Monday Night Matchup More Than Football Game For City

Things were bleak for Superdome and its future.

Once again it’s on.  Tonight, the New Orleans Saints will host the Atlanta Falcons in the Superdome.  That’s a statement I, along with millions of other football enthusiasts, thought we wouldn’t be saying after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.  But football is back.  Back in the city of New Orleans.  And back in the Louisiana Superdome.

Now, before I go any further, I know this has nothing to do with prep sports.  And I know a lot of you reading this may very well be fans of the Atlanta Falcons.  But New Orleans is my home.  The Saints’ is my team.  And you are going inside my mind.  So forgive me for being a little selfish.

On August 29, 2005, New Orleans was changed forever.  Hurricane Katrina left a city in its wake that no one thought or thinks the city could recover from.  The Superdome once was a symbol of life in New Orleans, hosting countless Superbowls, college bowl games, concerts, and numerous events in general.  After Katrina, the Superdome became a slightly different symbol.  Memories of destruction and death soon replaced memories of touchdowns and thousands of screaming fans. 

After being ravaged by Category 3 winds, the Superdome looked like just another building.  It wasn’t so super anymore.  But now it’s back.  After $183 million were put into renovations, life is back in the Superdome.  Life is back in New Orleans.

Of course, the city isn’t the city it once was.  What city would be?  But tonight is a mere sign of normalcy, a sign that things are moving in the right direction.  It is certainly more than just a football game for New Orleanians around the country. 

Reggie Bush and the New Orleans Saints come marching in...

For years, 29 to be exact, Saints’ fans have endured some tough times.  One playoff victory in the teams’ history is certainly not worth bragging about.  But after tonight, let the bragging begin.  Regardless of the outcome, the victory is already in hand.  No one thought the Saints’ would even be in New Orleans, let alone hosting a Monday night football game against its biggest rivals in the coveted Superdome. 

So fans across the country please get ready.  Win or lose, we’re going to brag.  It’s only right and we deserve it.  The Phoenix is considered to be a symbol of Atlanta because of its comeback after the civil war.  But tonight there might just be another Phoenix rising.  Rising right out of the dome.  So in the immortal words of Saint fans everywhere....