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z3mcs t1_je7xsym wrote

You cold for using the Moving flair bro.

198

Wizardburial_ground t1_je80t4c wrote

My parents and grandparents would occasionally reference this event over the years, but I was only two months old when it happened. I always thought it was hyperbole - moving the team away in the dead of night. How absurd.

61

M3g4d37h t1_je88084 wrote

Replying to Morrigane (#2,469,574)

Dude, this was a direct result of Mayor Shaefer's direct threat to Robert Irsay that Baltimore would try and take the team by eminent domain. This is precisely why it happened the way it did.

As much as I can't stand the Irsays. I'd have done the same thing.

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DMelanogastard t1_je890t9 wrote

Important detail is that he moved it because the city was set to take over the team. The prick robbed us of a TRULY publicly owned NFL franchise (even better than the Packer’s public stock ownership model)

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RedStar9117 t1_je8bt0z wrote

I worked with a guy who drove one of the mayflower trucks

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ElevenBurnie t1_je8buaz wrote

Sad. Their loss. Indianapolis is one of the most uninteresting and uninspiring cities I've been to.

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jabbadarth t1_je8cvxh wrote

Replying to M3g4d37h (#2,471,590)

>Irsay's verbal abuse of his players after a loss in a final preseason match to the Detroit Lions at the Pontiac Silverdome on September 2, 1976, led to head coach Ted Marchibroda's resignation three days later on September 5. Marchibroda was also at odds with Thomas over player personnel decisions. He was rehired two days later on September 7 after offensive and defensive coordinators Whitey Dovell and Maxie Baughan threatened to quit and the players considered boycotting practice, all in support of Marchibroda.[7][8]

>Irsay's dysfunctional relationships with certain players in contract disputes and coaches accelerated the Colts' on-field decline in the ensuing years. He was accused of bad faith bargaining and racial discrimination by running back Lydell Mitchell who was eventually sent to the San Diego Chargers on August 23, 1978.[9] Defensive end John Dutton contended that Irsay had spread "too many lies" about him and sat out the early part of the 1979 campaign while demanding a trade. He added, "I don't think he cares about the team, it's just a toy to him."[10] Dutton was dealt to the Dallas Cowboys on October 9, 1979.[11] Irsay also continually second-guessed Marchibroda.[12]

Also let's not forget irsay showing up on TV wasted drunk yelling about how this was his team and if he was gonna move it he would say so.

Irsay was a fucking shitbag. The city was trying to keep a beloved team in town that was beneficial to the city but irsay was a greedy shitbag prick.

He had years of shitty erratic behavior before he snuck away in the knight. Blame the city all you want but they were only acting in the interest of the residents (an often far cry from the leadership of today)

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bagpiper t1_je8eqr1 wrote

Just can't bring myself to upvote this picture.

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MFoy t1_je8f1hw wrote

Replying to M3g4d37h (#2,471,590)

It wasn’t just a threat. The day before the team moved, a new bill passed the State Senate that would amend eminent domain laws to allow the state seize the team. It was being debated in the House of Delegates the next day, and was signed by the Governor within 48 hours of the team moving.

Furthermore, the city of Baltimore literally amended the town charter to make it illegal for the city to spend a penny on a new stadium.

The state refused to spend $25m on upgrades to memorial stadium on things like adequate plumbing, and then after the colts left spent $110m on Camden Yards, $200m on Ravens stadium, and a further $50m on “moving expenses” to help the Browns come from Cleveland all within 15 years.

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M3g4d37h t1_je8fgj5 wrote

Replying to MFoy (#2,473,161)

.. And to add to this, Cleveland more or less pulled the same act on Modell. His team was the big draw in Cleveland, and he watched as they built new venues for everyone else, and denied him. As I understand it, the Rock 'n' Roll HOF was the straw that broke the camel's back - But to his credit, he gave them the name, which he didn't owe them - The Irsays floated a $30M price to Baltimore in order for Baltimore to retain the team name.

3

MFoy t1_je8i5ia wrote

Replying to M3g4d37h (#2,473,238)

Actually, in Cleveland, he asked for $175m or else he would move the team. The initiative was put on the ballot, and then 48 hours before the vote, he announced he was moving the team anyways, no matter what happened with the money.

The ballot passed, and the team left, so the city used the money from the ballot to build a new stadium.

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M3g4d37h t1_je8ijox wrote

Replying to MFoy (#2,473,832)

Good. Why wait for strike 4? Jacobs Field, the FieldHouse , and the RNRHOF were all built while he was putting asses in the seats. I guess they were more worried about that one fucking guy who was at the Indians games with his big tom-tom drum.

Cleveland treated him like a red-headed stepchild.

0

M3g4d37h t1_je8jmm0 wrote

Replying to jabbadarth (#2,472,683)

> acting in the interest of the residents

First of all, we're on the same side as far as my opinion of the Irsay family - But make no mistake, it was the threat of eminent domain that directly resulted in the team moving. That's what happens every time when you fuck with a rich man's money. Schaefer gambled big and lost big. This is on his shoulders, and I loved that guy.

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phmsanctified t1_je8l420 wrote

And of all the things to leave behind, they accidentally left behind the Super Bowl 5 trophy. Bahahhahahah.

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finnknit t1_je8z9c9 wrote

Replying to Wizardburial_ground (#2,469,936)

I was 6, and I remember being immensely disappointed when it happened. I had dressed up as a Baltimore Colts cheerleader for Halloween the previous fall.

The funny thing is, I was never really into football. My dad is a big football fan, and he encouraged me to cheer for our home team, but I never really got interested in it the way he was.

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MFoy t1_je97ae4 wrote

Replying to BlueFalconPunch (#2,477,766)

Colts left in 1984. Construction on Camden Yards started construction in 1989, opened in 1991. Ravens came back in 1996, M&T Bank Stadium (then Ravens Stadium) opened in 1998. That’s all within 15 years.

Problem was, first Baltimore had to reverse the town charter, did that in the fall of 1984. They couldn’t even hire someone to start thinking about the new stadium. Then they haggled over the site, then the design, then paying for it. I would say 5 years from “it is illegal for this city to spend money towards a stadium” to shovels in the ground is pretty good.

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Seletixarp t1_je981u8 wrote

Can anyone explain why so many people became Pittsburgh fans instead of Philadelphia (the closest city with a team)?

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hymie0 t1_je9bno9 wrote

Replying to M3g4d37h (#2,473,238)

He didn't "give them the name." The NFL interfered. They wouldn't let him take the name. They declared the Cleveland Browns to be a still-existing but temporarily-dormant team, and called the Ravens a new expansion team.

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ThatguyfromBaltimore t1_je9bvxr wrote

The Colts have been in Indy longer than they were in Baltimore. Crazy to think that.

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Dontaskmeaboutnam t1_je9bz2e wrote

Replying to M3g4d37h (#2,471,590)

Fuck the billionaire boys club that is the leagues. We should eminent domain the sports teams if the public wants them so much instead of floating $1.2 billion to upgrade the areas surrounding the stadiums. Why do the profits go the league if they need public funding?

You people are out of your minds.

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JiffKewneye-n t1_je9c2jv wrote

meanwhile this year we had leaves on trees on Feb 28th

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RedStar9117 t1_je9g79g wrote

Replying to medievalPanera (#2,480,403)

He only said that he was working for mayflower at the time and they were all assigned to show up and everyone was shocked when all of a sudden the Colts were sneaking put of town under cover of darkness. Everyone was pissed off but no one was going ro get fired over refusing to do the job

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sllewgh t1_je9svkm wrote

Replying to rpd9803 (#2,481,176)

The tax base didn't flee to Baltimore County, it disappeared since the 70s along with the manufacturing and industrial jobs that once sustained a city population of 1M. No jobs, no taxes.

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old_at_heart t1_jea20um wrote

Replying to pistonslapper (#2,470,624)

Yeah, you can't argue with the success of the Ravens - although I'd like to see a little more success of the 2012 variety.

Nonetheless, the real rape of Baltimore came in taking away the team name and identity. It was as if some powerful people were determined to hurt Baltimore as malevolently as possible. And leave it with a football museum, as the estimable Paul Tagliabue, DC lawyer, wanted to do.

Of course now the Ravens have established their own identity, a cool Gothic one. But preserving the Colts identity would have created a link between Lamar Jackson, Joe Flacco, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs, Ed Reed, etc., with Bert Jones, Johnny Unitas, Bubba Smith, Gino Marchetti, Raymond Berry, Art Donovan, and all the other Baltimore Colts.

So this foul deed by NFL management ripped away a unifying identity from Baltimore. It's as if it was part of a process of dismantling the city - they hoped. But Baltimore had other ideas, fought for and got a new football team, and is now still fighting for its existence as a city.

It leads into my idea for a city slogan: Baltimore - we have other ideas.

We can still see the anti-Baltimore bigotry at work. How often do we see a gloating tone over Ravens' setbacks, and only grudging respect when they prevail? Now, there's Lamar Jackson, and the media tut-tutting the evil Ravens management for not paying Lamar what he's asking.

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BmoresSpice t1_jeah9b8 wrote

To his dying day my grandpa would flip off those trucks whenever he drove around Baltimore. I still do as well to keep up the tradition. RIP Robert

4

Leftturn0619 t1_jeakntn wrote

I remember it well. Fans were not happy. I’m glad we have a Baltimore team again.

3

vepearson t1_jeakvje wrote

ESPN did a “30 for 30” piece on this topic. Look for “The Band That Wouldn’t Die” for a great review of these events!

1

Seletixarp t1_jeb3feo wrote

Replying to elcad (#2,495,107)

You’re right. I know nothing about sports and forgot about The Washington Football Team. I never would have figured that Baltimore would have so many transplants from Allegheny County.

1

imaryter t1_jebm3qr wrote

It's very despicable how the Colts left (granted I wasn't alive when that happened). But, man, it's a blessing we got the Ravens; the older Colts showed loyalty to the city of Baltimore; and, we're doing much better.

3

FrancisSobotka1514 t1_jebp065 wrote

I barely remember when this happened ,But I know my grandfathers both hated Bob Irsay until they died ,And my one grandfather had a beer after he died ,The hate ran that deep .

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SpacecaseCat t1_jebt0qv wrote

Replying to mrdank (#2,483,605)

We already know all about it:

>White flight or white exodus is the sudden or gradual large-scale migration of white people from areas becoming more racially or ethnoculturally diverse. Starting in the 1950s and 1960s, the terms became popular in the United States. They referred to the large-scale migration of people of various European ancestries from racially mixed urban regions to more racially homogeneous suburban or exurban regions. The term has more recently been applied to other migrations by whites, from older, inner suburbs to rural areas, as well as from the U.S. Northeast and Midwest to the milder climate in the Southeast and Southwest....
>
>The business practices of redlining, mortgage discrimination, and racially restrictive covenants contributed to the overcrowding and physical deterioration of areas with large minority populations. Such conditions are considered to have contributed to the emigration of other populations. The limited facilities for banking and insurance, due to a perceived lack of profitability, and other social services, and extra fees meant to hedge against perceived profit issues, increased their cost to residents in predominantly non-white suburbs and city neighborhoods.

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ScottyBeamus t1_jebu7qt wrote

The best thing about this is The Irsays left with them. Good riddance.

2

420EdibleQueen t1_jebycn3 wrote

I remember this. It was on the news in Pittsburgh and everyone was saying it was the most disrespectful way it could have possibly been done.

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Obasan123 t1_jecnndi wrote

A date that will live in infamy. I remember it very clearly.

3