From a N.O. resident and Saints fan

[Marcus Bryant]

Sure, it would suck to see a team leave after decades in a city. But I'd imagine it would also suck to see your neighborhood wiped out by 15 feet of water and your family now stuck in beautiful Omaha or whatever.

There's no guarantees in life. If Holt Cat et al opt to sell the Spurs and then the new owners decide to move the team to St. Louis there isn't much the city of SA can do (other than collect a nice check for the Spurs leaving before year 25 of the lease, if I am not mistaken).

[Shiner Bock Girl]

Right after 9/11 everyone wanted to be sure that the start of the NFL season was not postponed. It was a sign of hope. It was part of a process of healing. Football is very important to its community. Especially during trying times. It may just be entertainment...but it also so much more.

I agree very much to a certain point...Their Football stadium was not almost destroyed, if it was, i hardly think NY would have been fixing their stadium as top priority...Economy, support, rebuilding vital human life areas would have come first.....If Saints stadium was untouched, none of us would even be having this discussion because they would still be there.....

[Marcus Bryant]

Every team is looking to leave...given the opportunity of enough money anyone is looking to leave any city!!!! Benson looks to leave every year...so do many other owners in other cities. It is called leverage and milking cities for more money.

Problem is, there is good reason why a NFL owner would have left NO during all of those years.

Take your San Antonio glasses off. The Superdome is as historically significant to NOLA as the Alamo is to Texas.

Whoa.

[ShoogarBear]

The Baltimore-Cleveland comparison is pretty interesting. I'm lurked on and off on a board called Saintsreport.com since the beginning of the season, and there's a big push to contact Browns fans and see what they did after Modell-gate.

Though I do wonder what the Baltimore fans, especially the ones that shifted their alliance to the Redskins after the Colts left, thought of the Browns/Ravens move to town and the national negativity shed upon their city.

There is one big difference between what happened with the Browns/Ravens and San Antonio: Baltimore had already lost THEIR original football team, the Colts, due to a backstabbing owner.

Believe me, no NFL team in history, including Green Bay, was more beloved than the Colts were by the city of Baltimore. They were like the Spurs, Cowboys, Yankees, and US Hockey team all rolled into one. To this day, I think the Baltimore Colts Marching Band still exists.

So when Baltimore got the Browns, there were some mixed feelings. One one hand, a lot of people in Baltimore sympathized with Cleveland. On the other hand, Cleveland got rid of an owner they hated, to keep their name and a promise that a replacement team was on the way, so some of the sting was lost.

What should have happened is that Indianapolis should have given the Colts name back to Baltimore, but oh, well.

[ChumpDumper]

How about paying my tax dollars to the tune of $180 million to the team to keep them in the state.

The state gives large sums of money to the team every year because Benson is a ing prick. Our money and our contract gives us a say so.

This year's subsidies were prorated -- you didn't pay for NY/SA games -- and the contract will probably be cancelled before the end of next month.

So those obligations won't exist anymore.

Do you want them again?

Do you want to pay more?

[j-6]

Does anyone think it is wrong for SA to try and get the team if Benson is offering them? (if indeed that is the case)

When was the last time a team in any major league sport (discarding the Katrina part, obviously) was this publically wooed and the large support base in its original city was just left to watch?

It wasn't this way in Montreal and DC.

It wasn't this way in Charlotte and New Orleans.

It wasn't this way in Cleveland and Baltimore.

It wasn't this way in LA and St Louis.

Maybe Houston and Nashville/Memphis?

I guess it's OK, somewhat, but I really dislike the way that this whole scenario is being handled.

[Shiner Bock Girl]

So are the Saints!!!!!!!

LOL, i have to admit that was a good one.

[Ishta]

Give me a ing break. When someone compares your courting of the Spurs you call it apples and oranges? Only because you were on the other side of the fence.

I'm sick of this from NO fans. I sweat my ass off in warehouses to help you people and I worked when tired as at shelters to help people out. And because of a private business franchise's actions, fans like you have be ting on San Antonio all over Saintsreport.com and now here as well.

I'm just flat out sick of it. You need to pull your head out of your ass and get some damn perspective. When your city is a virtual wasteland with no viable stadium and your people have real problems you need to get over the fact that you may lose your franchise. San Antonio's leadership is in place to look after San Antonio's interests, not New Orleans. We didn't elect them so that they could take actions that give YOU the warm fuzzies, we put them in office to do the best they could for San Antonio.

And with that in mind, they HAVE done things that are in the best interests of residents from NOLA. They are footing the bill for housing a good deal of them when there isn't much money to go around. That mayor of ours that is being portrayed as a villian by fans like yourself and the media that cators to them was a ing saint when the disaster struck.

So, quite frankly, you and the rest of the so called Saints nation can go yourselves. I'm sick of you assholes who act as though we're stealing your wife. I hope we get the team and I hope they broadcast every ing game in NOLA so you can see us cheering them on.

Thank you for putting it so eloquently. I agree with you 100%

[tgrgrd00]

And once again, go cry on the shoulders of the people from the Carolinas. I'm sure they'll be very sympathetic.

Carolina was promised another team and got it.


if the NFL said today that we would be guaranteed another team and we could keep our logo and name. I wouldn't be here.

You can have Benson and his bull .

Oh and we are in the position of paying public money for the team because of our FORMER Governor...who was not re-elected. We know it is not the best situation...but we are stuck with it.

[MannyIsGod]

Carolina was promised another team and got it.


if the NFL said today that we would be guaranteed another team and we could keep our logo and name. I wouldn't be here.

You can have Benson and his bull .

Oh and we are in the position of paying public money for the team because of our FORMER Governor...who was not re-elected. We know it is not the best situation...but we are stuck with it.

Then go cry to the NFL. Learn from your past mistakes. I still fail to see how San Antonio is doing you harm. We're supposed to ignore potential business relocation because:

a) You've had bad luck with Katrina
b) You made stupid decisions, put idiots in office, and are now paying the price. After watching governor Blanco I'd say you have a history of doing this
c)You like them a lot

Do I have it right?

Funny, because I doubt your city cared about anything but itself when it was courting the Spurs and when it took the Hornets.

[Shiner Bock Girl]

I think that is a viable option. The Superdome will be ready before too long. If N.O. proves they cannot support the Saints then whatever city should have the chance to sustain a team.

If there was poor attendence prior to Katrina or Benson was actually talking with a city before all of this then there would not be a problem.

And that is what was agreed with Tags, but the Saints said they did not want to move again because all the hotels were filled in BR and there was no place to once again move their families, much less stay themselves, so they agreed with Benson's decision.....So SA is not to blame for them electing to stay here...Would you all rather us not go to any games and scream we hate them so they will be forced to leave??? What really are you expecting from us when it was their decision to stay....We weren't holding them at gunpoint We're also not responsible for Benson or our Mayor's actions.....

[ChumpDumper]

Oh and we are in the position of paying public money for the team because of our FORMER Governor...who was not re-elected. We know it is not the best situation...but we are stuck with it.

You won't be after next month, but you'll be in a worse situation when it comes to supporting an NFL franchise without heavy subsidies.

Would you be prepared to pay more than the $20 million a year that was laid out for the last three years of the lease?

What rebuilding efforts should the state nix because the money needs to go into Benson's pocket -- or indeed any NFL owner's pocket?

[tgrgrd00]

This year's subsidies were prorated -- you didn't pay for NY/SA games -- and the contract will probably be cancelled before the end of next month.

So those obligations won't exist anymore.

Do you want them again?

Do you want to pay more?

Probably be cancelled or will it....this is all conjecture. I can't answer this at this time.

[Extra Stout]

Carolina was promised another team and got it.


if the NFL said today that we would be guaranteed another team and we could keep our logo and name. I wouldn't be here.

You can have Benson and his bull .

That may be how Tagliabue solves the problem, if he can't stop Benson.

[ChumpDumper]

Probably be cancelled or will it....this is all conjecture. I can't answer this at this time.

It almost certainly will be.

You can't bring yourself to assume Benson will void the contract which will allow him to move to San Antonio?

Then why are you here in the first place? If he's not voiding the deal he's not leaving and you have no reason to complain.

[samikeyp]

I guess it's OK, somewhat, but I really dislike the way that this whole scenario is being handled.

I would agree with that. I think more tact should have been employed.

[tgrgrd00]

And that is what was agreed with Tags, but the Saints said they did not want to move again because all the hotels were filled in BR and there was no place to once again move their families, much less stay themselves, so they agreed with Benson's decision.....So SA is not to blame for them electing to stay here...Would you all rather us not go to any games and scream we hate them so they will be forced to leave??? What really are you expecting from us when it was their decision to stay....We weren't holding them at gunpoint We're also not responsible for Benson or our Mayor's actions.....

You elected you Mayor so therefore he represents you and all of his cons uents. You are responsible for your Mayors actions.

I said in my original post that I appreciate S.A. temporarily hosting the Saints. The push for the permanent home is what I have a problem with.

[MannyIsGod]

You elected you Mayor so therefore he represents you and all of his cons uents. You are responsible for your Mayors actions.

I said in my original post that I appreciate S.A. temporarily hosting the Saints. The push for the permanent home is what I have a problem with.

Well continue to have a problem with it. My mayor rightfully doesn't give a .

[samikeyp]

You can't tag the whole city as being of one mindset based solely on the actions of one individual. The people of San Antonio have been great hosts and given your team great support, that would have happened regardless, IMO.

[Shiner Bock Girl]

You elected you Mayor so therefore he represents you and all of his cons uents. You are responsible for your Mayors actions.

I said in my original post that I appreciate S.A. temporarily hosting the Saints. The push for the permanent home is what I have a problem with.

If that being the case. Then obviously the Mayor of BR hates the Saints and voiced his opinions how he does not want them playing at LSU, so that would mean all of BR hates a team that has been through such a tragedy, since of course the Mayor represents them and they elected him???....So why would the SAINTS want to play in a place that does not want them as opposed to a place that does??? No wonder they want to stay here....

[tgrgrd00]

It almost certainly will be.

You can't bring yourself to assume Benson will void the contract which will allow him to move to San Antonio?

Then why are you here in the first place? If he's not voiding the deal he's not leaving and you have no reason to complain.

I don't know the details regarding voiding of the contract and such. I just hear your mayor saying he wants the Saints permanently. I don't know how that is to happen legally and such.

[ChumpDumper]

I don't know the details regarding voiding of the contract and such. I just hear your mayor saying he wants the Saints permanently. I don't know how that is to happen legally and such.

I suggest you investigate the actual costs of keeping the Saints before you all over San Antonio.

[blaze89]

From what I've read, paraphrasing here:

Nov. 29 the Saints can terminate the contract with no penalty using an "Act of God" stipulation.

I'm sure someone will post better informed post on the matter.

[Marcus Bryant]

The contract has a force majeure clause which the Saints can use to nullify the contract.

[samikeyp]

I think the Saints can claim "Force Majure" (not sure if I spelled that right) basically "Act of God" to void their lease.