# New Orleans Saints - Rooting for Them ? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 15, 2007, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-saints-rooting-for-them/388093 "2007-01-15T17:57:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Cemetery\_Savior](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/439d5e/32.png) [@Cemetery\_Savior](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cemetery_Savior)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2007, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-saints-rooting-for-them/388093/41 "2007-01-16T20:24:15Z")
[QUOTE=Anastasaeon] Yep, I’ll be rooting for New Orleans now that my Hawks are out and I have at least a year-long grudge toward the Bears to nurse. Grumble. We had a good run. Go Saints. 🙂 [/QUOTE] C’mon, **Anastasaeon** …we enjoyed beating you, the feeling should be mutual, no? OK, the second time wasn’t as pleasant as the first, but bigger stakes outweigh the ulcer I got during the game. When did Alexander begin avoiding contact? -Cem ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2007, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-saints-rooting-for-them/388093/42 "2007-01-16T20:32:29Z")
[QUOTE=Cemetery Savior] When did Alexander begin avoiding contact? -Cem [/QUOTE] Sunday, apparently. Grumble. Good game, though. No real complaints, here. I just have to hold a grudge because it’s tradition. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2007, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-saints-rooting-for-them/388093/43 "2007-01-16T20:41:20Z")
I grew up near Chicago and went to high school ~5 miles west of New Orleans. I’m pullin’ for the Saints because they’ve never been this far before but don’t mind if da Bears go to Miami. And I’m not even a football fan! _Vont les Saints!_ ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2007, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-saints-rooting-for-them/388093/44 "2007-01-16T20:54:27Z")
I’m rooting for the Saints, I’m a sucker for a feel good football story. I was dreading them getting to the SB and playing my Ravens, because there would be no way I could root against the purple and black. That’s not a problem now. ☹ So, rooting for the Saints, if they don’t make it, I want anybody except Indy. I’d cheer for Adolph Hitler’s Berlin Nazis before I’d support Indy. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2007, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-saints-rooting-for-them/388093/45 "2007-01-16T21:02:40Z")
Naw, their defense sucks and their cheerleaders wear pigtails. ---
**Author:** ![BabaBooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dfb087/32.png) [@BabaBooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BabaBooey)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2007, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-saints-rooting-for-them/388093/46 "2007-01-16T21:55:17Z")
Benson is a turd and there’s still talk of moving the Saints once the Katrina thing dies down. That’s why, despite the media (especially ESPN) beating the whole natural disaster thing over my and everyone else’s head, I’m hoping the Katrina talk doesn’t stop for a good while. Fortunately, Benson isn’t getting any younger, and his daughter appears to be a decent person and is fairly do-able. Way more do-able than any other NFL owner, at least. ---
**Author:** ![Ivorybill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ee59a6/32.png) [@Ivorybill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ivorybill)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2007, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-saints-rooting-for-them/388093/47 "2007-01-17T19:03:11Z")
[QUOTE=lieu] Just curious if anyone was following this rumor last season… was Tom Benson actively pursuing moving the Saints “permanently” to another city last year? Stadium possibly destroyed, populace dispersed, rebuilding prospects suspect, etc. [/QUOTE] Benson has wished for a long time that the team would be more profitable. He complained about the small TV market in New Orleans versus other cities without NFL teams. Season ticket sales were awful. He wanted a new stadium as the Superdome was showing its age pre-Katrina and didn’t have the high-profit suites and amenities of modern arenas. There were discussions about a new riverfront stadium before the storm, but they were never finalized. Benson remained unhappy with the state, with the city, and with his having to have the Saint here. Conventional wisdom here is that he saw Katrina as a chance to finally get out of the state and city. Thankfully, NFL and the the other owners were not sympathetic to his desires to move the team so soon after the storm. They pretty much forced him to keep the Saints here. Benson fired just about everyone in the executive team and brought in new people. They hired Sean Payton to coach, took a chance on Drew Brees, and lucked into Reggie Bush in the draft. Then the season ticket prices were lowered this year to a level of affordability and they were all sold out before the opening game of the season. IIRC, Reggie Bush’s jersey is the best selling one of all. The team is winning. Benson is making money. People here are going nuts. And yes, given my location, you can be damn sure I’ll be rooting for them. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2007, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-saints-rooting-for-them/388093/48 "2007-01-20T05:54:59Z")
[QUOTE=lieu] I’ve always found that thankfully rare practice rather theifish, taking the pride and joy of a city and moving it elsewhere for personal/profitability reasons. In short, it ain’t playin’ right. Others; Irsay, Adams and Davis just to mention a few, continue to be looked on with disgust by the fans they abandoned. [/QUOTE] Don’t forget [Art Modell](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Modell#Move_to_Baltimore). (No offense, **Weirddave**. I like the Ravens, and their name, and especially McNair; but I hate how they got there.) ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2007, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-saints-rooting-for-them/388093/49 "2007-01-20T06:06:03Z")
Born and bred Bears fan here. But… I like the Saints a lot, I just don’t want to lose to them. If the Bears can’t go all the way, I’ll happily wish the best of luck to New Orleans in the Super Bowl. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2007, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-saints-rooting-for-them/388093/50 "2007-01-20T13:22:02Z")
Well, sorta. I’m rooting against the Bears, so it is almost the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2007, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-saints-rooting-for-them/388093/51 "2007-01-20T18:35:49Z")
I’m the only Arizona Cardinals fan in the world, so of course I"m cheering for the Saints this year! ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2007, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-saints-rooting-for-them/388093/52 "2007-01-20T19:23:21Z")
I’m kind of hoping for the Bears to win. If they can succeed with that stumblebum of a quarterback they’ve got leading the team, it kind of gives me a little spark of hope for this country. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Nuggets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a87d85/32.png) [@Mr.Nuggets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nuggets)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2007, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-saints-rooting-for-them/388093/53 "2007-01-21T15:28:31Z")
I’m rooting for them today, not because I feel sorry for them, but because I hate the Bears. I’m more of a Packers fan. I only rooted for Chicago last week because Seattle was the only alternative, ugh. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2007, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-saints-rooting-for-them/388093/54 "2007-01-22T03:59:23Z")
Ah well… ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2007, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-saints-rooting-for-them/388093/55 "2007-01-22T06:40:22Z")
[QUOTE=Rysto] Huh? Why the Pats, instead of the Giants or the Jets? [/QUOTE] Not because of the city, but because of the team mascot. Everybody in the country was pretty darn patriotic at that point in time. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2007, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-saints-rooting-for-them/388093/56 "2007-01-22T14:56:10Z")
Oh well, my two choices both lost. ☹ Go Colts! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-orleans-saints-rooting-for-them/388093.md?page=2)