Colts' fans throwing their Super Bowl support to Manning, Giants
dan Macarthur/Staff Photo Gary LoPinto, left, wearing an Eli Manning jersey, and Mark Watts, wearing a Peyton Manning jersey, share a drink in the Super Bowl village in Indianapolis Wednesday.
dan macarthur/Staff Photo Russ Ward, a Giants' fan from Indianapolis, kicks a field goal during the NFL Experience event Wednesday. While it's tough being a Giants' fan so far from home, this week has been easier because of Eli Manning's big brother being such a fixture in Indy.
INDIANAPOLIS - Eli is not Indianapolis' "Main Manning," but he's family nonetheless.
That's the company line every Colts' fan is sticking to with Super Bowl XLVI between the New York Giants and New England Patriots in town this week.
The choice of who they like in Sunday's game is easy, considering the other team is the hated Patriots - not a natural rival but after more than a decade a blood feud has developed between the two teams. Looking at it that way, it's much easier for the Colts to go with a blood relative.
"You know about the rivalry, but the big difference is that a Manning is playing," an older Colts' fan who said his name was James but declined to give his last name.
Irregardless, James is old enough to remember Archie playing with the Saints, and said that the family means quite a bit to this city.
"The whole Manning family is such a classy family," he said. "He
has a commitment to this community, and the community loves him."
Mark Watts of Indianapolis and Gary LoPinto of Toms River, N.J. met while having a cold one in the Super Bowl village Wednesday. That isn't extraordinary on its own, but that Watts was sporting a Peyton Manning jersey and LaPinto an Eli jersey said it all.
"We've hated the Patriots for forever, since we were division rivals and now the rivalry between Peyton and Brady. Eli is with the Giants, go Giants," Watts said and LaPinto added, "It's all about family."
It was all about family at the NFL Experience as well Wednesday.
Russ Ward, an Indianapolis transplant originally from upstate New York, was one of the few men wearing an Eli jersey at the event, but he made sure his wife and two daughters were supporting the Giants as well.
"We just got here an hour ago and are really starting to enjoy it," said Ward.
The fact that the Mannings are so well-liked here makes it much more palatable for guys like Ward to be a Giants' fan during the regular season.
"It's actually not too bad because they love the Mannings here, and they don't like the New England Patriots."
But no conversation about Eli can come up without a Colts' fan wondering about Peyton's future.
After years of success, most Hoosiers thought the Colts had a good shot at being the first team in Super Bowl history to play on their home field, but a neck injury to Peyton and a 2-14 season derailed that. That lingering neck injury, the prospect of drafting Stanford's Andrew Luck and the financial considerations of a $28 million bonus have Colts' fans worried that they'll lose their Manning.
"It's a shame," James said. "He's meant so much to this community. I remember when they were trying to decide between Peyton and Ryan Leaf," he laughed and added, "You saw what happened with that."
Unlike Peyton and the rest of the Manning family, most families in Indianapolis will not be in attendance at Sunday's game, particularly with tickets being offered by scalpers at an obscene $5,000 per ticket.
"We've been trying to win tickets, but we'll most likely be watching from home," Ward said. "I'm trying to talk my wife into buying a new television for the game."
To comment you must first create a profile and sign-in with a verified DISQUS account or social network ID. Sign up here.
Comments in violation of the rules will be denied, and repeat violators will be banned. Please help police the community by flagging offensive comments for our moderators to review. By posting a comment, you agree to our full terms and conditions. Click here to read terms and conditions.
Copyright ©2012 The News Item | 707 N. Rock St. | Shamokin, PA 17872 | (570) 644-6397
Privacy Policy | Opinion Posting Policy | About our ads | Questions or comments? Contact Us
