Milking tragedy, year two

If you're a loyal reader of this blog, 1) you're a loser; 2) thanks for reading! and 3) you may remember last September when I went pretty ballistic over what I deemed the national sports media's attempt to piggyback the post-Katrina rebuilding of New Orleans to big, big ratings and "we care" points by flaunting their empathy and inflating the social significance of pro sports.

A year later, ESPN's not done, and--suprise!--neither am I.

PLEASE. STOP. THIS. ...EVERYONE.

A year removed from the Saints' return to the Superdome and two years removed from the hurricane itself, the always-flimsy connection between the Saints' success and the real-life issues that linger as a result of Katrina seems even more fabricated than ever.

COME OFF IT, ESPN.

Last year, your maudlin crap may have played a tangible role in the recovery effort. The sensationalism you brought to the broadcast may have enhanced the fund-raising efforts tied into the game. But by now, if there's anyone that doesn't understand "New Orleans has come a long way since Katrina, but there's still a lot of work to be done, but look at all these people doing good things!" then I doubt that Mike Torico's heartfelt tone will be the thing that finally gets them to open their eyes.

There's no disguising it this year--IT'S JUST A FOOTBALL GAME.

Why am I so cynical? I wish I could answer that. I can only speculate, but I imagine that if I (meaning me specifically; I speak for no one) were a New Orleans native, I'd be sitting at home thinking, "When did these people ever care this much about New Orleans before? What do they even know about New Orleans culture beyond some watered-down grab bag of shellfish and jazz? I'm a big boy; I don't need a pity party; I don't need to be propped up. I didn't make all-things-New Orleans chic again; neither did my neighbors; outsiders from the national media did. And it took near annihilation for them to notice us. So fuck 'em."

...But that's just me. Is it ridiculous? Yes, because I am ridiculous. But I aslo don't think it's entirely without parallel.

Last word I'll have on this, hopefully forever: The Saints play football. They are a football team, playing football. Know your bounds, ESPN. Cover the game. You are not missionaries. You are a cable sports channel.

And I'm done.