monday night football (enough already!)

alright, i realize that the saints coming back to the superdome is (kinda) a big deal and (sorta) symbolic, but enough with the artificial pomp!

i mean, let's be real: the saints were never really all the important to the city of new orleans. in fact, you can make the argument that the girls gone wild videos were a better representative of the city than the saints. certainly, they captured the spirit of the city better (saints: a long history of apathy and losing. ggw: boobies).

so the fact that they're back... well, okay. i suppose that means something to the sixty or so _actual_ saints fans.

as for the deeper meaning that espn is trying to wring out of this with the same desperation that the alcoholic tom hanks played in family ties tried to find something to drink when he finally realized he had a problem (or the desperation that i just showed in trying to come up with a simile)? it's just not there. sure the NFL threw tons of money at getting the superdome ready for some football, but new orleans itself is still knee-deep in its own shit. it's hard to get excited for a city's rebirth when there are still cars hanging in trees!

and that's the thing that really irks me. espn has always been particularly at fault when it came to creating drama where there really wasn't any, but this situation is a bit different. you have so many storylines collapsing into one place: the superdome, new orleans, reggie bush, espn getting monday night football, michael vick -- it was, pardon the pun, a perfect storm of overhyped sports bullshit.

the first half of this game has _reeked_ of faux pious "news" about the rebirth of the city. they even brought in spike lee to... what? plug his documentary? talk about the power of sports to revitalize the cit? show off his circa-1981 elton john glasses? i dunno. even spike didn't seem to know why he was there. i kept rooting for him to pick up a trashcan and throw it at joe theisman, do the right thing style.

i could be wrong. maybe there are people out there watching this game and wiping tears away from their eyes as they think about man overcoming tragedy. believe me, i'm not against a few non-ironic throat lumps (i got misty recently listening to the replay of howard stern's 9/11 broadcast!) it's just that espn's whole approach to this game has had the taint of opportunism. it just feels like when an unpopular kid dies suddenly and all the kids suddenly "need" to go to his funereal. everyone knows that they're just trying to get the day off, but no one has the guts to say it.

best,
--jayblack

(PS i've written this quickly and in the middle-stages of a simply sleep (tm) coma, so i'll be anxious to re-read this tomorrow and see what it looks like!)

(PPS did anyone else notice in tonight's parade prior to the game, the first responder who was pushing past 400 lbs? the guys a hero and all, but do you really think that a guy that big should be a _first_ responder? i'm just saying that i'm sure it would take a _long_ time for him to get from the ambulance to wherever the problem is... but, you know, as i think about it, i guess a 400 lb EMT is exactly what you want during a class 5 hurricane. NOTHING is moving that dude)