Unless you’re living under a rock, you’ve heard about the New Orleans Saints. To some of you, they might just be that football team you hear about because they’re one of the only decent professional sports teams in the state. Some of you might have no attachment to them other than seeing occasional Saints gear being worn around campus. To the rest of us though, specifically New Orleaneans, they are more than a team that’s having a great season this year, and they are more than just those guys that play on Sundays and sometimes win.
Whether you’re a transplant to Baton Rouge or just someone who isn’t from New Orleans, we should all be Saints supporters. As of Oct. 22, the Saints are 4-2 for the season, which is a big shock to many of the doubters who still like to label them the ‘Aints. True fans know that we have a great team led by Sean Payton off the field and the hunky Drew Brees on the field. Sparks simply fly when the two of them are together.
You shouldn’t just be a Saints fan because we have some pretty cute players on the team. Look deeper into what the Saints have done for the city of New Orleans. When Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, home of the Saints, and the team meant a lot to the city.
The Superdome sheltered refugees and families that didn’t evacuate prior to the storm. When you step in the building now in 2017, there is still a feeling that washes over someone, knowing the charity that once took place in there. In the football season following Hurricane Katrina, we acquired head coach Sean Payton as well as quarterback Drew Brees.
The timing of these new, fresh faces couldn’t have been better. As the city started to evaluate the devastation surrounding it, we had football through all the hard times. The team gave the city an outlet and a source of entertainment they could turn to when dealing with their own problems became too much. Seeing New Orleans’ team battling and winning football games gave the city the hope it desperately needed. It showed we were worth rebuilding and there was still good left in the town. Fast forward a few years to 2009, and the city was still rebuilding and many residents had chosen not to return to the ruble that they left behind.
The Saints went on to win Super Bowl XLIV that season, further solidifying that we were a city and team who wouldn’t go down quietly or easily. We would fight and come back stronger than before. Relocated residents could still have a piece of home to be proud of, no matter how far away they had been displaced. If you don’t like the Saints because we’ve faced a few scandals or had a hard time sticking with a defensive coach, root for them because they gave the city of New Orleans hope when there really wasn’t much. Root for them because our team has some attractive players, or root for them because your whole
family does. No matter the reason, everyone should hop on the New Orleans Saints bandwagon.
Jordan Miller is a 21-year-old elementary education junior from New Orleans, Louisiana.
