The Saints are going to the Super Bowl. For anyone who lives anywhere near New Orleans – or really anywhere within yelling distance of Louisiana – the cultural significance of this impending game can hardly be overstated. It’s a reality that’s still unbelievable to countless fans who have supported a team that, until recently, has languished in mediocrity, missed chances and disappointments. Now, with a dominant team headed to arguably the biggest game in sports, the entire city of New Orleans is going to be in the biggest spotlight a city can have – and everyone is gearing up for one hell of a party. Even here in Baton Rouge, 80 miles away from the eye of Hurricane Who Dat, the air is tense with an almost palpable excitement. Sure, students are going to go about their lives as usual. Most people will probably even go to class – as much as they normally do, anyway. But for the thousands of die-hard Saints fans who call this campus home – and for the countless fans spread throughout the state – it’s going to be a long week. There’s only one thing on their minds, and you can hear it whispered everywhere. The Saints are going to the Super Bowl. If there’s one party no one in their right mind would ever want to try to poop on, it’s gotta be this one. And surely there’s no corporate entity stupid enough to try to earn cash off the revelry. And there’s certainly no company that would dream of trying to strong-arm fans into paying extra for the party. Right? Enter the NFL. The League has recently tried to cash in on Saints fever by cracking down on copyrights and trademarks throughout the South. Saints fans haven’t really put up much of a protest – Saints swag is a pretty price-inelastic good around these parts these days. But now, the League has stepped over the line in a big way. They’ve gotten a tad overzealous in trying to ensure they milk every single penny out of the Saints euphoria sweeping the region. The NFL earned the bitter enmity of Saints fans everywhere last week when the company sent out cease-and-desist orders to local businesses ordering them to stop selling merchandise bearing the now-ubiquitous chant ‘Who Dat?!’ To be fair, the NFL isn’t necessarily claiming the rights to the phrase ‘Who Dat.’ They’re stupid – not suicidal. Rather, they are trying to prevent the unlicensed sale of memorabilia bearing ‘Who Dat’ and a trademarked Saints symbol or logo – which the League has the rights to. This may be fair. But it’s a distinction that’s lost on fans throughout the state – and these fans are on the verge of rioting. The NFL’s actions have stirred a wave of rebellious sentiment and have inspired countless fans to openly defy the ban. Among them is U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., who sent a letter to the NFL offices demanding they rescind the orders. He also apparently printed T-shirts saying ‘Who Dat say we can’t print Who Dat?’ and dared the League to sue him for stealing their trademark. It’s fairly obvious Vitter – who is still a marked man because of his sexual escapades – is merely cashing in on a wave of hatred for the NFL. It’s rather ironic actually – a politician is exploiting an ill-advised exploitation of the ‘Who Dat’ phenomenon. Ironic, but also sad. Why does all this controversy have to tarnish what could otherwise be a chance for unadulterated celebration? It’s almost clich’eacute; to point out how much New Orleans has been through in the last decade, and it’s difficult or impossible to express in a column how much this means to the people of that city and the state as a whole. But it’s kind of poetic, in a way. It’s very New Orleans to have a great, unique celebration tarnished by corporate greed and political exploitation. But in the final analysis, the Saints are still a great team. New Orleans is still a great city. And all those Saints fans deserve the euphoria they’re currently experiencing and the elation they’re going to have on Super Bowl Sunday – even if some people try in vain to spoil the fun. Who Dat? Matthew Albright is a 21-year-old mass communication junior from Baton Rouge. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_malbright. —- Contact Matthew Albright at [email protected]