The Falcons-Saints Rivalry: Hating America's Team After Hurricane Katrina (1 Viewer)

[Complex Kid]

It was a guest feature written by Steven Godfrey.

My bad. Missed that part. However:

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/steven-godfrey/8/406/469

"I'm a former sports and entertainment journalist currently working as a publicist for a growing entertainment company in Nashville ultimately aspiring towards work as a creative professional."

What fine and upstanding company would that be Mr. Godfrey?

http://www.nashvillepost.com/news/2010/5/28/tna_says_rumors_of_roster_purge_arent_true

"One of the hottest rumors on the wrestling web recently has related to impending purges of the growing roster of Nashville-based Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. With the addition of wrestling superstars like Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair, TNA's roster is now at its highest number in history.
With only two hours of weekly airtime and nearly 70 performers, it was only a matter of time before speculation began that the promotion would make cuts to its roster.


But company spokesman Steven Godfrey said there's no truth to the talk, even though to the purveyors of the newsletters, "trimming the fat" seemed inevitable.


"There are no massive cuts coming," Godfrey said, though he did acknowledge that fans may see small cuts in the next six months, given the fluid nature of a form of entertainment that is part sport and part soap opera."

Oh. Well that's...um...nice.

 

[Shawn]

Come on guys SBNation is basically Bleacher Report:

http://atlanta.sbnation.com/authors/jason-kirk

Jason Kirk

Senior Editor

Senior editor, SB Nation Atlanta; associate editor, SB Nation.
Born in Home Park and raised in Cobb, I root for the Falcons, Georgia Tech, the Hawks, and my alma mater Kennesaw State Fighting Owls, still undefeated in football.

Exactly. This guy is barely a blogger...he's no more a journalist than just about everyone posting on this site...and I don't mean that as an insult to anyone here...just that posting on the internet doesn't mean much.

Ask him how he makes his living.

 

[nickalbo]

I wrote:


Steve,

C'MON MAN!!!

You obviously aren't as familiar with the New Orleans Saints or the &#8220;Who Dat Nation&#8221; as you purport to be. If you were you would know that the following statements from your article are not true(these weren&#8217;t the only two mistakes mind you, just the ones that stood out the most to me as I looked over the article): "New Orleans is more than willing to capitalize upon Hurricane Katrina as a means of fabricating a redemption narrative for their football team." - this statement is a load of crap. The New Orleans Saints merely gave the area fans, and the state for that matter, a much needed break from the agony of dealing with a horrible tragedy. If the Saints had left the state after the 2005 season the city would still be making advancements every day on the road to recovery as it is now. It is something that will take time but when you have something as special as the New Orleans Saints giving hope to people and fans in the area it makes things a little easier to deal with and brings joy to the entire region. I believe if you look back at the media outlets that covered the story of the Saints last year you would see that these were mostly national news media organizations, not local media or Who dat nation, who were tying in the recovery of a city with the resurgence of a team which were for so long , for the most part, loveable losers. And another thing: &#8220;For instance, do not discuss, compare or debate food.&#8221; - Another incorrect statement from your article. As a matter of fact debating/arguing about food is one of the only things we do argue about, for example which place has the best po-boys or where to get the best crawfish etoufee to which bar has the best bloody mary the arguments never end. In closing, for you to take a pot shot at the "Who dat nation" is just cheap and unprofessional journalism at best. Furthermore sir I fart in your general direction...<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
<o></o>
Saints fan and lifelong member of the Who Dat nation,<o></o>
<o> </o>
Nick Albo<o></o>

 

[GoldRush26]

I was over Katrina years ago, and so were most of our fans. It's the media that needs to cling to it for an easy story. I'd much rather they talk about our football team and what they do on the field.

 

[bergeaux]

So after getting a SMACK DOWN from RajunCajun, the only thing any Falcons fan could say is this:

Atlanta Falcons: all time record:
all time: 288-392-6
playoffs: 6-9
Super Bowl appearances: 1

New Orlean Saints:
all time: 285-382-5
playoffs: 5-6
Super Bowl appearances: 1

Yep, the Saints are clearly head and shoulders above the Falcons.

Um, you forgot one thing. Saints SB wins: 1 Falcons SB wins: 0

Oh and since Sean Payton came to town... prior to the "big win" earlier this year (that the Saints gave the Falcons): Saints 8 Falcons 1

So yes it's like little brother (Falcons) getting all excited because he beat big brother (Sean Payton's Saints).

And if you look at the decade prior to this year (2000-2009), the Saints have the edge 13-7 in head to head competition, as we were 6-6 prior to Payton showing up.

 

[Paul]

What?

I have never once asked ESPN to talk about Hurricane Katrina. Does this idiot really think I--and the rest of New Orleans--luxuriate in my city's ever present attachment to one of the worst disasters of all time? I do not revel in the weakness and despair; I certainly do not "capitalize upon Hurricane Katrina as a means of fabricating a redemption narrative."

This entire story is ********. I dare him to fly down here and tell that to me or any other New Orleanian, anyone else who returned to a city so broken and crestfallen, only to persevere and rebuild our home.

I don't usually get offended at silly little pieces, but this is just ********.

I can't green thumb this enough. Thank you, thank you, and thank you.

 

[Kingston]

Here is a response I wrote the guy:

I am not going to blast you for what you wrote, even if disagreeable to myself and likely any other citizen of New Orleans but none the less it was a well written piece. The one thing I will point out to you, and your lack of understanding on this is understanding because you didn't live through Katrina and its subsequent aftermath, is why the Saints are so intertwined into Katrina and by default any other achievement they have here will be. Here is a quick rundown:

-The Saints played a Ravens team on Friday night week 3 of the preseason this is the night that most folks learned we were going to be under threat of a major hurricane. Lots of us were tuned into that game because of the early season hope that comes with every NFL season and the threat of Katrina (a storm that was hitting Miami at the time) came on very sudden i was at the game and didn't know anything until the Superdome folks put up a weather bulletin on the Jumbo-Tron

- Just over 24 hours after hosting a Saints game the home of the Saints, the Superdome, was to become a shelter of last resort as it had been in the past folks began lining up to get in

- Katrina hits we all know the story New Orleans was under water but most of all the Superdome, the home of the New Orleans Saints was totaled

- After the horrors of the next few weeks most folks had settled in to their new temporary digs be it a shelter, friend's home, or even a summer home in east Texas as was my case. United Radio (all New Orleans radio stations had combined into one mega station after Katrina to combine signal strength to cover the whole country so folks no matter where they went to could keep up with what was going on) interrupted their marathon coverage of destruction, government breakdowns, and civil disorder to broadcast the New Orleans Saints game vs. the Carolina Panthers for anyone listening out there this was our first break from the horror we all lived through. The Saints won and for the first time in about 2 weeks something had made us smile and feel like things might be ok.

- The rest of the season went south and it was no secret that Saints owner Tom Benson was going to move the team to San Antonio that city was openly lobbying right after we were destroyed

- a lot of stuff happened to keep the team here but mainly the NFL backed the city and gave Benson little choice

- People began to return to the city late in the 2005 NFL season and around that time the NFL said the Saints were going to try to make New Orleans work as a result the Saints became an extension of what all of who came back were trying to do "make it work"

- despite going 3-13 in 2005 the Saints sold out the Superdome on a season ticket basis for 2006 and it has been that way since, I venture to say a 3-13 team in NFL history has never pulled off that feat and likely never will

- Then by an engineering miracle, or better yet a lot of hard work from just about every construction company in the region, the Superdome that some said was destroyed beyond-repair was rebuilt and ready for play (hosting your Falcons and the Saints) a little over a year later. This miracle gave us hope that if they can fix the Dome I can re-build my little patch of ground

- The September 25th win vs. your Falcons before a packed house is an immense moment of pride to everyone in this city not because of the game but because it was our way of clawing ourselves back up and saying we will never give up on what was and what will be again the city of New Orleans. The fact that it was the Falcons was irrelevant we could have played anyone and it would have been the same

- Since then the Saints have become more than a football team to everyone here. The Superbowl win is part of that yes, but whatever they do from now on is because without the hope they gave us in 2005 -06 many of us would not be here today in this city and I think it is safe to say that without Katrina the Saints may not be here either, but that is another story for another time

The Saints post Katrina are a different team and a different fanbase born out of the devastation and ashes of what was here prior to Katrina. Many of the " bandwagon fans screaming WHO DAT from coast to coast" are displaced citizens that never made it back home, people who helped us out after Katrina (and there were many of folks that helped out) or people who just to root for the underdog, which the city of New Orleans most certainly is. I hope this opens your eyes a little on the link between Katrina and the Saints and I apoligize for saying this but the Falcons were not around or involved in the terror Sherman wrought on Atlanta/Georgia at the end of the civil war so drawing that link would be a little perilous for a Falcons fan.

 

[guidomerkinsrules]

i'm not a violent person in the slightest - but if that writer were standing in front of my i'd punch him in his face

 

[krushing]

I dont think most of us ever want to hear Katrina and the Saints mentioned in the same sentence ever again. I dont care whether its a good or bad reference. Yes, we do tolerate the "good references", but that doesent mean we bask in them either!!

 

[AnnaAD]

I know I'm not the only Saints fan who cringes every time I'm watching a game and they mention Katrina. We almost made it to halftime against the Rams without one of the commentators yapping about it.

 

[Pokerbrat]

Godfrey was a sports columnist at Ole Miss when I was in school there. He's a pretentious and sarcastic clown, but usually just goes for shock and awe to get people to read his low-rent dribble.

Don't take what he writes too seriously- he's an Atlanta native and a hater in general. Most people thought he was a loser at Ole Miss FWIW.

 

[Kingston]

I don't like it either, Katrina refrences, but unfortunatly it is now a part of our history over time the refrences will fade. I find they have allready but they will never go a way for good not for a long time.

 

[Kingston]

Godfrey was a sports columnist at Ole Miss when I was in school there. He's a pretentious and sarcastic clown, but usually just goes for shock and awe to get people to read his low-rent dribble.

Don't take what he writes too seriously- he's an Atlanta native and a hater in general. Most people thought he was a loser at Ole Miss FWIW.

he just responded to me saying that he was a reporter in South Mississippi during Katrina and that his wife is from Louisiana

 

[Saintsfan2121]

I hate that because the National Media loves to continue to use the Katrina story with the Saints, it gives the perception that the team, its fans, and local media are doing it.

I think I speak for 98% of Saints fans when saying that we as fans HATE the Katrina stuff in relation to our team. We're tired of hearing about it all and would like if people would just give us credit for being a good team.

Also, I think the writer of this "story" is clearly embelishing the whole "Saints saved the city" thing for the sake of his poorly written article.

 

[bornnraisedwhodat]

I dont think most of us ever want to hear Katrina and the Saints mentioned in the same sentence ever again. I dont care whether its a good or bad reference. Yes, we do tolerate the "good references", but that doesent mean we bask in them either!!

Exactly!