Unless you live in Indianapolis, or are related to a member of the Indianapolis Colts, you must root for the New Orleans Saints in today's Super Bowl XLIV.
Four and a half years ago, I wondered how they'd ever play football again in the Louisiana Superdome.
How will they return to playing football in the Louisiana Superdome? The official site of the New Orleans Saints only just put up a reference to the disaster plaguing their home city and tickets are available to see the Giants come to town on September 18. The Superdome, currently a hellhole, will soon return to its normal function, but how can it ever be the same? How can one go there to witness something as frivolous as a football game when is has become home to such unspeakable horrors?
The day I wrote that entry, The Seattle Times ran an article describing the hell that had become of the Louisiana Superdome.
At least two people, including a child, have been raped as the arena darkened at night. At least three people have died, including one man who jumped 50 feet to his death, saying he had nothing left to live for.
There is no sanitation. The stench is overwhelming. The city's water supply, which had held up since Sunday, gave out early yesterday, and toilets in the Dome became inoperable and began to overflow. "There is feces on the walls," said Bryan Hebert, 43, who arrived at the dome Monday. "There is feces all over the place."
This city needs a break. Go Saints.
