Aftermath
There has to be someone sitting at home looking for a negative name for the 2005 Chicago White Sox. Since the poorly-connotated Black Sox has already been in use for 88 years, someone will find a way to combine the poor calls that the AL Champs have been able to take advantage of. Yet, I don't feel like discussing that or revelling in the fact that Cubs fans will have to acknowledge those "damn Southsiders". As baseball keeps finding ways to shoot itself in both feet, I've been peeling layers of other stories that have come to my attention.
Can you remember sports being so affected by natural disasters before? There have been labor stoppages, boycotts, unexpected deaths and terrorist attacks that have kept playing fields silent many times before. Yet, as it is a part of daily life whether one acknowledges this or not, teams did return to the field and the games went on. In varying degrees, these tragedies altered the existence of these franchises for some time. For example, Washington DC once again has a baseball team because of the post-1994 strike realities of the Montreal Expos. Moscow tried to rebuild its world-class image for a future Olympics with this "new Russia". And how do teams rebound after losing a fellow player is beyond what most teams may understand. So the news surrounding New Orleans' two professional franchises has been fascinating to say the least.
As it is more important to reflect on the true needs of the Gulf Coast, there is no denying how much sports means to many of those people. No other form of entertainment can get a group of individuals across race, religion, gender or economics as sports can. Though even that statement can be adjusted, it's difficult to not see that the Saints and in recent seasons, the Hornets have a hold in the area. For many years, Louisiana looked to its collegiate sports and to its southern state neighbors for pro sports (Texas, Florida and Georgia) until New Orleans was awarded a NFL franchise in 1966. The NBA Jazz began in the Bayou in 1974 before moving to Utah ten years later. When the Hornets arrived from Charlotte after its first fourteen years, there was a sense that New Orleans was about to become that world-class, major league, big time... name your adjective for the city. Teams had flirted with New Orleans before such as the Timberwolves and Grizzles, but this was a major coup considering the falling out between owner George Shinn and the city of Charlotte.
Having teams to call their own has brought a sense of pride and wonder to American cities. Look to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Oakland when they landed formerly eastern-based franchises (Dodgers, Giants, Athletics, Clippers, Warriors). As all leagues began to expand west, they flooded California, stomped into Texas and even hit intermediate pockets in the Pacific Northwest and the southwestern deserts of Arizona. Other than Atlanta and Miami, however, the south was relatively untouched. The arrival of the Saints spoke to a population that produces truly significant athletes, but had to root for teams in Dallas, Houston, Atlanta and Miami.... cities at least 350 miles from the Bayou.
To say that the possible departure of the Saints is discerning is an understatement. Before even mentioning the manner that owner Tom Benson has gone about this, it must be said that for the moment, logisitically there would be a problem with the Saints returning to New Orleans for the 2006 season. Though the Superdome held up well against Katrina, there is little said about the area surrounding the stadium. According to the city's convention and visitors' website, there is round-the-clock work being done to clean and repair the stadium, but not until a complete analysis is released by December will anyone know the extent of the damage or its price tag. Of course, the main push for rebuilding is not just for NFL and college games, but for Mardi Gras and national conventions that the area has hosted through the years. The city plans on keeping tradition and not cancelling or even postponing these events.
In terms of the Saints, whether anyone likes this or not, Benson does have legal grounds to decide if it is too costly to wait and rebuild the Superdome or to make the push and stay. Yet, what makes this an even more complex web to tangle is that for the past few years, Benson has requested for a brand new, "state-of-the-art" stadium for the Saints. He has made proposals to the city and state governments as essentially every other owner in the NFL has. Ideally, a new stadium will keep teams competitive against each other in the financial books as well as on the field. New Orleans is the smallest market of all 32 teams in the league, with what was a population base of 1.5 million people (the city itself was less than a half-million). It is now well-publicized that outside of the drunken charades and multi-colored beads of the French Quarter, N'awlins happens to be one of the poorest cities in the United States thanks to a median income of $27K and most of the city living at below-poverty levels. Though the teams split television revenue, teams make their money from the stadium: concessions, merchandise and themed parks are the money makers. Before, the question was how could the city and team attract enough people of moderate income to attend games and remain the the vicinity long after the game. Now, there are many more questions unearthed. How does the team and city attract any people? How much of the ticket base will return to the Gulf? Does Benson sit around and wait for action from the city and state? Does the city and state even look at the Saints' future as part of rebuilding efforts? Is San Antonio a financial upgrade from New Orleans in the NFL's eyes?
The NFL needs to step into this matter a little bit more than they already have. Outside of the charity work they have already done, its future rests in the Gulf as well. There is nothing worse than letting an owner take the team to another city without any intervention or assistance. If the league can pool together $750 million for a replacement franchise and stadium in Houston, how can it not pull together a few hundred million to offset any costs the city, state and team are forced to pay to keep the Superdome in tact? It'll be another black eye on the league and civic leaders in other cities looking to become big time as the Saints would be the fifth team in a decade to relocate. Not to mention that they have had enough of other owners threatening to relocate without a new stadium. As much as the NFL would love to have a team back in Los Angeles, there is no need, and it would be disgraceful to many fans if the Saints were basically pimped out to the City of Angels.
Oh, and the Hornets. Well, they're playing 35 'home' games in Oklahoma City, a place that sounds more apt to host a NBDL or CBA franchise than a NBA team. Luckily for the Hornets, the New Orleans Arena is in decent condition and would likely be ready for the 2006-07 season. Also luckily for the Hornets, Shinn has not said anything about his team's future. The last time he did, the city fell out of love for him and his team. He must have kept a note to himself about having a publicly-known affair while asking for a new arena to replace a recently-built one. Oh, and saying no to selling the franchise to Michael Jordan was also something he thought about as of late. That new arena he requested when the team was based in Charlotte ended up being granted for the Bobcats and owner Bob Johnson, who kept whatever infidelities and personal issues he could have away from cameras. Though it has been rumored that the NBA would love to have a new owner for the team, they have showed support and decided to make a dress code the number one league controversy.
Benson published this open letter today in the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Shinn has made a supportive statement as well. In reading these statements, it's funny to see how one man is determined to stand pat against the swirling winds while the other seems to be running away. Only in this case, it's not about life or death, it's about how a hurricane can still hit hard long after it's gone.
Can you remember sports being so affected by natural disasters before? There have been labor stoppages, boycotts, unexpected deaths and terrorist attacks that have kept playing fields silent many times before. Yet, as it is a part of daily life whether one acknowledges this or not, teams did return to the field and the games went on. In varying degrees, these tragedies altered the existence of these franchises for some time. For example, Washington DC once again has a baseball team because of the post-1994 strike realities of the Montreal Expos. Moscow tried to rebuild its world-class image for a future Olympics with this "new Russia". And how do teams rebound after losing a fellow player is beyond what most teams may understand. So the news surrounding New Orleans' two professional franchises has been fascinating to say the least.
As it is more important to reflect on the true needs of the Gulf Coast, there is no denying how much sports means to many of those people. No other form of entertainment can get a group of individuals across race, religion, gender or economics as sports can. Though even that statement can be adjusted, it's difficult to not see that the Saints and in recent seasons, the Hornets have a hold in the area. For many years, Louisiana looked to its collegiate sports and to its southern state neighbors for pro sports (Texas, Florida and Georgia) until New Orleans was awarded a NFL franchise in 1966. The NBA Jazz began in the Bayou in 1974 before moving to Utah ten years later. When the Hornets arrived from Charlotte after its first fourteen years, there was a sense that New Orleans was about to become that world-class, major league, big time... name your adjective for the city. Teams had flirted with New Orleans before such as the Timberwolves and Grizzles, but this was a major coup considering the falling out between owner George Shinn and the city of Charlotte.
Having teams to call their own has brought a sense of pride and wonder to American cities. Look to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Oakland when they landed formerly eastern-based franchises (Dodgers, Giants, Athletics, Clippers, Warriors). As all leagues began to expand west, they flooded California, stomped into Texas and even hit intermediate pockets in the Pacific Northwest and the southwestern deserts of Arizona. Other than Atlanta and Miami, however, the south was relatively untouched. The arrival of the Saints spoke to a population that produces truly significant athletes, but had to root for teams in Dallas, Houston, Atlanta and Miami.... cities at least 350 miles from the Bayou.
To say that the possible departure of the Saints is discerning is an understatement. Before even mentioning the manner that owner Tom Benson has gone about this, it must be said that for the moment, logisitically there would be a problem with the Saints returning to New Orleans for the 2006 season. Though the Superdome held up well against Katrina, there is little said about the area surrounding the stadium. According to the city's convention and visitors' website, there is round-the-clock work being done to clean and repair the stadium, but not until a complete analysis is released by December will anyone know the extent of the damage or its price tag. Of course, the main push for rebuilding is not just for NFL and college games, but for Mardi Gras and national conventions that the area has hosted through the years. The city plans on keeping tradition and not cancelling or even postponing these events.
In terms of the Saints, whether anyone likes this or not, Benson does have legal grounds to decide if it is too costly to wait and rebuild the Superdome or to make the push and stay. Yet, what makes this an even more complex web to tangle is that for the past few years, Benson has requested for a brand new, "state-of-the-art" stadium for the Saints. He has made proposals to the city and state governments as essentially every other owner in the NFL has. Ideally, a new stadium will keep teams competitive against each other in the financial books as well as on the field. New Orleans is the smallest market of all 32 teams in the league, with what was a population base of 1.5 million people (the city itself was less than a half-million). It is now well-publicized that outside of the drunken charades and multi-colored beads of the French Quarter, N'awlins happens to be one of the poorest cities in the United States thanks to a median income of $27K and most of the city living at below-poverty levels. Though the teams split television revenue, teams make their money from the stadium: concessions, merchandise and themed parks are the money makers. Before, the question was how could the city and team attract enough people of moderate income to attend games and remain the the vicinity long after the game. Now, there are many more questions unearthed. How does the team and city attract any people? How much of the ticket base will return to the Gulf? Does Benson sit around and wait for action from the city and state? Does the city and state even look at the Saints' future as part of rebuilding efforts? Is San Antonio a financial upgrade from New Orleans in the NFL's eyes?
The NFL needs to step into this matter a little bit more than they already have. Outside of the charity work they have already done, its future rests in the Gulf as well. There is nothing worse than letting an owner take the team to another city without any intervention or assistance. If the league can pool together $750 million for a replacement franchise and stadium in Houston, how can it not pull together a few hundred million to offset any costs the city, state and team are forced to pay to keep the Superdome in tact? It'll be another black eye on the league and civic leaders in other cities looking to become big time as the Saints would be the fifth team in a decade to relocate. Not to mention that they have had enough of other owners threatening to relocate without a new stadium. As much as the NFL would love to have a team back in Los Angeles, there is no need, and it would be disgraceful to many fans if the Saints were basically pimped out to the City of Angels.
Oh, and the Hornets. Well, they're playing 35 'home' games in Oklahoma City, a place that sounds more apt to host a NBDL or CBA franchise than a NBA team. Luckily for the Hornets, the New Orleans Arena is in decent condition and would likely be ready for the 2006-07 season. Also luckily for the Hornets, Shinn has not said anything about his team's future. The last time he did, the city fell out of love for him and his team. He must have kept a note to himself about having a publicly-known affair while asking for a new arena to replace a recently-built one. Oh, and saying no to selling the franchise to Michael Jordan was also something he thought about as of late. That new arena he requested when the team was based in Charlotte ended up being granted for the Bobcats and owner Bob Johnson, who kept whatever infidelities and personal issues he could have away from cameras. Though it has been rumored that the NBA would love to have a new owner for the team, they have showed support and decided to make a dress code the number one league controversy.
Benson published this open letter today in the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Shinn has made a supportive statement as well. In reading these statements, it's funny to see how one man is determined to stand pat against the swirling winds while the other seems to be running away. Only in this case, it's not about life or death, it's about how a hurricane can still hit hard long after it's gone.
posted by Jason Clinkscales @ 4:35 PM
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