Sean Payton will never make excuses. And no players from the New Orleans Saints are feeling sorry for themselves after getting torched by the Carolina Panthers 26-7. On the field on Sunday, the black and gold resembled trash from start to finish. The good thing about trash — it can be picked up (unless it’s New Orleans). Regardless, trash can be recycled. It can be transformed into something positive. Something worthy. Trash is something temporary. Sure, the smell may last for awhile but when taken out it disappears. All of the ineptness displayed on one given day is wiped out. Gone. Although this may be true, the disasters pile against the Saints and their fans.
Disasters keep Coming but the Saints March on
That is the good thing. Clean it up and get ready for another week. Notably, New Orleans knows how to get rid of trash. Come down to Mardi Gras once and believe me — the city is trash experts. Somehow some way, the city can get a bit dirty for weeks and clean up nicely. At least, it used to be that way. Unfortunately, little things taken for granted like trash pickup has become automatic. Everything is hard nowadays.
At the present time, Saints fans off the field feel the never-ending barrage of disasters. In sports, the aspect of facing adversity when life beats you down is admired. In other words, getting knocked down and climbing back up is the epitome of the American spirit.
The comeback in sports is celebrated. The legacy can last a Lifetime. Eternal. Kids grow up hearing stories about certain players or even teams to identify with. It can be one play. Doug Flutie throwing a Hail Mary to win the game as time winded down. Michael Jordan hitting his last a shot to win a championship. Or even a horse like Seabiscuit to defy odds of even racing again.
Adversity Breeds Character
All of these spirited comebacks mean a lot to plenty of people. Some of these stories can be tied to a city. New York after September 11th. The city of Boston after the Boston Marathon bombings. Surely, New Orleans flooded out after Hurricane Katrina. All of these real life rebuilding stories from a site of catastrophic consequences fire all of us up one way or another.
Once again, the rags to riches story captivates the spirit. The fact of the matter is, hunger drives motivation. Or at least it can be a great motivator. Be that as it may, the fans of the New Orleans Saints have stared down darkness too many times. Many are still waiting for lights to come on after the brutal strike from Hurricane Ida. Even though the national media left to cover other stories — people are still suffering. And it’s not just New Orleans. It’s places like: Houma, Kenner, Lafourche and Terrebonne Parish near the Gulf of Mexico.
Who Dat Nation Expands beyond the Lines of New Orleans
People down in these small towns often get left behind. But make no mistake, those fans love the Saints too. Louisiana loves them. The gulf coast region loves them. Who Dat Nation goes beyond borders now. The fellowship of fans see the destruction from afar. Volunteers give their time. People are helping each other. And the flock of diehards find a place to listen or watch the game on Sundays. For some, those three hours Saints fans escape from the disasters that seem endless. For many, this is the one thing they look forward to all week. It’s a distraction to get away from the realities of what lies ahead.
On the Road Again and Again
For the team itself, challenges left them to start the season in Jacksonville instead of the new Caesar’s Superdome. Players have been living out of suitcases. COVID-19 also struck last week with coaches not being able to be there on the field or in the press box. Fires have broke out in the newly renovated building. The hits keep coming. Outsiders will never fully understand how draining life can be after a stretch of horrible luck. And many of these same people already seen the eye of the story before. Each time a gut punch occurs — a little bit more is taken out of a person. Still, the Saints keep marching on. The battle against the New England Patriots is formidable to say the least. In reality, the real war is between the ears.
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