The Joy of Being A True Saints Fan

One thing I like to do is take a look around to see what other Saints fans are thinking or saying.  I'm not talking about those fair-weather fans who only became fans during last year's historic season.  I'm talking about those who have for years supported the Saints by attending games and staying glued in front of their TV sets when the losses were far more frequent than the wins or those who boarded buses bound for Atlanta year after year despite the fact that the hospitality toward our fans was subpar.  Those fans hung in there no matter what--even when it was very unpopular to be a Saints fan.  They wore their Saints caps and tee shirts and displayed their fleur-de-lis with pride.  For them, it was a matter of honor to and respect for the team that they'd vowed in their hearts to remain loyal to.  And I can tell you, there were far fewer then than there are now.

I'm often reminded of my days in New Orleans when I lived on Jena Street.  For those who aren't familiar with that part of the city, I stayed a block off Napoleon Avenue and two blocks off St. Charles.  It was a nice, quiet neighborhood--until on gameday.   Even if you weren't watching the Saints play (and we always were in my house), you knew that they must be.  The entire block would literally erupt in a drone of screams and hoots whenever something spectacular happened.  Neighbors often met up on the sidewalk during commercials to celebrate, exchanging hugs and high-fives in a show of solidarity.  Times when Bobby Hebert would throw a bullet to Eric Martin or Floyd Turner for a big gain or a touchdown or Dalton Hilliard would bulldoze his way down the field like a stallion were awesome.  Those were good times.  And even though the Saints were very good during those years, having had a top calibre defense and all, many still weren't sold enough to publicly call themselves fans.  I can't tell you how many times I've heard people say, "I don't like the Saints because they get your hopes up and then let you down." 

Those people weren't even considering the fact that there can only be one team standing after the Superbowl.  At some point, all the other teams in the NFL have disappointed  fans when they don't reach the ultimate goal.  That means there are more disappointed fans than happy ones.

But that's what makes a fan a true fan, what separates the real from the fake.  When you've weathered those disappointments year after year yet continue to cheer and watch and display your team pride, that's when you can honestly say you're a fan.  When your heart breaks so completely after a loss that tears literally swell up in your throat, that's when you can honestly say you're a fan.  Or when a loss on Sunday leads to a lousy string of days (for you) until the next game, that tells you with every fiber of your being that you are a true fan.  It's pure joy.  Now, in Who Dat Nation, it's quite hard to distinguish between the die-hards and the fair-weathers.

I think about when we lost to the Cowboys last year how all the negativity started.  It was bad enough that a lot of the commentators said that the Saints would be "one and done" in the playoffs and crowned the Cowboys the team to beat in the NFC.  Us fans had already been subjected to hearing all season long about how the Saints would need home field advantage just to beat the Vikings.  In fact, many of those same ones who obviously changed their tunes after the Superbowl, hadn't given our team much of a chance as a snowman has in Phoenix before they proved to the world who they are.  But what hurt even more than doubt from those people who only watched the Saints when they had to was hearing it in the voices of those who'd been yelling, "WHO DAT" for thirteen weeks.  All of a sudden certain ones started lowering the bar for what they expected (or more likely thought) the Saints would do.  Words like, "They did good to get this far" replaced all prior Superbowl aspirations, as if they really weren't expecting the black and gold to hold their own.  And whereas I understand it's hard to be positive after you've suffered a disappointment, but even that doesn't excuse disloyalty.

I said all that to say this.  I've been reading comments about Thursday night's preseason game from some friends on Facebook and Twitter and reading comments left by people on certain websites.  More than I expected have already forecast a gloomy season ahead for our Saints.  It's okay to be a little concerned about certain aspects of that game; the coaches apparently are.  But to count our guys out before the season even starts is just plain uncalled for.  And it's certainly not something a true fan would do.  For those of us who saw champions decades ago when losing seasons were commonplace or when the phrase "Who Dat" was more of a battlecry than a marketing slogan, the joy of being a Saints fan is evident.  It's not about wins, or stats, or Superbowls even.  It's about just being happy to let the world know that no matter what, we believe in the black and gold.