The New Orleans Saints and NBA’s Hornets will never permanently return to Louisiana.
It’s a powerful statement, but it’s a possibility people have ignored since Hurricane Katrina ravaged the area and left hundreds of thousands homeless and more than a thousand dead. The hurricane flooded the region and the Saints’ home arena, the Superdome, became an emergency home to the suddenly homeless.
The Saints have become an inspirational story, moving to San Antonio and having their first “home game” in New York against the Giants. Both Saints and Hornets officials have been positive, saying they will return to New Orleans. Saying is one thing, but consistently putting forth this idea when a permanent return is unlikely is unconscionable.
To maintain its New Orleans ties this season, the Saints are playing four games in Baton Rouge at Louisiana State University.
New Orleans will take months, more likely years, to regain any sense of normalcy. City officials and citizens are more focused on living conditions and rebuilding the city. Professional sports are secondary and rightfully so.
The Hornets, New Orleans’ other professional sports franchise, decided early to move. New Orleans Arena, where the Hornets regularly play, is damaged and could take months to repair. They settled on Oklahoma City with six home games scheduled to be played at LSU. San Diego, Calif., Anaheim, Calif., Tampa, Fla., and Nashville, Tenn., were also considered.
Temporary situations, both the Saints and Hornets say, but everyone has seemingly forgotten newspaper headlines from just before Katrina hit.
The Saints have long been rumored to be moving after years of disagreement between owner Tom Benson and city officials over a new stadium to replace the Superdome. In May, attorney Stanley Rosenberg said Benson was considering moving the Saints via an out clause in the contract with the Superdome after the 2005 season.
The article said that Benson would be responsible for $81 million owed to the city for subsidies he has received since 2001. The interested cities included Albuquerque, N.M., Los Angeles and – surprise, surprise – San Antonio.
On Oct. 7, it was reported that a clause in the Saints’ contract with the Superdome may allow them to leave without compensation. Damage to the Superdome could allow Benson to take advantage of a 90-day window where he could void all contractual obligations with the state of Louisiana; he could then move his team by declaring “force majeure.” The opening extends from Aug. 29, when Katrina hit, to Nov. 28.
I won’t be surprised if after this season the Saints decided to stay leave New Orleans
permanently. It makes too much sense to move elsewhere, whether it’s San Antonio or Los Angeles, instead of going back to New Orleans. Even a recent report of playing the 2006 season at Louisiana State University has a temporary feel.
It doesn’t help that ticket sales for the four games at LSU have been slow. Only 30,000 out of a possible 79,000 seats have been sold for the Saints’ first game at LSU against the Miami Dolphins and ex-LSU coach Nick Saban.
The Hornets had reasons to move other than Katrina. They struggled recently with attendance figures among the lowest in the NBA.
The company was fined $8 million after reporting inflated ticket sales when it was making its move from Charlotte, N.C., to New Orleans.
When the Hornets called Charlotte home, they sold out 364 consecutive games starting in 1988.
Owner George Shinn, whose legal problems with the city turned off fans, eventually decided to move the team to New Orleans, where they haven’t done much better. Last season’s average attendance of 14,221 was last in the league.
Recently, the Hornets have fought with city leaders over funding for a new downtown practice facility.
Shinn, not surprisingly, is praising Oklahoma City, where the Hornets will play 35 home games this season.
“To me it just mirrored what went on in Charlotte where we had such success,” Shinn said of the team’s reception. “I started feeling good about it, and I realized, hey, they don’t have a (major league) team there. We would be the only show in town. So my enthusiasm kept going up.”
New Orleans fans’ hope and support of professional sports shouldn’t be held hostage. Even if either team returns, who is going to be able to shell out more than $30 for a ticket? Sentimentality is nice, but sports franchises require money to survive.
Everybody loves the feel-good story – the idea that good overcomes evil. It’s time league officials and team owners realize a good solution won’t happen and publicly say so.

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