Well, the concept went viral on a local level, anyway. What we have here is a city, Indianapolis, rooting for the brother of their team’s franchise quarterback, Peyton Manning. Peyton’s brother, Eli, is the starting quarterback for the New York Giants

When the Giants take the field on Sunday, it appears as if the city of Indianapolis, or at least pockets of it, will be rooting for Peyton’s brother. Part of the brief switch in allegiance (going from the Colts to Team Eli) has to do with the fact that Indianapolis Colts fans don’t like Tom Brady or the New England Patriots. The other reason has to do, no doubt, with the fact that Eli is Peyton’s brother.

Sporting a “Not in our town, Tom” graphic, the “Indy for Eli” site is clear where its owners will be rooting. The (brief) movement has seen a jump in its viral popularity, thanks to the local news outlets latching on to the movement, giving it a life of its own, at least on a local level:

The first image is a screenshot of Indianapolis local news station, WISHTV Channel 8 and the second is courtesy of a tweet from Jason Spells, a sportscaster for WRTV, also an Indianapolis affiliate.

There’s also a Facebook fan page for the “Indy for Eli” movement, and while it is pretty active, there aren’t many fans. Considering the Super Bowl is this Sunday, it’s doubtful the shift will be that dramatic, but then again, you never know. Perhaps some bored Colts fans get wind of the movement and decide to join in. With the amount of local exposure “Indy for Eli” is getting, this is entirely possible.

Not every successful viral venture has to be on a national scale. If a few thousand Colts fans join the movement, then the mission has to be considered successful.