Posts Tagged ‘Super Bowl’

Super Bowl heads to New York region for first time

// May 25th, 2010 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

The NFL fulfilled a marketing dream on Tuesday by bringing their most prestigious game to the Big Apple, awarding the New York area the 2014 Super Bowl despite fears of cold weather.

The league’s championship game, held annually since 1967, has never been played in the New York area, nor played outdoors in a cold climate.

A vote by the league’s 32 owners supported a bid to have the Super Bowl held in the New Meadowlands Stadium where the New York Giants and New York Jets play their home games across the state line in New Jersey.

The $1.6 billion, 82,566 capacity stadium will host the two teams for the first time in the upcoming NFL season, replacing the old Giants stadium.

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Sentiment, success, adventure make Saints “America’s” team

// May 25th, 2010 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

The Dallas Cowboys have long been known as ‘America’s team’ but the New Orleans Saints, who triumphed as underdogs in Sunday’s Super Bowl, can now make a good claim to that title.

From President Barack Obama, to the estimated 100 million fans at home in front of televisions, to the crowd in Dolphins stadium, most Americans seemed to be celebrating the Saints’ 31-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

“The Saints had the emotion and the sentiment and the heartstrings of most of America on their side,” wrote Miami Herald columnist Greg Cote.

From a sporting point of view New Orleans was the club without a trophy from its previous 42 seasons — you could not get much more of an underdog than that.

However the reason so many Americans found themselves cheering for the black and gold was sympathy for the city of New Orleans and the wider region which was wrecked by the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

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Brees proud of Saints journey from Katrina

// January 22nd, 2010 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

Five years ago, quarterback Drew Brees found himself a free agent with a straight choice — the laid back Florida lifestyle of the Miami Dolphins or the challenge of a New Orleans still recovering from the devastation of hurricane Katrina.

Brees chose the New Orleans Saints and is now one win away from taking the team in black and gold to the Super Bowl for the first time, crowning the city’s comeback from disaster.

The Texan’s choice has turned out to be inspired, not only in terms of his and his team’s performances on the field but also in the impact the city has had on the life of the 31-year-old.

“It’s been unbelievable, I said this from the beginning, I felt like it was a calling.” Brees told reporters on Wednesday as he prepared for Sunday’s NFC Championship game against the Minnesota Vikings.

“An opportunity to come here and not only being a part of the rebuilding of the organization and getting the team back to its winning ways, but to be part of the rebuilding of the city and the region. It’s been very special.”

Hurricane Katrina hit America’s Gulf coast on August 29, 2005, killing more than 1,800 people, driving 2.16 million from their homes and causing $75 billion of damage.

“A lot of people watching were like me, Brees added. “You watched hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast and New Orleans specifically on TV, and you just don’t understand the magnitude of what happened here and the devastation until you actually come down and see it with your own eyes.”

“So as a free agent, when I came on my visit six months post Katrina, it was still very much in shambles.”

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