Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans

I realize with Hurrican Katrina more than two weeks past, many people in these "United" States are suffering from a serious case of disaster fatigue. One really can take only so many photos of the dead, videos of flooded homes and businesses and testimonies to lives and homes lost. As we get further from the morning the hurricane struck, those of us who live outside its path will naturally become more de-sensitized to the event. That said, there is a huge difference from being de-sensitized and becoming insensitive to those who have had their lives affected forever.

This Sunday past, the New Orleans Saints were to have played host to the New York Giants for a football game in the New Orleans Superdome. As we all know, the Superdome became a havenfor evacuees in the days following Hurricane Katrina until its own stability came into question. Therefore, the NFL decided to have the game played in New York as part of an unprecedented Monday Night Football doubleheader as the showcase of a telethon to raise funds for the relief of hurricane victims.

This telethon was televised to the world during halftime of both the Saints-Giants game and the originally scheduled Monday night game between the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins. This televised event meant there would be no television coverage of a halftime ceremony in Dallas during which three noteworthy Cowboys were inducted into the teams Ring of Honor.

I am an avid listener of sports talk radio (Shut It!). It pained me to hear the reactions of many Cowboy fans who called into various shows to express their immense displeasure with being subjected to the telethon rather than being given the pleasure of basking in the greatness of their heroes. Fans blamed the NFL for trying to generate their own revenue. They blamed the evacuees for having their hands out, trying to bilk funds from good ol' boys just tyring to get by themselves.

As if that wasn't enough. Even more Cowboy fans expressed outrage at the notion of the Saints being referred to by many in the sports media as "America's Team", a term Cowboys fans feel is intended for their team and their team alone. They're completely missing the point here. No one is trying to steal anything from anyone. Try thinking outside your own pathetic existence for just a few moments and have some level of consideration for others for once in your sad little life. I am embarrassed to admit I have familial roots in Texas after the things I heard said by many Texans. I'm sure those tens of thousands of people in the New Orleans area who have no homes and no belongings to speak of and may or may not know where are their relatives are and if they are even alive or dead are really sorry you didn't get to watch your little ceremony of TV. I'm sure it tears their hearts out that not everyone in America is worshipping the Cowboys.

Incidentally, I don't recall ever voting for which team had the right to claim the title of "America's Team." I must have been doing something else, like using my friggin' head for something other than a hair-growing beer receptacle.

I for one have no problem with any concessions made to any of the New Orleans based sports teams, whether they be at the high school, collegiate or professional level. I am a sports fan and I understand the healing and bonding nature of sports. If the Saints win some games, it won't rebuild homes, but it will begin the process of rebuilding a sense of community. So I for one, will be cheering the new America's Team this year.