Keeping perspective in the face of success
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by user DRE-LO
There is no doubt that the New Orleans Saints are America's team and the sentimental favorite for the NFC Title Game and beyond. Mostly everyone of Chi-Town is pulling for a Saints victory and we can all agree that no city deserves a taste of sweet glory more than the city of New Orleans.
But while we are all celebrating what could potentially be one of the greatest sports stories of all time and what the likes of Sean Payton, Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and others have done in New Orleans, let's be mindful of what hasn't been done in New Orleans.
Like rebuilding, for instance.......
We all watched in horror as one of the worst hurricanes in U.S history swept through New Orleans as well as Biloxi and other cities. We watched victims in desperation doing everything they can to keep themselves and others while the federal government moved at the speed of a turtle and snail combined. Tears ran down my face as well as many others watching this tragedy unfold and promises were made that we would see the rebuilding of New Orleans through to it's full completion.
Ask those trying to rebuild in New Orleans if that promise has been fulfilled.
There are still hospitals and nursing homes ravaged by Katrina that haven't even been touched yet. There are schools that are still closed. Electricity is still out in many parts of New Orleans. And if you looked at a picture of a recent article by Gene Wojckehowski as he was interviewing Deuce McAllister on Espn.com, it still looks as if Katrina had hit yesterday.
Not that there hasn't been any efforts done by organizations like Habitat for Humanity or players like Kevin Garnett who have helped build homes in New Orleans. But overall, New Orleans has been largely and sadly ignored.
If New Orleans should win this game {which I think they will} and move on to the Super Bowl, it'd be a juicier Super Bowl for the media to hype up as it would mainly focus on the plight of the city of New Orleans and how the Saints have brightened the city's spirits significantly. The biggest tragedy in this situation would be to invoke the struggle of the city of New Orleans in order to boost ratings and hype while completely turning a blind eye to the fact that the rebuilding is nowhere near complete and making no plea for a change to occur.
Saints owner Tom Benson surely didn't keep perspective of the city's tragedy as he tried to make a deal to move the city out of New Orleans and into Oklahoma City permanently during the aftermath of Katrina. The Saints organization and the use of the SuperDome were one of the few ways that the city could generate a significant amount of revenue for the few resources it had at that time.
Horrible timing for a profit-making venture.
The Saints have been blessed to have the best team and season in the history of their franchise and to be blessed to be put in a position where they can be successful of a long time. But as difficult as it was for the victims of Katrina and other tragedies to keep perspective in their tumultuous time, we should take a few steps and keep perspective ourselves. It's not just about what has been done in New Orleans....
It's about what has been left undone in New Orleans.
