SPORTS TALK:
Saints inspire a community
On Sept. 25, we were shown, in purest form, the profound effect sports have on the human spirit. Cloaked in gold and black, 70,003 fans poured into the Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana to welcome back their Saints, who were playing in their home stadium for the first time since December 26th, 2004. It was a chance to see a community, still reeling from the disaster of Hurricane Katrina, rally around a team that means so much to them.
It is for nights like these that I and millions of others watch sports.
An entire nation watched with a renewal of hope, as all eyes were focused on the notoriously hapless Saints.
Not two minutes into the game, the Saints’ Steve Gleason blocked a punt allowing Curtis Deloatch to recover in the endzone for a New Orleans’ touchdown.
The celebration that ensued was tremendous, as ESPN commentators silenced their microphones for several moments to allow the crowd to be heard. It was during these few spine-chilling moments that I remembered what makes sports so special.
Encouraged by the motivation of an emotionally-charged crowd, the Saints defeated the Atlanta Falcons 23-3 in an all out dominating performance.
Saints’ head coach Sean Payton said after the game, “This win is for the entire Gulf Coast.”
I could not help but smile as I watched with great pride, the effect sports, albeit for only three hours, had on people’s hopes.
I was inspired by stories during the game of numerous residents of New Orleans who were still without homes, jobs, and cars, yet still went out and bought season tickets for the Saints in order to support their community.
New Orleans showed through all their turmoil that a little hope can go a long way.
Volume
44, Issue 4. Today is
Nick Kosmider