Like everything from New Orleans, the Saints have taken on a new meaning following Hurricane Katrina. And like many residents of southeastern Louisiana they are, for four home games, moving to Baton Rouge, as well as playing three games in San Antonio.
As Louisiana’s only professional football team, it should seem natural that they would play in the state’s capital, now home to close to a million people.
While we welcome them, we have several questions which we believe many on campus would like to know the answers to. Our first question is, why are the Saints playing in San Antonio at all?
We don’t have exact figures, but we would venture to guess that more New Orleanians and other Saints fans are making their homes in Baton Rouge than in the city of San Antonio. We believe that Baton Rouge, capital of the pelican state, better matches the type of spirit the Saints represent than a city better known for the Alamo and Davy Crockett.
Beyond this our worry is that this may well be the last year the Saints play in Louisiana. Given their quick relocation to San Antonio, where owner Tom Benson made his fortune, we seem to have a hard time believing that the team ever had much interest in remaining in New Orleans. That they are playing in San Antonio at all is almost a slap in the face to a state that has provided them with a loyal fan base despite many losing seasons, not to mention heavily subsidizing their continued presence in New Orleans.
For the record, we will state that we are pleased with their decision to play in Tiger Stadium.
Now that the Saints are here, a few other questions have arisen. Given that they will be playing at our stadium, many have wondered if discounted student tickets will be offered. LSU students would undoubtedly fill the stadium to capacity given the chance to purchase tickets that fall within their price range. After all, what fan of the Fighting Tigers would miss a chance to watch Nick Saban coaching the Miami Dolphins in his former home stadium.
Our second question is where will the money that the Saints organization is paying to use our facilities going? While we understand that the Athletic Department will want its fair share, we hope that the money will be used for purposes other than building additional amenities for student athletes, and perhaps donated to the general funds pool.
Two minor issues must be dealt with. Everyone knows that our athletic events are rather messy – it usually takes a good half day to pick up most of the garbage left behind by the army of tailgaters. Given that these games will be followed by school days, we hope they have worked out a plan to get campus clean in time for class Monday.
Lastly, and connected to tailgating, we hope that provisions are made to enforce crowd control. We must reflect on the fact that the community atmosphere of collegiate home games will be replaced by fans of a money-making, professional sports team. We call on both the University and the Saints to make sure our rights and property are respected by visiting fans.
Despite all our questions, we are happy the Saints are “marching in.” They are the symbol of a proud, waterlogged city, and we wish them the best in their campaign.
All we ask in return is due consideration for our University as a place of learning.