Sporting Disaster

On a clear fall night in New Orleans, more than 65,000 people packed the Superdome, screaming for the return of the New Orleans Saints.

On that same night, more than 100 million people across America sat glued to their television sets, watching the scene play out in real time on ESPN.

The subplots behind the game were practically bigger than the game itself. The way ESPN chose to portray those subplots illustrates a long connection between sports and national affairs.

The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans. Courtesy of Craig Toocheck.

ESPN’s introduction featured a church scene dominated by African-Americans. The preacher described how the people of New Orleans could finally come together as one through the night’s football game, despite the troubles that still prevailed. The scene closed with the congregation singing “When the Saints Go Marching In.”

Dr. Stephen Mosher, professor of Sport Management and Media at Ithaca College in Ithaca, N.Y., believes the telecast reinforced the disparity in wealth, which has been evident during reconstruction of the Cajun capital.

“The economic benefit of reopening the Superdome was distorted for the audience beyond belief,” Mosher says. “About $115 million of Federal Emergency Management Agency money was spent to put the Superdome back in shape. It could have been used to rebuild the city and low income housing.”

The perspective of some New Orleans residents is vastly different. Ben Childress, a junior musical education major at Louisiana State University and a New Orleans native, says he believes that ESPN did its best. Childress attended the Saints’ home opener against the Atlanta Falcons.

“My house was flooded and we are still rebuilding, but emotionally, I was so pumped, psyched, encouraged, and ecstatic to be in the dome that Monday night,” Childress says. “The past at that moment didn’t matter. The city was finally reunited again.”

National unity has often been an aim of sporting events in America, especially in times of national conflict. The tradition of singing the National Anthem before baseball games started during World War I and soon spread to other sports.

National fervor at sporting events has peaked during modern conflicts, first during the Persian Gulf War. Just two days after the United States fired the first missiles toward Baghdad, the NHL played its All-Star game at Chicago Stadium. Cheering for the Star Spangled Banner has always been a tradition at Chicago Blackhawks’ games, but the reaction to Wayne Messmer’s performance that day was deafening. Flags waved, sparklers blazed, and patriotic signs stood out as the building shook.

Just eight days later, Whitney Houston managed to outdo Messmer at Super Bowl XXV in Tampa Bay. Her rendition whipped the flag-waving, sign-toting crowd into a frenzy as well.