Can too much be made over a professional football team?
Overpaid, over-sized men, barely out of their teens spawning the most exalted highs, the bluest blues, billions in economic impact, and, in certain locales, cross dressing. A front page story in today’s Times-Picayune (I date myself, it’s also on nola.com) claims Saints euphoria as a lubricant for improved race relations. A more sober voice weighs in that if we like it (racial harmony), then we should fully comprehend that after the Super Bowl, we need to commit to extraordinary hard work to continue it. Fair enough (note to new mayor: we like it).
In the context of everything the city has endured, demonstrated, and learned in the last 4+ years, and with this Saints-City Symbiosis as the ultimate punctuation (exclamation!) mark, Tulane’s Richard Campanella observes that New Orleanians have become metaphors for something positive, something from which the rest of the nation can benefit…”
He goes on to write, “It’s no coincidence that, while the ‘Who Dat’ dates back decades, the phrase ‘Who Dat Nation’ appears to be mostly a post-Katrina phenomenon. Why? Because the cheerful defiance of adversity has universal human appeal. The Who Dat Nation defies four decades of franchise frustration, four decades of municipal decline, and, most significantly, four recent years of bad memories. ‘Who Dat Nation’ ap offers an alternative to the use of New Orleans as a metaphor for despair. To those who dismiss sports as a trivial and illusionary distraction, consider the civic narratives at work here: Unity. Resilience.
Optimism.
Pretty powerful stuff.”
Dunno. A dream or something more? You know what you feel. Right here. Right now. Don’t you?
Speaking of powerful, one more time ain’t too much. Saint-Vikings highlights (the throat-lumping Rocky-themed one is second — golden) courtesy WWL radio.
Yeah ya right!!! LOVE IT!!!