This weekend marked the fifth anniversary since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, causing incalculable damage to the city of New Orleans. In his remarks marking the anniversary on Sunday, President Barack Obama tied the restoration efforts to the inspirational story of the New Orleans Saints. He said:
Five years ago, the Saints had to play every game on the road because of the damage to the Superdome. Two weeks ago, we welcomed the Saints to the White House as Super Bowl champions.
When the Saints played their first game after the natural disaster back in 2005, all of America rooted for them. That feeling returned this past February when yet again fans from around the country united in cheering for the Saints. It was a chance for retribution for the pain and suffering that Saints’ fans had to endure as they braced for a rebuilt city and return to their lives. “At least their franchise had achieved excellence,” we could say.
Although that’s what we want to believe, and the version that the president is telling, The New York Times‘ Alessandra Stanley says that the media coverage of the five-year story hasn’t offered the fairy tale ending we so badly desire:
But the reports resist the temptation to mold the Katrina disaster into an uplifting narrative arc from burst levees to the Saints 2010 Super Bowl victory — there are too many caveats and codas.
But commentators are split on whether there’s any connection between Katrina and the Saints’ rise to prominence. Here, a sampling of the weekend’s commentary:
Katrina “saved” the team: “When the Saints opened training camp in 2005, they were a franchise on the brink of implosion. The last thing they needed was a major setback,” says Jeff Duncan in the Times-Picayune. “But Katrina didn’t destroy the Saints. Miraculously, incredibly and improbably, it saved them.” It led to a better Superdome, more civic pride, and community-building around the team.
Don’t overestimate its impact: “The Saints get much credit here for giving the citizenry something to cheer about,” says Tom Blair in the San Diego Union-Tribune. How about celebrating the New Orleans school system, “once among the worst in the land” and now
“transformed” by their new charter schools. “Five years later, student scores are up dramatically.”
It’s about the Superdome, says Mark Strassmann at CBSNews.com. The stadium at the time of Katrina “became an enduring symbol of despair. Now rebuilt, it shows how far the city has come.” This monumental change makes the Superdome “an icon of this city’s rebirth.”
The Saints are just one of The Big Easy’s improvements: The city has gotten its “swagger back” in more ways than just one the field, says Tim Padgett in Time. The “tourism industry is blaring, education is improved, and “Charity Hospital sets the stage for a multi-billion-dollar medical and biotech corridor.” While a Super Bowl victory is nice, judge the city instead on how it’s “finally regained its investment-grade bond rating.”
Trumpet the Saints till the cows come home “In a sometimes unrecognizable New Orleans, the Saints became more familiar,” notes NBCSports’ Gregg Rosenthal. “Those remaining in the emptied out city embraced the team like never before, holding on tight to make sure another New Orleans landmark wasn’t washed away.” We’re lucky to see them at the top.
Photo via
SportsGrid
