeles Colts has a nice ring to it.

[grmasterb]

Originally Posted by Interpol76

Whats going to happen when the colts get crappy and all of their bandwagon fans jump off again?? Hmmmmm....the Los Angeles Colts has a nice ring to it.

Geez, folks. The Colts have a 30-year lease with the CIB. By then another team will have relocated to LA-LA-Land.

[jeff3166]

Originally Posted by Jaxson

I believe because the Irsay family wanted a new stadium and threatened to leave Baltimore if they didn't get it. Then the city got involved saying they would use eminent domain to take over the team. The Colts organization decided to boot scoot out of town in the dark of the night before it was passed into law. Indy news stations sent reporters and helicopters to keep the waiting Hoosiers in the know of the team moving out their equipment onto semi trucks.

Funny how now our state (or whomever) that tired to take over Hurst Beans to tear it down for parking spots was threatening eminent domain huh?

That is correct, the eminent domain lawsuit, which had already been filed with the courts, is the reason the move was done in the manner in which it was, and in the middle of the night. Had they waited until, say 8am, to have moving trucks show up and load/move them, a temporary order could have been issued within an hour or so by the courts, which would have had the Colts locked down and stuck in Maryland during the entire process.

While it isn't the ideal way to acquire a franchise, I certainly can't blame Irsay for doing what was best for his business (and yes, ultimately this is a business). There was already talk in Baltimore about a new baseball-only stadium for the Orioles (which turned out to be Camden Yards), meaning that the Colts would eventually be the sole tenants of Memorial Stadium. The city of Baltimore had no plans to anytime soon build a new football stadium, even though Memorial Stadium was made for baseball, over 30 years old, decrepit, and well beyond it's useful life. As you can see in these photos...

http://www.stadiumsofnfl.com/past/mem31.jpg
http://www.stadiumsofnfl.com/past/memfoot700.jpg

...it was hardly a suitable venue for football. With that, Irsay wanted a new stadium, in order to grow his business (there's that ugly word again), but the city of Baltimore refused. He did what he felt was the best for HIS business. The Baltimore/Maryland politicians gambled, lost, and most that had anything to do with it were soon out of office.

And yes, it is funny, and even ironic, how the city/state tried to impose eminent domain on Hurst Beans.

What's even funnier though, and even more ironic, is how the city of Baltimore finally acquired a new NFL team... by offering a disgruntled franchise (ie: the Cleveland Browns) a brand new stadium, if they would pull stakes and move to Baltimore.

[grmasterb]

There's a legal distinction between the state attempting to use eminent domain to assume control of a private corporation and the state using eminent domain to gain control of real property for a public project. The former could not possibly pass legal muster. The latter has consistently been upheld by the SCOTUS.

[Jaxson]

Originally Posted by Jaxson

1a. I didn't say Robert hasn't done fine things I said I didn't like how the company chose to leave their previous location. I as well know in *some* families the fruit doesn't fall far from the tree. I am not saying the Irsay family I don't know anything about them because I chose not to support them. Ain't America great we all have choices?

I am sorry in my above quote it should read Jim not Robert but I couldn't edit it when I re-read and saw the mistake.

[Jaxson]

Originally Posted by jeff3166

What's even funnier though, and even more ironic, is how the city of Baltimore finally acquired a new NFL team... by offering a disgruntled franchise (ie: the Cleveland Browns) a brand new stadium, if they would pull stakes and move to Baltimore.

Baltimore had national egg on their faces and most likely realized right quick how much money just pulled out from their city coffers. I am sure they thought offering a new team a new stadium would have seemed like they got the last word with Irsay maybe?