As we start getting closer and closer to our season’s beginning, I started thinking about just how one becomes a fan and how they chose “their” team. What makes the NFL, well, the NFL? The fans.
Growing up, your team usually reflected either where you live or who your grandparents or parents supported. These days the choice of one teams can be from a Victor Cruz salsa dance in the endzone, to having a “Golden State Of Mind”, to a certain phrase coined by a team, or even being born into the “Who Dat” Nation, like myself.
As fans we eat, sleep, breath our teams – it’s a religion of sorts. Gearing up for the season we collectively get our frame of mind in order along with the many ways we show support. From the Saints toothbrush in our bathrooms, to the Drew Brees jersey we so proudly wear. Thick or thin, rain or shine, we Saints fans are Ride or Die. There are so many ways we publicly show our affection for our Saints. At the Superdome (I refuse to call it the Mercedes Benz Superdome,I keep it old school) fans show their love from the pimped out pimps with the gold and overstated afros, to the saintly saints in their pope-like gold and black robes. From the face/body paints to our own city showing love by displaying our emblem any and everywhere. We as Saints fans are also known for showing our total disapproval of our team as well, for let us not forget the ‘Aints era, and the amazingly inexpensive paper bags and the phrase used by the bag dawners, “the unknown fan”.
We as Saints fans are like no other fans – man do we know how to have a party! All over the nation we prepare ourselves for this time of year by getting our flags a flying in our yards to updating the worn out bumper stickers/decals on our cars. I even initated a “Football Friday” where I work so we all rep our favorite teams by donning their appearal. Most of the people where I reside now in Virginia are mostly Redskins fans (boo).
So finding a fellow fanmate is a little slim in my neck of the woods. Most people will ask me if I’m a Saints fan because they won the Superbowl. To that I quickly reply, I have been a fan since I was born and the earliest of my memories start with Bobby Hebert, when we where still a part of the NFC WEST. Things have changed since then with the expansions of divisions to arrival of Sean Payton and Drew Brees and a whole host of new faces. The one thing that has never changed is our belief in our team and our undying support for them. This year may just be ours yet.
Saints, keep doing what you do, and us fans will keep doing what we do – REPRESENT! As the saying goes, “LAISSEZ LES BONS TEMPS ROULER”. Let the good times roll! Im looking foward to this season and looking foward to all this season will bring. So get your trash talking ready, as we set to embark on my team’s journey to the Superbowl.
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