Having followed the Colts a little since they won the Super Bowl back in Baltimore when I was a kid, then much more closely when they relocated to Indy, I was of course very happy to see them win the Super Bowl finally this year.
But for me, it's more important that this victory showed that people of character and morals and ethics can win. It's true that any organization reflects its leader, and the Colts are no different. Their leader, Tony Dungy, is a soft-spoken man of integrity, sincerity, and strong faith. You don't catch him using profanity or yelling in the face of officials or players.
Tony's stated priorities are always faith, family, and football, in that order. I saw the televised celebration at the RCA dome from last night, where the stadium was jammed with people showing their appreciation for their championship team. Tony spoke to the crowd breifly, and told everyone that he was proud of his team, not as much for winning the Super Bowl, but for being great men of integrity. He assured everyone that we would be proud to have any one of those guys on the team as a son.
Sure, one could be cynical and suggest that multi-millionaire professional athletes can afford to portray whatever image they like to the public. But I think this group is unique. I know that the stars on this team do great things for charities of all sorts. Unlike our neighbors to the east in Cincinnati, we don't hear much about Colts players being arrested for drugs or assault or domestic issues.
Even the fans seem to have taken a page from Tony Dungy's playbook. The fan celebration in the city after the Super Bowl victory was exuberant but law-abiding. Unlike the stories you hear from many cities after big sports wins, Indianapolis did not experience vandalism or outrageous disorderly conduct on the streets after the Super Bowl.
I hope the message goes far and wide and is embraced by people everywhere.
Good Can Win.
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