I have been an Indianapolis Colts fan since I was a kid. I remember after church my dad would watch the games when there were very few people in the stands. (It was the time of Marshall Faulk at running back and Jim Harbaugh at quarterback.) Still every week, we watched and hoped for a win. And when we got one, the mood was celebratory because sadly we never knew when we would get another win.
We hit a golden era and in walked Peyton, Marvin, Dwight (Freeny), and Edgerrin James. The wins were plentiful with many victorious moments and of course our Super Bowl win in 2006 and the heartbreaking Super Bowl loss in 2009. But we kept cheering on our Indianapolis Colts and showing up in blue and white because that is what loyal fans do.
And then we entered the Luck era and beside the injuries there was a glimmer of hope…until he retired.
But the Indianapolis Colts can be more than just a football story. We can look at it as a lesson in perseverance, expectations, resilience, leadership, and how we handle both success and disappointment. Being a Colts fan this season has been an exercise in patience, faith, and occasionally questioning why I continue to put myself through this every Sunday.
If you are a Colts fan, you know exactly what I am talking about.
There is something about football that brings out every emotion. We celebrate the wins, analyze the losses, question the coaching decisions, and convince ourselves that next Sunday will be different. It is easy to be a Monday morning quarterback when we are not on the field. But somewhere between the disappointing losses and the hopeful Sundays, I started thinking about something: the Indianapolis Colts are teaching us a few lessons that have little to do with football.
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Losing Doesn’t Make You a Failure
We live in a world where everyone wants to win. We want successful careers, happy families, financial stability, healthy relationships, and lives that look like everything is falling perfectly into place. But that’s not reality. Sometimes you lose. Sometimes you miss the opportunity. Sometimes the plan does not work out. And sometimes, despite your best efforts, things simply do not go your way. A losing record does not erase a team’s talent, and a disappointing season does not erase everything they have accomplished. The same is true in life. One setback does not define your entire story.
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Loyalty Is Easy When Things Are Going Well
It is easy to wear your Indianapolis Colts jersey when the team is winning. It is easy to celebrate when everything is going according to plan. But what happens when things get uncomfortable? Do we give up? Do we walk away? Or do we continue to support the people and things we believe in while acknowledging that something needs to change?
Loyalty does not mean ignoring problems. It means understanding that difficult seasons are part of the journey. -
Accountability Matters
At some point, we must stop making excuses. In football, there are missed opportunities, questionable decisions, and mistakes that can change the outcome of an entire game. Life works the same way. We must be willing to look in the mirror, recognize where we went wrong, and take responsibility for what we can control. Growth begins when we stop focusing exclusively on what everyone else did wrong and start asking ourselves what we can do better.
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You Have to Learn How to Bounce Back
One thing football teaches us is that the game does not stop because you had a bad quarter. My dad always says ” Any given Sunday, things can change” and ” it takes four quarters to win or lose a game.” You do not get to sit on the sidelines forever feeling sorry for yourself. You regroup, adjust, and get ready for the next opportunity. Life will humble you sometimes. It will test your patience, challenge your confidence, and remind you that you are not always in control. But you still have another opportunity to show up.
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Winning Is not Everything, But How You Respond Matters
Of course, I want the Indianapolis Colts to win. I want exciting Sundays, playoff conversations, and a reason to celebrate. But I also recognize that there are lessons in the losses. That is the bigger picture. We cannot control every outcome in football, and we certainly cannot control every outcome in life. What we can control is our effort, our attitude, our willingness to learn, and our decision to keep moving forward. So, Colts Nation, here is to hope next Sunday looks a little different. And if it does not? Well, we will be back here next week, wearing our blue and white, believing again. Because whether it is football or life, you cannot win every Sunday.
Life is a lot like football. Sometimes you come prepared, give it everything you have, and still walk away with a loss. Sometimes you do everything right and the outcome still is not what you hoped for. And sometimes, the hardest part is not losing. It is figuring out what to do next. But you can always decide how you show up on Monday.
