Being a Cleveland Browns fan has forced me to realize two things: every year is a rebuilding year, and each year I will need to pick a random team to root for in the Super Bowl.
This year’s choice is an easy one for me, and I’m hoping the Saints can pull off the upset in Super Bowl XLIV. Contrary to what some may tell you, I’m not rooting for the Saints on the basis that the Colts’ superstar, quarterback Peyton Manning, led to my fantasy football team’s demise, but a reason with greater importance.
Just four and a half years ago the Saints’ Superdome was a refuge for thousands recovering and suffering after Hurricane Katrina shattered countless peoples’ lives and nearly 275,000 homes. The hurricane was unquestionably one of the worst natural disasters our country has ever experienced.
New Orleans still feels the wrath of Katrina, whether it be families grieving over lost loved ones, people forced to relocate away from their home town, or people still struggling financially after losing their belongings and/or job. The city as a whole was flipped upside-down, and the United States government’s attempt to help was criticized by many in the area. Life in the city became chaotic and made recovery even harder for the people in the so-called “Big Easy.”
It became clear the people of New Orleans needed something they could claim as their own. The Saints spent the entirety of the 2005 season playing games in different stadiums. New Orleans also lost their NBA team, the Hornets, to Oklahoma City for the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons.
The Saints returned to the Superdome for the first time on Sept. 25, 2006. It was a Monday Night Football game and the Saints made their hometown crowd smile by smashing the Atlanta Falcons 23-3. The atmosphere made it much more than a football game; it served as a way for New Orleans to fight back against a storm that ruined much of their beloved city.
Since then a lot of the city has been rebuilt, and it has continued to rebuild and move on. In 2009 New Orleans boasted a 5.3 percent unemployment rate, in comparison to the nationwide average of 8.3 percent; however, many neighborhoods were still filled with nearly 70,000 vacant homes, most of which have been that way since 2005.
One thing that my Browns and the Saints share is neither has played in a Super Bowl, until Sunday, that is. The Saints will be led by their fearless quarterback Drew Brees, who will be put to the test by Manning and his Colts, in what looks to be a thrilling game between two of the National Football League’s best teams and greatest quarterbacks.
Over the past couple of years, New Orleans and their Saints have been through too many indescribably terrible times that I can’t help but hope the underdog Saints pull this win out for their city. Sorry, Colts fans.