When people think of the Superdome in 25 years, they won't be thinking of the memorable sports moments that have occurred there, but the shocking and horrific images of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
The Superdome has been home to Super Bowls, Final Fours and heavyweight championship matches. The Superdome was where Michael Jordan hit the game-winning jumper to give Dean Smith his first NCAA title, the 1985 Bears romped the Patriots in Super Bowl XX, Keith Smart beat the buzzer for Indiana in 1987, Muhammad Ali's got his last victory and Adam Vinatieri kicked a game-winning field goal over the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.
The Superdome as it stands is damaged goods. The images and stories coming out of the Superdome for the past few weeks have been so shocking and horrific, and there should never be another event held there again.
The Superdome should be torn down. As it stands, the Superdome is a big, ugly scar on not only the city of New Orleans, but on the United States. Unlike 9/11 when the best was brought out of people, Katrina has brought out the worst in many people. The building is a symbol for the ugliness of what happened.
In replacement of the Superdome should be a big, beautiful, grand new facility. Not just a huge dome stadium that is suitable home for sporting events, but a complex that includes a convention center, hotel and casino.
This new complex should be a reasonpeople come to New Orleans. A place not only in the middle of the downtown area where people can stay and gamble, but most importantly, a new home for the Saints and for future Super Bowls and Final Fours.
It is despicable that cities are jockeying for position, hoping the Saints will move to their city. The Saints, or the Ain'ts as they are so often refer to in their hometown, are part of the New Orleans identity. The team started in the city as an expansion franchise in 1967. The team was the city's was first major sports team and made the city "big time."
You can count on one hand the positive memorable moments for the Saints. The team only won its first playoff game five years ago, 23 years after they played its first game. The team has been famous for always choking or making mistakes at the wrong time.
Nothing emphasizes this more than what happened two years ago when the Saints were fighting for their playoff lives. They were down by seven points with fewer than five seconds remaining in the game.
The team decided to run a hook and ladder play. They ran the play and what followed was one of the wildest and most dramatic plays in NFL history, featuring half a dozen laterals leading to a stunning and dramatic Saints touchdown. All they had to do was kick the extra point to force overtime.
The kicker missed. The missed PAT was a classic Saints mishap.
The Saints are as a big part of New Orleans as Mardi Gras and Cajun food. The city of New Orleans right now has larger issues than keeping a football team in town and building a new stadium for it. However, it is an issue that needs to be addressed.
The Saints should have a new home by 2007 or 2008 and it will be able the host the 2010 Super Bowl and 2011 Final Four. As we've seen before, sports can heal.
