Mon. Night Football/New Orleans (Was anyone else bothered by some of this?)

self/Monday Night Football | 9/26/06 | LS

[LS]

I watched the full TiVo-d MNF football this morning, and was a little disturbed by some of the things that I heard.

First off, I rooted for the Saints. I like their team, and they are a classic "underdog" story. I hope they win every game until they lose to my Cowboys in the NFC Championship.

BUT . . . the message that seemed to come across---I could be wrong---was that football "was" the future of NO, that it was all the city had. Having Spike Lee in the booth didn't help, but beyond that, it seemed like the reconstruction of the SuperDome, which, I'm guessing, was done overwhelmingly with tax dollars was kind of the wrong message to be sending.

I could have missed it, but I didn't see the "success stories" being featured of the private companies that had come back (have any?) or the private-sector's successful rebuilding of communities. (They did mention Harry Connick, Jr.'s program, but didn't really focus on its success.

I guess my concern is that the underlying feeling was that if ALL a city has is a football team---no political leaders who can rally the public, no civic leaders who can create an atmosphere of confidence, and no entrepreneurs (aside from Emeril, who has done a whale of a job) who are creating jobs---then you don't have much.

Now, I do think it could be a reasonable business strategy to re-build from the "inside out," and bring back tourism, sports teams, restaurants, hotels, etc. But that would require something the MNF team didn't want to touch: the incredible corruption of Nagin and the LA scene, and the necessity of having a strong, reliable police force that will make tourists feel safe. (Last couple of times I was in NO, I did not feel safe.)

Am I making too much of this, or were others here troubled?

[lexington minuteman 1775]

It seemed to be a well planned PR campaign to basically push the city of New Orleans. Now the ethics of that on a "football broadcast" I guess is up to personal choice. But it almost seemed like overkill. Of course there was a tinge of Bush has not done enough , even though his father did the coin toss.
People need to understand that with the devastation along miles and miles of gulf coast there are places that will take ten years to rebuild.

[LRS]

I'm another who turned the channel when Spike Lee was on...

[A Citizen Reporter]

I have to say that I flipped on the pre-game show, to get a look at the Superdome and what they were doing in New Orleans, but I found that abysmal group Green Day playing some horrid song. I flipped back and forgot completely about the game the rest of the night.

It seems to me that either NO, or MNF, or whoever booked these "ACTS" did so very politically. Spike Lee and Green Day??????

[codercpc]

Agreed, although I did not watch the game (my own son was playing JV Football, and his team won), I did see a lot of the pregame media. The answer to your question was 185 million dollars (most from FEMA) was spent redoing a dome that IMHO could have been used is local business reconstruction.

Although I concede that the dome could be a vital part of the rebuilding of the cities financial future, it cannot be the main part. Without local businesses, the tax base cannot be reestablished. Many of the jobs they touted are seasonal, or game day jobs only. Hardley a stable job.

[hawkaw]

I agree with your comments. The game and the theme were pretty good in my opinion.

[tx_eggman]

I guess my concern is that the underlying feeling was that if ALL a city has is a football team

The life blood of NOLA was tourism. The Superdome, for better or worse, housed events that brought massive numbers of people to the city ... Super Bowls, Final Fours, Sugar Bowl ... etc. They had to get it back up and running.

[SoFloFreeper]

Spike Lee tried to make it political, but Joe Theisman shut him down pretty quick...other than that, it was cool.

George HW Bush got a nice response. :)

[Jack Bull]

Kornheiser is a lib who tried desperately to get Spike Lee to bash Bush. Totally inappropriate.

[Doc Savage]

NO's is a stinking, sweat-drenched, filthy, crime-infested, tax-welfare farm that shows the effects of liberal ideology and control. The majority of the city lies below sea-level, lies in the path of potential hurricanes, and is composed primarily of ramshackle poverty shacks, illiterate proletariat, illegitimate children, and victim mentality.

A word of advice. Don't live there. If you do, fend for stupid self, buy insurance and stop sucking money out of my wallet!!

[LetsRok]

I can't afford to rebuild my own house, but I can afford my NFL season tickets to the Saints. /sarc.

[no dems]

N.O. spanked Atlanta bad; 23-3. I think the Saints just might be for real this year.

[advance_copy]

I hope they win every game until they lose to my Cowboys Redskins in the NFC Championship.

There, fixed it. ;-)

[kb2614]

The music choices were,,,,,odd. I mean, when I think of the music of New Orleans, the first bands that come to mind are not U2(Ireland), Green Day(California), & Goo Goo Dolls(Buffalo, New York). What, they couldn't find any New Orleans musician?

Spike Lee is an overrated, smug, twit.

[Gvl_M3]

There was some black guy singing a song at the beginning. It was something like:

"Levies not built to code" blah blah blah.

Just another woe is me song about how no body cared about them, but "we overcame."

Once I saw that, I knew this wasn't going to be about football.

I heard our coach (Atlanta) say that they were secondary to the story.

My wife asked if we were throwing the game to let N.O. win. (Made me think of how the Patriots won after 9-11)

[LS]

Saints, big.

[sweet_diane]

"Spike Lee in the booth bothered me."

We turned the channel..there's nothing he can say that matters squat to me.

I was happy to see the dome back in shape, the team winning and everyone having a good time, yet you do bring up some good points.

The city motto, "Let The Good Times Roll" got them in mega trouble as they blew off Katrina until too late. Fun is great, but 'where's the beef?'. Pointing fingers and begging handouts doesn't get anything productive accomplished. IMHO of course.

[LS]

Will it be "a chocolate city," as Mayor Nagin says?

[commish]

when I think of the music of New Orleans, the first bands that come to mind are not U2(Ireland), Green Day(California), & Goo Goo Dolls(Buffalo, New York).

Exactly, they interviewed Harry Connick Jr. on the sidelines - my first thought was "Ummm why is Harry one of the musical acts?" --- or maybe Dr. John and one of the bands from Bourbon Street, etc etc etc.

[VOA]

I guess my concern is that the underlying feeling was that if ALL a city
has is a football team---no political leaders who can rally the public,
no civic leaders who can create an atmosphere of confidence,
and no entrepreneurs (aside from Emeril, who has done a whale of a job)
who are creating jobs---then you don't have much.

I know it's an apples and oranges comparison...
But much of what you've said could go for depression-era Oklahoma.
With a Depression, dustbowl and about half the population leaving
in a westward exodus, a place and a populace can get desperate and
clutch on to certain icons in order to find meaning in their travails.

And (as my parents and grandparents tell me), it was University of
Oklahoma football that one of the Oklahoma governors used as a
"pump up the people" instrument. And partly, that accounts for the
storied (and sometimes sordid) history of OU football.

Hey, maybe you've got a start of another history book...about the
use/abuse of institutions by American politicians to rally sagging spirits
during tough times.

As for Spike Lee being snippy last night...I wish I'd had a TIVO running
the last time Mayor Nagin's mouth got him in trouble.
One of the sane NO councilmen/advisors appeared on TV and while
doing apologies for Nagin's tongue...he said what a GREAT job
President Bush had been doing to help NO.
I about had a heart attack.

[tigtog]

My wife asked me why the main musical attraction was two British groups and not an American group. My question was why they didn't have a Jazz band open the game. I was so embarrassed by the Brit fags attempt to sing "The House of the Rising Sun" that I left the room. I did not watch the half time show. I find all celebritry interviews to be annoying and would love for the NFL to stop the sideline chick reporting. My take is the commentators need to focus on the game and not on celebrities and their advertisements. Based on the report by Marshall Faulk, I think New Orleans is going to join Detroit as the incredible shrinking cities. The only thing that can truly save NO is for them to develop a two party system. Only then can they kill the poison of corruption that has killed economic prosperity in NO for the last 60 years. As regards Spike Lee I didn't even listen to him. Just another celebrity hawking his wares for free. Too bad they didn't actually interview anyone from NO, the story might have been different.