Posted on 09/26/2006 6:01:32 AM PDT by 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?
I agree. I didn't see any bias, and I was looking for it. Lots and logs of fans holding up "thank you" signs. Interviewees not asking for government handouts, but instead asking for the tourists to come back and revitalize the economy. Honestly, it made me want to go to New Orleans.
It was quite a production. I was thinking of how much the temptation must have been to work the outcome for a happy ending.
The pre-game crud made me turn off the whole thing!
The Saints have never been a TEAM and have lost 346 games, a fine example of what a city is all about!
It'll be a shopping mall.
That should have been "Why ISN'T Harry one of the Musical Acts"
"If you do, fend for stupid self, buy insurance and stop sucking money out of my wallet!!"
I assume you have the same advice for people who live in places like Gulfport, the Outer Banks, tornado alley, or on the San Adreas fault?
Unfortunately, our fellow FReepers attempt to politicize everything about N'Orlans.
So what if Spike Lee was in the booth? Big deal.
It was a great night for the city and the fans. I loved the U2/Green Day cover of "The Saints Are Coming".
Amen. And it's doesn't stop there--ESPN has gotten more and more "involved" politically for a while now. CNN had a roundtable of sorts with 4 radio talk show hosts a week or two ago that I flipped by that had some ESPN pundit moaning about the war in Iraq.
It was mostly money from FEMA.
Just my observation and opinion.
The owner of the Saints put up 15 million. The NFL put up zip. The rest came out of your pocket and mine.
I hope so. My Great Aunt passed away at 96 last year. She was a native of NO and a mega Saints fan. She was in her 70s when my Husband and I married and he couldn't get over watching and talking football with her! She knew every players personal stats and the team stats.
She passed before Katrina shined a light to the rest of the world about NO thankfully. Would have broken her heart.
I'm with you. It was pretty darned obvious that every person who made it to TV was under orders to "not get political". Even Spike Lee!
Like I said, this was a true Disney production, and I mean the post-Eisner, throw-back Disney.
The one thing that struck me during the game was the announcers cheerleading all of these "human interest" stories about folks who were homeless but had somehow found a way to buy season tickets, that the Saints were somehow going to be responsible for the rebirth of the city ad nauseum. I don't know about the rest of you, but to me that's just plain F***ing STUPID that someone would spend their last dime on a football ticket!
Did you know the PGA raises more money for charity in 1 year than the NFL does in 2? So why not have some golf tournaments instead of 8 home games? The SB, Final Four, etc. only come around every few years, not every year.
You know that state and city is screwed when Gov. blanko screen signs an executive order to make sure the Superdome is rebuilt but not the infrastructure of the city.
I agree with another poster that $185 million could have been better spent than on the Superdome. I don't care if it is a tourist destination. Without workers who have their homes, what's the point?
Besides, I really don't care about that cesspool anymore. AFAIC, they can forget the levee reconstruction and let mother nature do her thing and take it back. I've seen and heard all I need to in the past year.
/rant off
SZ
Spike Lee is such a puke punk apologist for failed efforts. His is a blamer and a racist. It is pitiful that such a loser gets a platform as often as he does.
Aside from football, the only other thing New Orleans has is Houston, Texas.
You said a mouthful. They are having an election this weekend for a new insurance commissioner. The current Sec of State says that they expect only 20-30% turnout. I really quit having much sympathy for them when they re-elected that idiot mayor. I hate Landreaus as a rule but, really....
I've only been a few times, for a few minutes and it was a reeking (of pee and puke)mess.
As for the Superdome...I really do think that it was a decent idea to rebuild. It will have an economical impact that is direly needed and an inspirational impact to bring business back.
I was only half-listening up to that point, but muted and ignored it after that.
Spike Lee is portrayed as an eloquent spokeman, but his interview consisted of "Dis still ain't right."
I'm sure he's hoping for some pop-culture buzzphrase immortality but he simply sounds like a monosyllabic whiner.
And many of those victims have moved to Houston, more or less permanently. They didn't have the energy or survival instinct to get out of the way of a hurricane...they certainly aren't going to pull up stakes and move back to NO on their own nickel.
That is what scares the hell out of Nagin and the Dem machine. They created such perfect drones that that drones don't know their way back to the hive.
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