Irsay needs to support fans, not alienate them

Owning a company is a difficult thing to do. There are so many facets that go into running an organization well that it is a wonder how CEOs of these businesses do not lose their heads due to the high stress.\nTake Jim Irsay, for example. The owner and CEO of the Indianapolis Colts has had it real tough. The man is the real life version of the American success story. He started out with an idea, stuck with it through the hard times, and eventually, he managed to break through the blood and sweat.\nBut now, after several years of complete devotion to a community, they are rejecting him by -- of all the lowdown, dirty ways to treat a multi-millionaire -- not giving him money to build a new stadium.\nOf course, I'm being sarcastic. For those of you unfamiliar with the situation, Irsay did not do anything to earn his wealth. He inherited the team from his father, Robert Irsay (for an indication on the community values the elder passed down to his son, ask anyone from Baltimore who remembers the team leaving in 1984).\nThe Colts are Jim Irsay's only asset. In other words, he was given a pro football team, and he has done nothing else. Nice, feel-good story, huh? But wait, it gets better.\nApparently, Irsay feels he is being cheated and that he deserves more money from the city of Indianapolis because otherwise he cannot compete with other NFL teams. He is upset that there are only, roughly 30,000 season ticket holders, as opposed to much larger numbers across the country. And, most recently, he is threatening to "take his ball and leave" to Los Angeles if he does not get his money.\nWith all of his financial woes, it's no wonder why he is having trouble deciding exactly where to move his personal helipad -- a problem all of us can surely empathize with.\nNow, I understand that Mr. Irsay is a business man (although I must admit that I use the term loosely), and that if moving to Los Angeles is the right business decision, then he has every right to pack up the van and sneak, I mean move, out. But if we are going to talk business here, then let's be fair. Let's evaluate what Mr. Irsay has done with his organization. I will try to be as fair as possible.\nSince moving to Indianapolis in 1984 (this is its 19th season), the team has had a winning record seven times. The Colts have won two division titles (1987 and 1999), and have advanced in the playoffs zero times. The team has won four games or less six times, each year being the laughingstock of the NFL.\nHow many corporations are profitable when they put out a product that is less than average most of the time, and its occasional brilliance is short lived and too sporadic to develop any kind of massive loyalty? Oops, sorry, that was a personal tangent -- didn't mean to do that.\nBack to the point: Irsay wants a new stadium in Indianapolis, and he wants the city to pay for it. He feels that the RCA Dome is too old and hurts him in his attempt to compete with other NFL teams.\nThe only problem is, the city and its taxpayers have no problem with the 20 year old facility. In most of their opinions, it is a wonderful place to watch a football game, as well as host other events such as the NCAA Final Four, FIBA World Basketball Championships and other large events. Even the relatively small seating capacity (under 60,000 ranks near, if not at the bottom of NFL stadiums) is rarely a problem, since the Colts barely sell out games when they are winning. What reason is there to spend hundreds of millions of tax dollars on something that only one person wants -- sorry, tangent again -- I've got to stop doing that. \nA person or organization that owns a professional sports team, in my opinion, should establish a positive image in its community. Not only because the people deserve it, but because it helps business. Irsay does not have to go out and help people bag groceries, but he should at least respect his clientele by providing them something for their money. If he wants them to spend more money, then he should provide them with a better product. By continually threatening to move, Irsay is simply alienating more fans, and preventing them from getting attached to the Colts -- the exact thing that he wants from them.\nInsulting the community is a practice that won't work in Indianapolis, and it won't work in Los Angeles, or anywhere else either. Irsay should instead focus on embracing the city, and becoming a key element of the community. This does not happen through blackmail, but through honest, respectful business practices.