Whenever someone hears about New Orleans or Louisiana, images of devastation and rebuilding come to mind. Even years after Hurricane Katrina hit and after New Orleans has almost fully recovered, one cannot help but still hold onto those images, unsure of whether he should let them go or hold on longer. Thanks to the New Orleans Saints, these images are replaced with ones of success and happiness.

Never had I ever seen people rally around a single team like the Saints fans did for their home team. I see the Saints in the news everywhere; I see the city of New Orleans buzzing with support for its team. Even here at SMU, miles away from Louisiana, I walked past a dorm with a sign that said “Who Dat,” the motto of the Saints. Where some cities, such as Dallas and New York, may heckle the failings of their team, New Orleans has shown nothing but love towards a team that embodies the hopes and dreams of millions.

After Katrina, many people could not believe what had happened. Cities and towns were trashed by the floods and the winds and some of those images from the news are still flashing in my mind. It took a lot of time for New Orleans to reopen, and even now there is still work to be done to help the city out. Many people outside of the state of Louisiana still did not believe that New Orleans was totally back yet.

Things changed after the Saints won the Super Bowl. Tom Benson, longtime owner of the Saints, exclaimed with the Lombardi trophy in hand, “The city of New Orleans is back.” I could not help but fully give my trust to one of the leaders that helped give New Orleans something that it had missed for a long time: hope.

After Katrina, there were discussions about moving the Saints to another city, like San Antonio, Oklahoma, or Los Angeles. But rather than move, Benson decided to help the Saints win. He first hired a coach with the most guts and heart I have ever seen in Sean Payton. Payton and Benson then decided to go after Drew Brees, a quarterback who just suffered an injury to his shoulder that could cause him to never play again. Then, in the NFL draft, Reggie Bush, former Heisman Trophy winner and All-Pro running back for the University of Southern California, landed in the Saints’ lap. Everything was slowly coming together.

When the Superdome reopened, it was one of the best games I have ever seen. The blocked punt by the Saints that was recovered for a touchdown rocked the entire stadium. I remember how every person there was on their feet behind the team.

The Saints are beloved off the field as well as on it. The number of hours spent on community service projects by the Saints is astronomical. Every member of the team cares about his city as the city cares for its team. The Saints represented something greater than themselves.

The Saints had never been to a Super Bowl before; the Saints have never been so good before. I believe I know why: it is because the Saints fought with a purpose that no one could stop.

The New Orleans Saints served as proof that the city of New Orleans can come back and be the city it once was. The Super Bowl victory was a victory for a city once filled with devastation but now one filled with hope and jubilation.

Bryan Manderscheid is a freshman engineering major. He can be reached for comment at [email protected]