“Who dat? who dat? who dat said they gonna beat them Saints?” This is a saying that has been brought back into existence since the New Orleans Saints have had a winning season. But the real question should be, “Who dat? who dat? who dat said they gonna bring back faith?”
A year ago the Saints weren’t the talk of the town. Having a 3-13 record that left fans and New Orleans natives to deal with a losing season along with the affects of Hurricane Katrina, the football team gave them nothing to hope for.
“Last year, the Saints just wasn’t hitting,” said Wilbert Decou, a New Orleans
native who has been a lifetime Saints fan. “During all of the bad stuff going on with Katrina, the Saints were just adding to the problem.”
Underestimating the Sait’s abilities has played a prominent role in the Saints’ season this year. Hence, as a result of their losing streak many have questioned their ability to perform well in the new seson. NFL commentators and football fans have doubted and said negative comments about the Saints for this season.
According to www.sportingnews.com, in the comments section, a fan posted, “Getting beat is one thing, but committing dumb penalty after dumb penalty is embarrassing. I’ve been a Saints fan for way too many years now, these guys suck.”
The Saints’ help to uplift the New Orleans moral
Besides the negativity, the Saints’ winning season has done a tremendous job on helping uplift the city of New Orleans. All around the city there is Saints paraphernalia
from flags waving on cars, to fans proudly dressed in black, gold and white football jerseys. New Orleans is entirely different city since the Saints have been winning. A lot of residents have been coming together and helping rebuild.
“Every Sunday when the Saints play, the whole family and the neighbors down the street come to watch the game and have a good time,” said John Alvarez, a resident of the Westbank. “These Saints are bringing people together slowly but surely,” he continued.
From the first homecoming game when the Saints played the Atlanta Falcons to the game against the Dallas Cowboys, the Saints succeeded victoriously. These were two games that the city was really relying on the Saints to win. Football fans that don’t like the Saints had to come to a conclusion that the team is serious.
“I hate the Saints because I lost my money, but I have to say them boys are the truth,” said Craig Anderson a junior business major from Harlem, NY. “I really didn’t think the Saints could beat the Cowboys, but now I believe the hype.”
This season has made a non-believing city believe. People are now motivated to rebuild there homes and areas where they were working because of the Saints. Rebuilding was one of the main problems that the city was facing and the team gave the city confidence to make moves and continue to bring things back to normal.
It’s good that one football team can change the attitude of a whole because it put them on the right track. So the next time a Saints game is watched, don’t only think about them winning, but also keep in mind that they are making the city of New Orleans a winner as well.
