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You don't look for housing or schools if you're going to be in a city for 2 weeks tops. That was how long they'll be here if they don't play their home games here.
The Saints are basing their operations here in San Antonio, doesn't exactly mean they are playing games here.
Although it would make sense but with so many things happening at the same time, who knows.
You don't look for housing or schools if you're going to be in a city for 2 weeks tops. That was how long they'll be here if they don't play their home games here.
The city of New Orleans as you know it is history. No major corporation will ever move back to 8 feet below sea level. With out big business, all you have left is... Kerrville. Kerrville can't support an NFL team.
They can base their operations here and play elsewhere in Louisiana. Situation is changing by the day, it appears.
Turn on the news and realize that New Orleans is ed up for along time. It is going to be damn near impossible to open a McDonalds anytime soon.
NFL teams are businesses owned by owners. They are free to do whatever the they want to.
First of all...... businesses in New Orleans are ing gone and might not ever go back. WTF are they going back to? Looting? Guntoting Gangs? Waterfilled streets? Death?
Are people going to complain because Joe Blows Business left because of a wiped out city? Uh... no.
As for the Superdome, that place is ing wasted. The foundation is under water, the roof is about to collapse, the infrastructure is majorly damaged.
I don't think a few million and a couple of months is going to fix that or take priority over lets say life needing items like water, sewage, food, housing, hospitals, etc. etc..
The Saints are ing gone from New Orleans. It will be a LONGGGGGGGGGGGGGTIME before that place is functional as a city again.
It's not greedy to wish that the Saints come here, it's a ing necessity to the growth of this city.
That team is on the move, Baton Rouge???????????? LMAO. Baton Rouge blows and they couldn't sell $10 tickets in that city, there is no cash there......
It's time to hope and give support for the San Antonio Saints.
The more I hear the coming out of the NFL the more pissed I get. They don't have a lick of respect for this city, and they never will.
Paul Tagliabue and his stuffed suit cronies can go out back and play hide and go themselves.
Why commit to playing games in the Alamodome when it may be that the Alamodome will have to be used for housing refugees? Particularly with the Astrodome no longer taking in anybody? It seems pretty realistic to me that the Alamodome will get enlisted to put some people up, at least for a little while. Let's make sure people get situated safely and then worry about trivial things like the NFL.
And why not try to find the Saints a place to play in Louisiana? If the SBC Center was somehow damaged and the Spurs were displaced, I doubt most here would be particularly happy if the NBA sent the Spurs to play in Shreveport or someplace like that.
Futhermore, it isn't entirely sure that the Alamodome is open on the Sunday's required. It makes sense that LSU is the #1 choice, can't blame the NFL for that.
The Alamodome has events going on, they aren't going to open that place up to refugees.
I can see maybe some convention center space, freeman coliseum, etc. etc..
What about all the empty Kmarts, Albertsons, etc.etc...??
They could house thousands as well.
The man in charge of Dome operations has said all home dates would be open.
Exactly.
Throw in a few abandoned Wal-Marts, and you make an extremely poignant point.
...One that bears repeating.
I don't know if someone has pointed this out yet, but although San Antonio is stepping up big-time (Kelly USA facility, etc.), as is Houston and other cities, to deal with the influx of people...it's an 8-hour drive on a good day.
San Antonio seems like it is closer to New Orleans than it actually is because it is the next state over. It is roughly 550 miles between the two cities. Dallas is closer to New Orleans. Little Rock is closer. To put it into perspective, it's just as close to San Antonio as it is to Jacksonville, FL where Interstate 10 runs out of room on the Atlantic coast.
The NO refugees are going to be located at the old Kelly AFB, not the Alamodome (http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/nat....185f9ecd.html)
The Saints want to play in Baton Rouge this season: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2149071
and they are talking seriously about playing a game in fricking NEW JERSEY, of all places. Yeah, that's close by.
It makes sense for the Saints to play their home games here this year. The NFL isn't going to lose a lot of money because of that. They may not make as much as they were if they were to play in New Orleans with all the season ticket holders, but that is impossible now. I would say almost all of the season ticket holders live in the New Orleans area. Where are those people now? Who knows. Even if they were to rebuild/fix the Super Dome, which fans would want to go there to watch the Saints play? A dome where murders have taken place. Rapes have taken place. A place where people have died. I know I wouldn't and I doubt the players would want to return there. That city is far from going back to the way it was. Its sad, but true. I think football is far from the minds of people there as it should be. There are no jobs there in New Orleans. Its empty. If the NFL is interested in making as much money as they can (which they are) then the best choice is San Antonio in my mind. I seriously doubt LSU will be the choice. The field would be bad after LSU plays on it the night/day before the Saints do. If they play in Houston, do you think the city is going to support two NFL teams? I don't think they can. Same with Dallas. San Antonio is the 7th or 8th largest city in the U.S and should be able to support this team. At least for this season. However, despite all this the most important thing is to help all the people whose lives have been destoyed by this hurricane. Innocent children, babies, eldery, and regular Joes are in desperate need here. Its unbelievable. The more I watch and read the more my heart goes out to them. Its like their lives never existed and they have to start all over. Let's worry about the people first and then worry about where the Saints play.
Excellent ideal...
In terms of repairing the Superdome, the city should feel a slight responsibility to rebuild it considering that they used it to house all of those refugees. Not only from a standpoint of feeling responsible to fix what they broke (not counting the wind and rain damage) but from a standpoint of the structure representing something. It allowed the city to give a fighting chance of survival for all the people that went there. The building has become more than just a football stadium, it is a symbol of something greater. In addition, with all of the recent storm activity that seems to increase year after year, they may need the Superdome again in the future to house people.
It seems unlikely that the Saints will play in NO next year considering the damage in the area and the lack of money people in the area will have while they go through the rebuilding process. Insurance won't cover everything and it will be a long time before any of these people will have the disposable income necessary enough to attend games.
The NFL will probably promise to move the team back to NO as soon as it can support a team. In the mean time, their best thing to do is to put a team someplace where they may have pondered putting a team before but wasn't sure they could support it. This gives an alternate location 2-3 years to prove it, the Saints go back to NO and when a new franchise is awarded or an existing franchise needs to move, it can possibly go to the alternate city. Could this be San Antonio? Maybe. But I'm not convinced the NFL considers SA a long term possibility.
What better way to repay a city for taking in some of their own than to play a game in front of them and some of their fans. It's been reported that San Antonio will now house some 25,000 evacuees from New Orleans. Houston the same. It just makes too much sense to play in front of your displaced fans. Not New Jersey. I think the Giants are just trying to get another home game out of this. The NFL owes it to the people of New Orleans to play here where some of them are. Give them something they can relate to.
I think the reason they don't immediately come to mind is that they are private spaces and even though relief organizations might be interested in renting them for this type of situation, the building owners probably don't want to risk damage to their buildings by having them used in a manner that they were not build for. Plus, when you have frustrated people with idle time, some people start becoming destructive.Excellent ideal...
Also, those places have a very limited amount of toliets and running water sources to seriously consider them without the idea of bring in port-o-lets and other water sources. And they just don't have the infrastructure to provide services to the people in them. That is why we're seeing the use of stadiums. Secure storage and staging areas, high number of bathrooms, multiple distribution points for supplies, multiple water sources, etc.
In the end of the day, Benson is going to move that team.
I don't know where, but the Saints won't be playing in New Orleans.
Sure, the NFL could stop any deal from being done, but do you really think it's fair to force the people of Louisiana to pay $15 million a year to keep the Saints (under the current deal?)
Do you think Benson is that generous to change the deal?
Benson talks a bunch of crap. He says he wants to move it here, but only says that to get more money out of New Orleans, however, that's not possible anymore. I say you let them play here and let the residents from here watch the game free. Why move them to Miss. or Baton Rouge? Like people from New Orleans are going to drive over there or have the money to do that at this time. Paul T. is a jerk and very greedy.
I'm hearing that some residents of the New Orleans area, who have sought refuge elsewhere, are being told that they should check back in about 6 months. How'd you like to be told to wait a half a year to check if your house is still there?
They didn't say where the players would be looking for homes, just that they had the weekend off to do so, FWIW.
Hey, man....Kerrville has James Avery....
Not to mention HEB #1Hey, man....Kerrville has James Avery....
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