The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced its list of semifinalists for enshrinement in the class of 2024 last Wednesday and former Ravens owner Art Modell is on the list.
So, will this be the year that one of the heroes of Baltimore sports history finally gets into the hallowed halls of professional football’s greatest players and contributors?
I’m not counting on it.
Over the years people have fallen into two opinions of Modell and his legacy. The first would say that there’s really no doubt that he has the credentials to be honored with a spot in the Hall. He spent 43 years as an owner of the Browns/Ravens (1961-2003) His teams had varying degrees of success over that time with 28 winning seasons, 4 trips to the AFC championship game (1986, 1987, 1989, 2000) and 2 NFL championships (1964, 2000).
Modell was chairman of the NFL Television committee for 31 years (1962-1993). His work helped pave the way for how professional football became must watch TV over the decades leading to massive ratings and profits. He was also influential in the creation of “Monday Night Football” which after 53 years continues to be a part of the national sports culture. He also helped establish NFL Films and was the first owner to hire an African American General Manager.
In Baltimore he will always be viewed with purple tinted glasses. He was the man that brought pro football back to a town where watching the Baltimore Colts were once seen as just as important as going to church. The pain of watching the video of the Mayflower trucks spirit the beloved Horseshoes had been wiped away. The indignity of losing out on an expansion team and being told by the NFL commissioner that maybe the money could be used for a “museum” was no more. Baltimore fans will always regard in him a positive light.
Cleveland fans see it differently. Even decades later the wounds still run deep in the Land even with a new Browns franchise promised to them after Modell’s team left. That team has had little success while Baltimore has won two Super Bowls since the move. So there has to be a level of jealousy over what could have been among the fan base.
Those that want to downplay Modell’s accomplishments to help the league would also point to Modell firing three of the most successful coaches in league history (Marty Schotteheimer, Paul Brown, and Bill Belichick) before their time. He drove Jim Brown, one of the greatest players ever, into an early retirement. But most importantly moving the Browns out of Cleveland while the fans were still incredibly loyal and wildly popular is the point that is for some the only point. Fans invest time, money, and energy to support a team. It’s a communal activity that can bring people from all walks of life together for a few hours to cheer for something that represents a piece of themselves. In that regard it’s a point that Baltimore fans can identify all too well with.
So while people can take sides on the issue of Modell’s Hall candidacy a third side is slowly appearing over time – Who cares?
Time has a way of healing pain. We deal with it, adjust and move on. Many times we forget.
I’d love to hear how many of the current Ravens fans care that the Colts moved to Indianapolis. Or even shudder when the name Irsay is mentioned on television or social media. If you’re under the age of 40 you’ve only known the Colts to be in Indy. Why would it matter to you at this point?
The heartache in Cleveland, while decades old, is still fresh enough and there will be a vocal enough contingent against Modell getting in. In my mind it will be enough to keep Modell out of Canton for another year and at this point I don’t see him ever getting in.
Matt has lived in Maryland his entire life and is a graduate of Calvert Hall and Towson University. has always been an avid Baltimore sports fan. Since 2007, he has been writing and talking about Baltimore sports, especially the Ravens. His work has appeared on Ravens Gab, Russell Street Report, and he currently co-hosts a podcast “The Blitz- A Ravens podcast” with Brent Harris.