Armchair Quarterback: Saints to march out of town?
Well, if the Saints do move to San Antonio, I sure hope they don’t do like the Jazz before them and doggedly hold on to a team name not reflective of the surroundings.
The latest rumors coming out of New Orleans say Saints owner Tom Benson is discussing a possible move from the Big Easy if an agreement isn’t reached about new accommodations for his permanently mediocre gridiron squad. Right now plans are to renovate the Super Dome with a combination of team and city funds; however, as is so often the case, the team is being lured by outside interests. The Saints can pay a penalty and opt out of their contract with New Orleans after this next season, meaning they are, in essence, a free agent franchise after this year. And, if San Antonio isn’t enough, word is that one of the nation’s fastest growing cities, Albuquerque, New Mexico, is also showing interest.
Hey, I’m not going to criticize a team for leaving for a better deal, seeing that’s how we got the Titans. Thanks, Houston. I understand owners want to maximize their earning potential and there’s nothing wrong with that. Players do the same thing every time their contracts come up, and, just like the Saints, they often rattle sabers by talking to other teams.
And, yes, there’s been a lot of NFL teams pull the plug over the years like the Colts pulling out of Baltimore for Indianapolis in the middle of the night, the Cardinals leaving St. Louis for Arizona, and the Rams leaving Los Angeles for St. Louis. That and the departure of the Raiders back to Oakland left one of America’s largest media markets without a single football team. Hey, teams are going to go where they can make money.
In the case of New Orleans, it would be the second time a franchise has left the Crescent City. Years ago the NBA Jazz left for Salt Lake City, where they remain today, still playing under a name which should have been changed long ago. What do you think of when you hear the name Salt Lake City? Mormons. Tabernacles. Mountains. A big Salt Lake. One thing I don’t think of is jazz.
How hard could it be to simply change a name? There’s an assortment of names which could be used for the Jazz team — the Coors Drinkers, the Mormon Choir Boys, the Rocky Mountain Rockers, anything but the Jazz.
The same is true in Memphis, where there are no bears. In Vancouver, or in its country surroundings, I’m sure there were bears but no such thing in Memphis. It seems simple, given other teams. There isn’t that much oil in Tennessee, thus, the Oiler name was dropped for a more Greek theme to go along with the “Athens of the South” when the Titans came to Nashville.
That being said, the Saints are free to do what they want and can even keep the name wherever they go; however, I think they also owe the people of New Orleans something. For years, the Saints have stunk. Remember the guys with bags over their heads? Remember the Aints. Aside from a very few seasons, the Benson Boogie hasn’t been seen on the sideline. Therefore, it’s somewhat easy to see why the city isn’t exactly pulling out all the stops to keep the team there. Perhaps if Benson would get his team over permanent mediocrity, he’d see a return on his investment.
I don’t care how good you market the jerseys, people will only support a loser for so long, and the people of New Orleans have been long suffering when it comes to the Aints.