1980 US Hockey & 2010 New Orleans Saints
After the Saints won the Super Bowl I thought to myself that they will need to make extra t-shirts to accommodate the bandwagon fans. The more I think about this the more I don’t view this situation a bandwagon. After hurricane Katrina ravaged the City of New Orleans in 2005 it appeared the Saints would be moved to another city. Drew Brees threw his last pass with San Diego and doing so tore his shoulder potentially ending his career. The Saints medical team was one of two teams to believe in Drew and signed him to a contract. Soon thereafter Drew Brees and Sean Peyton arrived to begin rebuild a city and a football team that people considered hopeless.
I believe the 1980 USA Hockey team had the same impact on the nation as these Saints. The city of New Orleans and the nation were in a need of inspiration after their city was 85% under water. The nation is currently digging out of one of the worst recessions ever and the residents of New Orleans are doing the same while rebuilding their homes and lives.
30 years ago Team USA helped the nation forget about the second Cold War. The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan was in the headlines during the Olympic Games just as the economic war has plages our headlines today .
Both teams were underdogs during their championship runs. The US hockey team consisted of a bunch of college kids who beat a Russian squad that won 42 straight games. The New Orleans Saints used to be called the Aints until they beat Peyton Manning whom “experts” were calling the best QB ever before the game started (since have pulled that statement).
Neither was probable, but both were able to lift the morale of a nation. Nobody would call fans of the US hockey team bandwagon fans and neither will I. In the situation of the 1980 Olympic team and the Saints I will call it patriotism.
About bd
Luck is when preparation meets opportunityLogin
February 10th, 2010 - 12:01
I do like this and was on the bandwagon. I have some friends down in NO and had some amazing times. It isn’t so much a bandwagon with team as a genuinly good feeling for a city that has been through some serious shit. it is refreshing to hear a team talk about the city and see the emotion on their face. They are just as proud of the city as the city is of them and that rarely happens in pro sports anymore.
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