Posted on 10/30/2005 10:04:14 PM PST by bayourant
NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said on Sunday the New Orleans Saints should remain in Louisiana and try to find a broader fan base after the devastation of the football team's hometown by Hurricane Katrina.
"Our focus continues to be on having the Saints in Louisiana," said Tagliabue. He added, "We're trying to develop what we would regard as a new model for the Saints to operate in a rebuilt Louisiana."
Reports that Saints owner Tom Benson has considered moving the franchise to San Antonio, Texas, where it has played games this season, or the richer market of Los Angeles, have angered fans, many still shut out of their homes or businesses.
Tagliabue, who met on Sunday with Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, spoke to reporters in Baton Rouge, where he was attending the Saints first game in Louisiana since Katrina.
The risk of losing the Saints has united state politicians, with U.S. Sen. David Vitter, a Republican, joining Democrats Nagin and Blanco in lobbying for the team to remain in Louisiana.
A vote of three-quarters of NFL owners is required to move a franchise, and Tagliabue dismissed reports of the Saints moving to Los Angeles as "nonsensical."
"Each team in the NFL is franchised to represent a specific community," he said. "The teams, the franchises are not free agents to run around the country and play wherever they want to play."
But Tagliabue said the Saints would have to find a way to appeal to all of Louisiana, not just New Orleans.
The city's population, which was 460,000 before the storm, has been sharply reduced. Nagin has said New Orleans could quickly rebuild to support 250,000 residents, but housing remains in short supply and some question that estimate.
The Saints home stadium, the Superdome, became the home to an estimated 25,000 evacuees from Katrina and sustained heavy damage. Repairs are underway, but Tagliabue said it was still uncertain whether the Saints would play there next season
I can't realistically see where there's an adequate fan base in NO anymore but I notice no one said this would be a NO team. The quote was that they should remain a Louisiana team. The only other cities of consequence in La are Baton Rouge and Shreveport, neither of which is anywhere like big enough. I can't imagine where they think they'll put the team unless they think they can draw fans from NO and Baton Rouge equally.
LOL! Tell that to Al Davis.
Gosh isn't that true. Benson's full page ad he ran this week about wanting to keep the Saints here didnt pass the smell test. If it wasnt for higher up in the NFL he would have moved the team to LA weeks ago if he could have.
After today's game, I'm not so sure Louisiana wants them.
I know not a great debut in Tiger Stadium. I was impressed by the crowd though. The only thing that made the loss a little less painful was getting to see Saban in Tiger stadium even though he was on the visitng side of the field
Why LA?
YEah the fan base is small but extremely loyal. Also they have a sizeable Gulf coast following. Its seems that there alot of Saint fans in Mississippi when I travel there. If they do this right and keep the Saints in Baton Rouge next year until NOLA can rebuild they might be able to expand their base. Some Tiger fans hate that the holy of holies (Tiger Stadium/Death Valley) is being defiled by the Saints. Go to www.tigerdroppings.com and tiger rant room to see a hilarious thread on Saint fans vs LSU fans as per todays game. I chalk alot of that to the tension between Baton Rouge and NOLA. I all depends I guess if Benson has the will or energy to market the team for the whole state better than he has.
Bcause LA is looking for a team. I believe the Wash Post had an article on it earlier this week. San Antonio as much as they would like to get the Saints, is not going to happen IMHO.No way the owners in Houston and Dallas would allow that. I am not sure why LA has had problems getting a team. There is a perception that Prof Football for whatever reason cannot succeed in LA becausee of an lack of interest by the LA community.
Or Art Modell
This might help explain: Since the first playoff victory in the 2000 season, Benson has repeatedly threatened to move the team and tried to negotiate for better financial deals with the state. He is the only NFL owner who gets a straight payment from a governmental body to operate as the state of Louisiana has been paying between $12 and $15 million a year since 2001 in a $186 million deal through 2010. After Katrina hit, Benson quickly re-located his team in San Antonio, where he has often threatened to move it permanently. "He's sent repeated love notes to the San Antonio mayor and has had love talk with him about moving the team there," Dixon said. "It's obvious he wants to move the team to San Antonio now. He's showing a complete lack of class and an appalling lack of public relations sense." San Antonio mayor Phil Hardberger said recently that Benson has agreed to have more serious talks with him after the season about forming the San Antonio Saints. "I'm pretty comfortable in saying he wants to be here," Hardberger said in published reports two weeks ago.
Gives me the impression NO really can't support the Saints without help. Remains to be seen whether or not San Antonio can. We're willing to renovate the Alamodome to give him more luxury boxes, more seating, and plenty of financial inducements, but what Tom Benson won't be getting is a new taxpayer-funded sports stadium.
Normally, I would agree. Still do, mostly.
But the powers that be in these parts are strangely persistent and quietly optimistic about bringing the Saints here.
Yeah Benson is going to have to live with a renovated superdome. There is a lot of discussion here about why he asking the State for money. He has not really been good about opening up his books that has casued alot of us to wonder if his financial situation is all that bad.
Yeah thats true. Gosh it could be yalls big year. Rumor is the Pope is about to give San Antonio a Cardinal seat plus the Saints in the same year. I do luv the city but I would be pretty mad at Benson. Rumor has it also that Jacksonville might move so if it doesnt happen with the Saints it could happen with them It would be better pr for the NFL if that scenario was to happen
I have news for them, the city of New Orleans is a fraction of what it used to be in both popualtion and infrastructure, and will remain so for many, many years to come.
It's not just NOLA that supports the sorryassed Saints. The whole state and gulfcoast region supports them and has for their entire worthless history. My family from the Lake Charles and Lafayette area has purchased season tickets for several years. It's not that unusual.
Meanwhile, the owner continues to endear himself:
-- New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson swatted at a New Orleans television station's camera on Sunday and got into an argument with a fan.
The WWL-TV camera crew said Benson lunged at them when they filmed him leaving the Saints game and that the owner then got into a shouting match with a fan. Video of the confrontation shows Benson bringing a raised hand down on the top of the camera before he is eased away from the camera crew, which continued filming.
Benson could not be reached for comment and Saints officials did not immediately return a call seeking comment
The team owner is going through a very rough patch with fans and Louisiana officials. The anger toward Benson stems from talks he apparently had with the San Antonio mayor about relocating the team to San Antonio.
The Saints are under contract to play at the Louisiana Superdome through 2010, but certain provisions allow them to opt out before a Nov. 29 deadline.
The Saints played their first game this season in Louisiana on Sunday, at LSU's stadium in Baton Rouge, and the home team lost 21-6 to the Miami Dolphins.
On Sunday, NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue met with Benson, Gov. Kathleen Blanco and other officials. Tagliabue said he wanted to keep the team in New Orleans.
I saw that. Benson's done gone senile I believe.
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