(Roderic
L Bergeron Sr. AKA Saintamaniac)
In thinking about the current situation that we, the citizens of Louisiana and fans of the New Orleans Saints find ourselves in, I’m reminded of a quote from the movie “The Hunt for Red October.” The quote goes something like this: “The trick to playing chicken is knowing when to blink.” Well folks that’s the $40 million dollar question right now. “Who will blink first?” Will it be Blanco and the state or will it be Benson and the Saints? There are fans on both sides of the fence of this issue and both are passionate in the stance. The Saints issue has split Northern Louisiana and Southern Louisiana almost as bad as the split between North and South during the Civil War or as we in the South like to refer to it as, “The War of Northern Aggression.”
On one side of the argument, you have those who take the stance that the state has given far too much money to the Saints already and all they have to show for it is 38 years of mediocre, at best, football. Many of the supporters of this stance will point to the win/loss record of the team and say that the team isn’t worthy of receiving any more money until they show that they can be winners on a consistent basis. The Saints haven’t done much to dispel that image, missing the playoffs the last four years in a row all the while threatening to leave if a new stadium isn’t built with tax payer dollars for a rich owner.
The Saints signed a deal with the state a few years ago that was brokered by then, Governor Mike Foster. The deal reached with the state included incentives and the mother of all inducement payments to help the team remain in the status quo and guarantee that the team would not leave New Orleans until 2010 and back off of a new stadium demand. Since then, many believe that the state has essentially been held hostage by the Paul Tagliabue, the NFL and Owner Tom Benson. Because of the unresolved stadium issue, New Orleans, host of more Super Bowl games than any other venue, will not see another Super Bowl game this decade.
On the other side of the argument, you have those of us, I included, that believe that we can’t afford to let the Saints leave New Orleans. Although the Saints have not shown great success on the field, there are those in the community who believe, despite recent reports to the contrary, that the teams impact on the local and state economy if far too important to risk losing. The Saints are estimated to have a $128 million dollar per year impact on the state and local economy not to mention the taxes paid and charitable contributions made by Saints players, coaches and staff throughout the year. The team’s presence has also given the economy a huge boost in the form of hosting the Super bowl game. The last Super bowl held in the New Orleans was believed to have resulted in a $500 million dollar injection into the local and state economy, not to mention the free advertisement from the media covering the game. Supporters of the Saints say that they are a business, first and foremost, and should be treated as such. In business, wins and loses have no place in negotiations.
So there you have it; a state divided over a team that has struggled for 38 years but remains a staple of New Orleans and has become synonymous with Louisiana. I struggle to even imagine New Orleans without the Saints. A poster on the #1 rated Saints Fan Message Board, Whodatzone.com, summed it up like this: “How much will the State lose if they don't versus the return on investment if they do? If I give a guy $100, and he makes $500 for me, it was worth the expense. If I refuse to give the guy $100 dollars and I lose $1000 because of it, it was a mistake.” Link to the post: Danno Post from Whodatzone. It all boils down to who will blink first, the state and Blanco or Tom Benson and the Saints.