By Daniyal Habib
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The Indianapolis Colts, from the turn of the century to the end of last season, have a combined record of 89-31, a winning percentage of .695, good enough for second-best in the NFL over that span. At the same time, NFL.com, ESPN.com and Yahoo.com all had the Colts in the bottom half of their weekly team rankings after the third week of the season.

The Indiana Pacers, over the last six seasons, have an average winning percentage of .537, good enough for a tie for eighth in the NBA over that span. At the same time, most people are predicting doom and gloom for the Pacers this season and the foreseeable future.

The stat I want to know is how many times people in Indiana have complained about these two franchises in the past few months. It’s ludicrous, really, to compare this city’s franchises to those of, say Miami, where the Dolphins, Heat, Marlins and college football Hurricanes finished 1-15, 15-67, 71-91 and 5-7, respectively.

So I’ve come to the obvious conclusion that Indiana sports fans are, well, spoiled. We’ve heard talk that Colts quarterback Peyton Manning is on the downhill, that wide receiver Marvin Harrison is washed up and that the Colts window of opportunity has closed. I ask, does our track record not give you confidence that this is just a bump in the road? Against the Texans in week five, the Colts showed they still have some of that magic in them, despite being flawed. Every major player who is no longer with them from the 2007 Super Bowl team has been replaced with solid, younger players. Manning is only 32 years old; John Elway won two titles in the last two years of his career at ages 37 and 38. Manning relies even less on his athletic ability than Elway, so he won’t be fading soon.

With the Pacers, the struggles have now lasted three years rather than three games, so I admit there is some more room to be worried here. Still, from 1989 to 2006, the Pacers made the postseason 16 out of 17 years, a feat that seems to go unnoticed when talking about them.

All I’m asking for is some loyalty. We’re so used to teams being in the top tiers of their divisions that when they struggle, the fans jump off the bandwagon so quickly that the horse stumbles. The Pacers, for example, dropped to last in the league in fan attendance last year. People cite reasons such as, “I don’t like the character of the players.” True, the Pacers aren’t angels, but is there no allegiance to the franchise that brought you a decade and a half of spotless success? The franchise that brought you a trip to the NBA Finals and consistent playoff appearances gets no love?

We can’t take for granted the success of our teams. Even here we often say things like, “Oh, we’re playing (insert team) this week; I think I’ll stay home.” True, we may be superior in some facets, but if sports teaches us anything, it is that anything can happen. I ask you, how many times have you appreciated what this school’s women’s swimming team has accomplished over the past two decades? It may be second nature to expect the team to win, considering only the administrators here were born when the team began its streak, but as the coaches like to say, “It’s the first State championship for this particular team.”

And did you know that since 2000, the junior varsity men’s tennis team has lost an insane total of three matches? Again, it may be second nature to expect the team to win, but that is no reason for support of these teams to wane and vanish; actually, it is more reason to get out and support them. And should any of our teams lose, including professional ones, it is no reason to not believe anymore. Therein lies the beauty of sports: the fact that there is always something to cheer for.

It is a simple fact of life; you win some, you lose some. That’s especially true in sports. Thankfully, saying Carmel and Indianapolis have been successful in sports is like saying the sun is big; it is a huge

Sometimes teams need fans more when they’re struggling than when they’re winning. Will you be there during both?