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New Orleans Saints

Benson’s Move the Humane Thing to Do

Months after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina much of New Orleans is still in rubble.  This will be the case for the foreseeable future as the mammoth task of reconstructing the Big Easy begins.  With that said it is hard to imagine how anyone can believe constant discussion of and attention to the New Orleans Saints is beneficial to anyone.  Let them move!That is what Saints owner Tom Benson wants to do.  New Orleans is a place of upheaval and chaos now, and that is not referring to the city.  The Saints are coming apart at the seams.  Aaron Brooks will probably no longer be seen taking snaps in a Saints uniform.  Days after lashing out at Benson and NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, he was benched, likely signaling the end of his career in the old gold and black.  Brooks was particularly upset about the reaction of those two gentlemen to the Saints substandard conditions.  The week two (home) opener in New York has weighed on him throughout the season.  The off the field plight of his team combined with a 13-17 touchdown-to-interception ratio on the field, has compelled Brooks to do his best Ron Artest impersonation.  

Though Brooks’ recent meltdowns are classic, he better make room in the paddy wagon.  It appears that Head Coach Jim Haslett is on his way out the door as well.  Haslett recently stated that he wants to know whether or not he is coming back to coach next season.  He has already found it difficult to bite his tongue several times this season, as the Saints have been on the wrong end of calls from league administrators and league referees.  Another Haslett outburst might be only days away.  True, Brooks and Haslett’s behavior have bordered on unprofessional this year, but the circumstances they faced this season will make most quarterbacks and head coaches a borderline psychotic.  This brings us to an interesting question assuming the future of the Saints remains in limbo.  If Haslett is canned and Brooks does not return, who can the organization possibly persuade to replace them?  

Just from the standpoint of fielding a competitive team it makes no sense for the Saints to remain in New Orleans.  When considering the real victims of Hurricane Katrina, the people, it makes even less sense for the Saints to stay.  A great number of the New Orleans victims scattered throughout the country have routinely said that they do not plan to return to their city.  Now you are talking about a team that had sporadic attendance before Katrina having a smaller population to draw from.  Do not expect the rest of Louisiana to rally behind the Saints.  They were affected by the hurricane as well.  The whole state foots the bill for recovery.

That is something the NFL seems to have forgotten.  They have already set up a league office amidst the rubble in hopes of marketing the Saints to those who remain.  The health of a city’s economy is important, but it does not come before shelter and food.  When push comes to shove, not many New Orleans residents will place Saints tickets at the top of their shopping lists as friends and relatives continue to suffer from August’s disaster.  FEMA has also forgotten about the people.  The agency plans to appropriate funds toward refurbishing the Superdome.  Shelter?  Food?  Are not people still without these essentials?  

There are many reasons for Benson to relocate the club and there are no reasons why he should not.  Of course there are Saints fans in New Orleans and elsewhere against losing their team.  Realistically, considering the conditions in the city, how can they possibly stay?  The quicker those remnant Saints fans can realize this, the quicker they can truly start the next chapter of their life.  False hope does more harm than good.  Oh yeah by the way, has anyone thought about the possibility of another hurricane.  Benson should be allowed to move the team as quickly as possible.   He should be thanked for doing so.  

4 replies on “Benson’s Move the Humane Thing to Do”

Principalities Think about this…

You live in a project high rise where the Mayor of the city wants to put a shopping mall.  Everyone but you know that he wants to destroy the high rise but can’t because he won’t get the backing he needs from your community.

But then some tragic plant explosion destroys your home.  Now, the Mayor can build his shopping mall because he doesn’t have to worry about you anymore; you’re looking for a place to live. What does he have to worry about?

It’s the same concept.  Benson always wanted to move the Saints but the market wouldn’t allow that to happen.  Now, since there isn’t a market, it’ll make the move much easier to sell.

It may make “sense” to move the Saints now but why did he wait until Katrina happen to decide whether or not to make the move?  Katrina gave him leverage.  How can a city host a NFL franchise without the city?

It is about principalities.  This should be the time to keep the Saints in New Orleans as a symbol of hope…like the American flag surviving bombs bursting in air.

This shouldn’t be the time to ditch em like a pair of old underwear.

Even if it is the best move, is it the right move?

Wait a second I agree with the author of this article in every point.  The Saints did not have a great fan base in the region to begin with and the move is neccessary.  

You say that Benson is using this as leverage to move the team like he has wanted to for years.  Well do you know what its like to move a team?  I’m sure it is not a easy task.  This to me is an argument I here from my liberal friends who say president Bush has wanted to go to war with Iraq the second he won the election and used 9/11 as leverage to do so.  Are they right? Maybe or maybe not, but I don’t think its a solid argument.

Well you say that we should keep the team there as a “symbol of hope.”  Well if you keep the team there then you need to give the team millions of dollars to fix up the stadium.  This is millions of dollars that these people who are living without a home and goods need.

I think that for now the best thing for the team to do is move.  Then years from now once the city is back up and running and the city is capable of having a team then a team can move into the city.

Replying to the Reply I’m sorry for being anti-Bush but there’s a great chance that 9/11 was the perfect opportunity for him to go blow up some more innocent lives.

And unfortnately, the American people backed him.

But back to the topic at hand.  Giving the “team” millions to fix the SuperDome?  Money that should go to the peoples of New Orleans?

Once again, I apologize for being slightly cynical BUT shouldn’t those millions been giving out by now?  Hasn’t been established that FEMA don’t give a hoot about the displaced; which are by the way majority African Americans.

The Saints doesn’t have a good fan base in the region?  No matter where they are moved to, they’ll never have a good fan base because there isn’t a product.  All the talent the Saints have and they couldn’t win a best of three tournament against Texas and USC (maybe that’s too far a stretch).  

They could move to L.A. because of the possible money they can generate, but it still won’t change the fact that they are a poor club and couldn’t fill the stands at a high school stadium.

So it is best to keep them there (in the Louisiana area, not necessarily New Orleans) so the people of New Orleans have something to cheer about.  I bet they would be more appreciative of the Saints now than they ever were before.

I agree….with the players For Brooks and Haslett this has been a tough season. You know what this team needs more than anything, answers. They want to know where they are going to live next year.

Now I know the NFL has never been the most stable of jobs, but normally their are a couple of guys on a team worrying about where they are going to be next year, this year it has been the whole team.

Imagine trying to concentrate on football while worrying about whether or not you are going to have to uproot your family again.

Hurricane Katrina has caused many problems for which their are no right answers. Moving the team, and keeping the team in New Orleans both have numerous pros and cons, but pick one and let the team move forward.

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