Saturday, January 13, 2007

How's That Hypocrisy Working For You?

Nice little piece on ESPN about how the Indianapolis Colts are playing their first playoff game in Baltimore since 1977...when they were the Baltimore Colts. The piece was about how Robert Irsay moved the Colts in the dead of night to Indy, one of the most shameful episodes in sports history. The Colts had a proud history in Baltimore, and as one Baltimore football fan said, "Our heritage was ripped from us".

Very nice little feature. Very well-done. Quite moving.

One little problem.

BALTIMORE STOLE THE BROWNS FROM CLEVELAND!

Remember that, you teary-eyed Baltimorians? The sauce that goes so well with the goose, goes also with the gander! A greedy owner abandons Baltimore for greener pastures, so what does Baltimore do? They go out and find a different greedy owner and steal an even MORE storied and beloved team away from another city!

And not only does ESPN not comment on the irony and base hypocrisy of this, they actually show a highlight where a Raven linebacker sacks Browns quarterback Derek Anderson while this Baltimore fan weeps, "Our heritage was ripped from us".

Was there no editor at ESPN who said, "Whoa, OK, if we're not even going to mention the fact that Baltimore stole the Browns away, how about we not actually show the friggin' Browns on the screen as a reminder? Some self-awareness, people."

To my mind it doesn't matter that the Browns were reconstituted a few years ago and got to keep their name and colors. There was no guarantee the Browns would ever rise from the ashes, and when you look at their record since they re-entered the league, they haven't risen very far.

What happened to Baltimore's Colts was appalling. But if you're a Raven fan, you've surrendered your right to cry about it. Your city did the exact same thing. Whimper about your long-lost Colts, nevermore.

posted by Gene @ 9:30 AM   |