Saints Providing More Than Joy For City Of New Orleans

In August of 2005 a mighty Hurricane smashed into the Gulf Coast of The United States. In it's wake, it left one of America's greatest treasures, The City of New Orleans, submerged in a dark abyss. As with any tragedy that befalls fellow citizens, Americans quickly responded, and gave whatever they could to help the flood ravaged city. But, as with all things, the spotlight of the media eventually faded, and the tragedy was removed from the American collective conscious.

Almost 5 years later, the effort to rebuild still goes on, . Many people continue to devote countless hours to rebuilding the Parishes and infrastructure of New Orleans. And, it's citizens can use any boost they can find to keep the morale strong. Enter The New Orleans Saints.

Throughout America's History Sports has always been there to help us heal, rise, and give us a respite from the realities of tragedy. From "The Green Light Letter" That President Roosevelt wrote to Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, which stated that "baseball would provide a much-needed morale boost to those on the homefront and to American service personnel overseas." to more recent examples, such as the Yankees in 2001. They put the City of New York on their collective backs and provided, not only the citizens of the Big Apple, but the country as a whole, with a few hours of relief each night with an amazing run to the World Series. There's also the Michigan State Spartans, who, in 2009, in the wake of economic meltdown in the auto industry, made an improbable run to The Final Four in which their home state was the host.

And now, there are the New Orleans Saints. Though they were always a mainstay, the Saints seemed to be background noise to the Jazz, Gumbo, and decadence that defined New Orleans. But in September of 2006, when the Saints returned to The Superdome for the first time since Katrina, there was something different about them. In the years that followed, the Saints rose to the upper echelon of the NFL. But now, as New Orleans continues to quietly put the pieces back together, their community is united by a common bond. Football. Last Sunday, the Saints defeated Brett Favre and the Vikings in overtime to reach their first ever Super Bowl. This magical season has given the people who are struggling to put their lives back together a few hours each week to put aside their worries and concerns and focus on something that can bring them joy.

So, as you prepare your Super Bowl Parties, and hope that you can avoid being too hung over for work on Monday morning. Remember that there might be one team out there playing for a little bit more. They're playing for a community that is continuing to try to rebuild and heal. And we all can appreciate that.

-Mike Tursi