The Marketing Technology Blog

Wow… what a game! If you didn’t get to see the greatest comeback in NFL playoff history, it was absolutely incredible. There are so many things about this team and this city to appreciate. I have never been a huge fan of professional sports or athletes - but the Colts have changed my opinion of sports franchises. It’s the very things that have changed my mind that people don’t realize because it’s ignored by the media.

A couple years ago, I had the pleasure of having lunch with Cato June at a Colts luncheon. Cato was such an absolute gentleman… very humble and very thankful for having his shot in professional sports. After the lunch Jeff Saturday took some time out and signed an autograph for me (I gave Cato’s and Jeff’s autographs away to some fans that were bigger than I was).

Both guys thanked me for spending time with them and their organization (it was an Advertiser’s Breakfast with the team).

A couple years later and I find myself working closely with Pat Coyle, his sister Maureen, and AJ Macht from The Indianapolis Colts. There’s simply no way to express how nice this organization is to work with. They care about the fans, they care about the economic development of the city, they love being in Indianapolis, and they care about being good shepherds to the city and to the NFL. How does that compare to other teams in any sport?

There’s a good chance that Indianapolis will see a Superbowl here in the next couple years now that the new stadium is going up. As well, it’s suspected that the Lucas family will be returning their headquarters back to Indiana from California. The Colts are great for Indianapolis.

For all the naysayers that talk about the money spent on the Colts, there’s no better investment that will return so much to our region. This weekend alone, it’s estimated that $15 million was spent in the city from visitors here for the AFC Championship game. That’s a lot of tax revenue in one weekend!

Folks may also not realize this is the first Superbowl with African American coaches… not on one side of the field, but both. For an industry that hasn’t paid too much attention to black coaching talent, that’s a great story. And it’s already making the news.

What won’t make the news, though, is that both coaches are also devout Christians. Not the type of Christians that spread intolerance and make judgements on others… they are the type of Christians that believe they must set an example of Christianity for others to follow. Jim Irsay is also a Christian, thankful for the gifts and opportunities that God has given him as well. Wow… this is a Christian Superbowl.

As I watched the highlights on several news stations, they’ve already cut out the clips of Jim Irsay and Tony Dungy showing their appreciation for the gifts, strength and opportunities that were given to them by God. It was the first message out of their mouths… but it never made the news.

Ironically, this is the exact Christian behavior that should make the news and should be communicated beyond our borders to other countries. Stories of faith, generosity, leadership, hope, and happiness from some great Christians. Instead, the news will focus on the fanatics, intolerance, perversion and greed… and they’ll help the rest of the world point at us as a country full of hypocrisy, greed, lust, and injustice.

For anyone able to read this message… I hope you spread the word. For many years, the phrase that accompanied the Colts was “We Believe!”. Amen, yes we do! We’re thankful for the first Black and Christian Superbowl.

As for the Superbowl… I’d like to propose a friendly bet to my new good friend, Jim Walton, in Chicago. Jim really wanted Lovie and Tony to make the Superbowl but he didn’t think The Colts could pull it out. If the Colts lose, I’ll take Jim out for a great steak here at St. Elmo’s, one of the finest and oldest steak houses in Indianapolis. Jim… you up for taking the bet and showing me a great place in Chicago when the Colts win?