(08-26-2019, 09:46 PM)Bullseye Wrote:

(08-26-2019, 04:55 PM)jagibelieve Wrote: Just another example of the selfish "me first" and "instant gratification" entitled mentality in today's society.  I personally don't buy tickets to see any one particular player, it's a TEAM sport and ENTERTAINMENT.  These guys work hard, sacrifice not only physically but also mentally, especially if they happen to have started a young family and the do it for our entertainment.  Yes they earn a pretty good salary, but it comes at a price.

These season ticket holders are not fans of the team or the game.

Initially I wasn't going to speak of an "entitled" mentality among those Colts fans, but as I started with the response, the inevitable conclusion is  that is an apt description of their mindset.

When you enter into a contract with the team to buy season tickets, there are no conditions within the contract demanding a certain player be on the team. 

Now there are circumstances by which fans will ultimately decide not to buy season tickets.  A decline in health of you or a loved one, or financial distress, or relocation can make the determination to disinvest in season tickets an unwelcome necessity for fans.  But aside from serious things of that nature that impact you personally, fans wanting to surrender their season tickets because a player retired (granted a very important one) reeks of entitlement.

As it stands, the Colts have had about 21 years out of the last 23 where they have had superlative QB play, going from Peyton Manning to Luck, with a one year gap in between them because of Manning's neck injury, and one year missed by Luck due to injury.  That puts them in very very rare company.  The 49ers went from Joe Montana to Steve Young.  The Packers went from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers.  The Patriots went from Drew Bledsoe (admittedly a notch below the others but still a Super Bowl and Pro Bowl QB) to Tom Brady (GOAT).  Otherwise, most franchises have large gaps between great QBs, if they ever have a great QB at all.

Granted, people are free to do what they will with their money, but under these circumstances, they are conditional fans.  To penalize the organization by withdrawing your support because a player decides to retire is akin to a temper tantrum, taking your ball and going home.

There is no Divine right to a great QB or great offense or a winning team, especially when you've already had two hall of fame QBs and one who was on a possible HOF trajectory were he able to continue playing.



To me, the fans surrendering their season tickets because of this are not Colts fans.  They are fans of the Colts when they have a great QB.  They are fans of the Colts when they have a reasonable expectation to contend.  They should never be grouped with hardcore fans of any NFL team (and no, having season tickets is not a prerequisite of being a hardcore fan)

I don't know if I'd call them conditional fans. The truth is, when you have a history of winning, you get used to that feeling. Yes, there is entitlement there, but it's human nature to become accustomed to what you know. We are on the outside of that world, because we have never had a true "star QB" or a history of consistent winning. If we were in the same situation as the Colts fans are currently in, I bet the feelings on this board would be much different. It's easy to say they shouldn't "expect" to have a certain type of team on the field, but when you are this close to the start of the season and the rug is pulled out from under you, I can sympathize with their anger. It's not like he tore an MCL or ACL or broke a major bone. He retired. That is something many people plan for way ahead of time, but he even admitted that he only thought of retirement 2 weeks ago, max. It's because of his lack of progress recuperating from a ankle sprain/calf strain that he says he made this decision. In the grand scheme of football injuries, those seem pretty mild. Instead, it appeared more like he lost his passion for the game and that does not go away overnight. I'm not buying that just came on 2 weeks ago. It had to be something that he thought about during the offseason. For most fans, it's not that Luck retired, it's the timing of it. If he would have retired in the offseason, this wouldn't be a big issue. Yes, Colts fans would be disappointed, but I doubt many would be angered, like they are now. He gave them no warning, but he is supposed to be the leader of the team. He drops a bombshell that no one saw coming and basically destroys any chances they had of a Superbowl or even the playoffs. Regardless of what he has done for Indy in the past, this is a "what have you done for me lately" kind of sport and this was supposed to be the Colts best team in years, but now, he decides to walk away? I don't get it and I can see why Colts fans don't get it either. While I can understand what they are feeling, I don't feel sorry for them per se. I'm a Jags fan and their loss is our gain, so I'm all smiles. 

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