30 for 30 (TV Series) The Band That Wouldn't Die (2009) User Reviews

While I felt terrible for the Baltimore fans and the band, this story just adds to my hatred of American pro sports.

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 9 August 2012]

I grew up in Maryland and was there when the wretched owner, Bob Irsay, moved the team to Indianapolis in the dead of night. I felt for the city and it seemed a shame for such a big town to go without a football team. This documentary by ESPN from their great "30 for 30" series documents not only this loss but some crazed Baltimore Colts band members who refused to disband the team! For well over a decade, they continued to practice, occasionally perform and rally for a team. I appreciated this and the documentary was well made and worth seeing.

This story is just one of several reasons why I hate pro sports here in America. I've lived in several cities held hostage by owners who DEMAND new stadiums of they'll leave--this happened when I lived in Cincinnati, Charlotte and now here in the Tampa Bay area. And so, when Baltimore then coaxed the Browns to abandon their fans to move in the 1990s, I finally realized sports were a complete waste of time for me. I no longer felt sorry for 'ol Baltimore--they were now a part of the problem. The governor pushed through a huge tax to buy new stadiums for BOTH baseball and football teams (even though many folks lived around DC and rooted for their teams--they, too, had to pay this tax). An interesting film, but exactly why I hate pro sports. And don't even get me started about what I think of the obnoxious 'bad boy' players, the high prices (families simply cannot afford to attend games any more unless they are rich) or strikes....

By the way, if you do watch, by far the most interesting aspect was listening to Bob Irsay's son discussing his father. It helped put things in perspective and I appreciated his candor.

The Colt's Bolt

[southdavid · 7/10 · 2 May 2022]

The documentaries in the "30 for 30" series are, oddly, featured on Disney Plus in the UK as standalone documentaries in the "movie" section. That includes this one, about the sudden departure of Colts franchise from Baltimore and the reaction of the city - and in particular it's marching band - to that loss.

With an alleged new stadium not materialising, the controversial owner of the Baltimore Colts, Robert Irsay, accepts a deal to move the franchise to Indianapolis. The overnight flit from the city devastates the Baltimore fans but one group in particular, the marching band make a decision to stay together and attempt to convince the NFL that the team deserves another team. Eventually football would return to the city, but at the expense of another city.

The marching band angle was an interesting one to take with this story. Their passion and ability wins them fans around the country and specific aspects, like stealing back their uniforms and hiding them in a mausoleum. They told their story well and the documentary had the footage to back it up - but in fairness, they didn't actually manage to convince the NFL to let them have another team. They were overlooked in the expansion for Jacksonville and it was only inciting the Cleveland Brown's owners to move, inflicting exactly the same hurt on that city that they experienced, that got them a team back. Another interesting part for me, and perhaps worthy of his own exploration was Robert Irsay himself - it's a life beset by success, tragedy and alcoholism and his son, who is the current owner of the Indianapolis Colts and has subsequently had his own demons.

I'm reviewing the documentary though, rather than the subject of it and given that this is directed by Barry Levinson it's perhaps not surprising that it's a focused and well told story. They are really quite good these 30 for 30's and I'll keep my eyes open for more.

A True David vs Goliath

[Michael_Elliott · 1 January 2010]

30 for 30: The Band That Wouldn't Die (2009)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Nice and rather touching documentary about the Baltimore Colts Marching Band who stayed in town doing their jobs even after the owners of the Baltimore Colts loaded the team up on a truck one night and snuck them off to Indianapolis. The documentary, from Baltimore native Levinson, does a terrific job telling this story, which is clearly one of the biggest "David vs. Goliath" stories in sports history. We get to hear many wonderful personal stories that go from the fun of being in the band to the heartbreak of knowing that you're beloved team is no longer yours. The decision of these men and women to keep on playing even though the team wasn't there is a terrific underdog story and the eventual turning point of the city getting another team is extremely entertaining. I loved the way Levinson made this a very personal film as he perfectly mixed in the stories of the band members but also in telling the story of the owners, the Mayor and various other folks involved in the story. When I first heard about this being an entry in the series, I really scratched my head wondering what type of story a marching band could tell but in the end it turned out to be a real gem and certainly one of the best gems out there right now.