# The Saints might leave Na'hlins, does anyone care? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 13, 2005, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-saints-might-leave-nahlins-does-anyone-care/303647 "2005-05-13T05:38:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-saints-might-leave-nahlins-does-anyone-care/303647/61 "2005-05-15T17:35:21Z")
> [@This Year's Model](#): > > That’s not quite so. The teams themselves don’t move up and down, only the players. I’d like it if it did work the way the FA does; I’d enjoy seeing a Buffalo or Albuquerque work their way into the majors, and the Yankees having a bad year and being sent to AAA. I don’t know what you mean. There are no minor leagues in football, and not one player has been sent back to the NCAA after sucking in the NFL for a few months. That some players are better than others is nothing like the hierarchy among players Liberal meant – he was responding directly to casadave’s question, "don’t you have a hierarchy **of leagues** , which we obviously do not. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-saints-might-leave-nahlins-does-anyone-care/303647/62 "2005-05-15T17:37:26Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > I don’t know what you mean. If I tell you that I was talking about baseball, not football, does that help? ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-saints-might-leave-nahlins-does-anyone-care/303647/63 "2005-05-15T17:37:39Z")
Well, if I was right, then I stand by what I said. If I was wrong, then I regret my error. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-saints-might-leave-nahlins-does-anyone-care/303647/64 "2005-05-15T17:39:56Z")
> [@This Year's Model](#): > > If I tell you that I was talking about baseball, not football, does that help? Yes, that makes a hella lot more sense! Back in the day, teams would graduate from minor league to major. I don’t know the last time one did. Do teams still change status from AA to AAA and back, do you know? As for the Yankees, I’d rather just contract them. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-saints-might-leave-nahlins-does-anyone-care/303647/65 "2005-05-15T17:43:58Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > Back in the day, teams would graduate from minor league to major. I don’t know the last time one did. Probably with the founding of the American League in 1901. [/quote] Do teams still change status from AA to AAA and back, do you know? [/quote] No. A city may have a change in the level of their team, but that’s due to team movement between cities, not to promotion/demotion. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-saints-might-leave-nahlins-does-anyone-care/303647/66 "2005-05-15T17:52:26Z")
> [@This Year's Model](#): > > Probably with the founding of the American League in 1901. Do teams still change status from AA to AAA and back, do you know? [/quote] No. A city may have a change in the level of their team, but that’s due to team movement between cities, not to promotion/demotion. [/QUOTE] It’s amazing to lookback at the falling apart of the Western League. Back then, the team that is now the Twins played in Kansas City as the Blues. The Chicago WhiteSox played in Minneapolis as the Millers. The Baltimore Orioles played in Milwaukee as the Brewers. Etc. It’s hard to find a team that was actually born where it lives. [http://users.commkey.net/fussichen/dtl003.htm](http://users.commkey.net/fussichen/dtl003.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-saints-might-leave-nahlins-does-anyone-care/303647/67 "2005-05-15T17:58:57Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > [http://users.commkey.net/fussichen/dtl003.htm](http://users.commkey.net/fussichen/dtl003.htm) That’s a _very_ interesting cite. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![InvidiousCourgette](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e47c2d/32.png) [@InvidiousCourgette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InvidiousCourgette)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-saints-might-leave-nahlins-does-anyone-care/303647/68 "2005-05-15T18:16:07Z")
They have left the [premiership](http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/4525113.stm) as well. Many care. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-saints-might-leave-nahlins-does-anyone-care/303647/69 "2005-05-15T18:20:52Z")
> [@casdave](#): > > Don’t you have a heirarchy of leagues ? Nope. Baseball sort of does, but there’s no relegation. > [@](#): > > Here’s what I mean Yes, I know what you mean. I’m familiar with how it works. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2005, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-saints-might-leave-nahlins-does-anyone-care/303647/70 "2005-05-15T23:39:02Z")
> [@This Year's Model](#): > > That’s a _very_ interesting cite. Thank you. That is an interesting site. The only update it needs is to show that the NL Montreal Expos franchise moved to Washington DC for the current 2005 season and renamed the team the Nationals. The Expos move is a tale of woe and intrigue that we need not go into here. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2005, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-saints-might-leave-nahlins-does-anyone-care/303647/71 "2005-05-16T03:06:03Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > There are no minor leagues in football, and not one player has been sent back to the NCAA after sucking in the NFL for a few months. NFL Europe is the development league, and marginal players are sent down to and brought up from NFLE. The Arena league (AFL) is viewed by NFL coaches as an avenue for a marginal player to prove that they have skills, but it is not affiliated with the NFL. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2005, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-saints-might-leave-nahlins-does-anyone-care/303647/72 "2005-05-16T03:46:34Z")
Good point about NFLE, Ellis. I forget the damned thing exists. It’s more in line with winter ball than minor league baseball, but it is a development venue for younger players. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2005, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-saints-might-leave-nahlins-does-anyone-care/303647/73 "2005-05-16T04:01:26Z")
> [@smiling bandit](#): > > But a lot of is because Americans as a whole travel too much. Most people move several times in their lives (a fact I hate), and have no local loyalty anyway, if they even know who their neighbors are. I don’t, thanks to my parents ripping me up from Indiana to Knoxville years ago. In YEARS, you haven’t been able to find out who your neighbours are? Are you sure the problem is your parents? ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2005, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-saints-might-leave-nahlins-does-anyone-care/303647/74 "2005-05-16T06:02:46Z")
Ok, I have a memory. A half-memory, so maybe someone can corraborate it. Years and years ago I saw part of a Saints game. It seemed to be one of their terrible seasons and the hometown fans were not particularly happy with them. They were shouting and screaming and booing their own team. Booing so loudly that the referee’s called a [“excessive noise” penalty against the Saints](http://people.howstuffworks.com/football5.htm). Five yards. The idea behind this penalty is that the home team probably has more fans in the stadium and by penalizing the home team you encourage the fans to shut up or their team will be penalized. I guess you can see where this is going. The fans loved it. They booed even louder and got worse. About three or four penalties later, the refs just stopped calling the excessive noise penalties and moved the game on. Now, as someone who doesn’t like sports all that much I found this absolutely hilarious and it remains one of my favorite sporting moments of all time. It occurs to me that I may me misremembering it though. Anyone remember this event? It would have been about sixteen years ago I think. Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2005, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-saints-might-leave-nahlins-does-anyone-care/303647/75 "2005-05-16T06:38:38Z")
> [@Mtgman](#): > > Now, as someone who doesn’t like sports all that much I found this absolutely hilarious and it remains one of my favorite sporting moments of all time. That’s pretty funny. I don’t remember that particular incident, but you reminded me of my favorite sporting moment involving fans. Dolphins fans were not happy with a recent season. Late in the year they hosted the Jets. Late in the game, the Jets had basically already won, and most of the Dolphins fan were leaving or had left already. On the television broadcast, you could clearly hear the fans in the stadium chanting “J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS!!!” I laughed my ass off. IIRC, the Dolphins hosted a home playoff game that year, and didn’t even come close to selling out the stadium. Just pathetic. ---
**Author:** ![BabaBooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dfb087/32.png) [@BabaBooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BabaBooey)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2005, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-saints-might-leave-nahlins-does-anyone-care/303647/76 "2005-05-16T07:04:00Z")
MTG, I would have been six sixteen years ago, but I remember the incident pretty well so either you’re off on the year or Saints fans have done it multiple times (my money is on the latter). And how could a fairly large city like Miami not sell out a playoff game? That’s pathetic, especially for a city I’ve heard referred to as a “football town”. Last time we made the playoffs (2000) the stadium was sold out and the French Quarter was packed. We deserve to keep this pathetic team that we love so much. ---
**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:** [May 16, 2005, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-saints-might-leave-nahlins-does-anyone-care/303647/77 "2005-05-16T16:55:20Z")
> [@BabaBooey](#): > > And how could a fairly large city like Miami not sell out a playoff game? That’s pathetic, especially for a city I’ve heard referred to as a “football town”. My wife is a big Dolphins fan, and every time she goes to their web site, she always points out the one feature they have on there that pisses me off to no end – their “Buy Season Tickets Now” link. I’m sitting here, ticking off the years until my turn to get Giants season tickets comes up (currently estimated at 2021), yet I could have my ass in the seat for eight 'Fins games _this year_. Damnit. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2005, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-saints-might-leave-nahlins-does-anyone-care/303647/78 "2005-05-16T19:31:58Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > Actually, that’s a better interpretation than my own. I stand corrected. > > Perhaps it is time for Raleigh-Durham (-Chapel Hill) to have an NFL team. The Triangle area doesn’t have much luck hanging on to football teams. The USFL folded after one season, and RDU’s team went 0-10. The Arena football team moved to Charlotte a couple of years ago. I think there’s just too much collegiate competition in the area for NFL or NBA. That’s why we have hockey instead…or would have if they didn’t go on strike. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-saints-might-leave-nahlins-does-anyone-care/303647/79 "2005-05-17T03:58:42Z")
> [@Hal Briston](#): > > My wife is a big Dolphins fan, and every time she goes to their web site, she always points out the one feature they have on there that pisses me off to no end – their “Buy Season Tickets Now” link. That may change in a season or two, if Saban can pull it together. Still, without a QB, they may continue to be doormats for the foreseeable future. I think the playoff game that they didn’t sell out was before realignment, and the Dolphins were a wildcard team with a first round home game, and I think the Jets had beat them up twice that year and won the division, so the Miami fans were washing their hands of the season. I’m not positive about any of this except that Sportscenter made specific note of the fact that they didn’t sell out. > [@](#): > > I’m sitting here, ticking off the years until my turn to get Giants season tickets comes up (currently estimated at 2021), yet I could have my ass in the seat for eight 'Fins games _this year_. Damnit. Hey, look at the bright side. I’m not on the list, so if I added my name, the current waiting list is 24 years. That’s 2030! We look solid on paper this year, **Hal**. Are you as jacked as I am with this offseason? Time to shed this injury bug and lay waste to the conference. (Which makes it odd that all our draft picks were higher quality players that fell to later rounds due to injury concerns. It could be another record-setting IR year; let’s hope it isn’t.) ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Tiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Mama\_Tiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Tiger)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-saints-might-leave-nahlins-does-anyone-care/303647/80 "2005-05-17T04:09:55Z")
> [@](#): > > And how could a fairly large city like Miami not sell out a playoff game? That’s pathetic, especially for a city I’ve heard referred to as a “football town”. A bit of anecdotal evidence. The parents of a friend of mine had 50 yard line season tickets for the Dolphins from the year the franchise opened. But some years back, when the team moved to the new stadium, they gave up their tickets and have never been to another game. And I suspect there were many, many more like them, who hated the location, traffic problems, parking problems, etc. associated with the new stadium. Sometimes a team kills off its own fan base. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-saints-might-leave-nahlins-does-anyone-care/303647.md?page=3)