The Sunday that just passed was an important one for American football fans. Four teams left in the playoffs, both competing for the largest game of the year, the ever loved, ever commercial, Superbowl 53. The two teams who played in the daytime were the New Orleans Saints and the Los Angeles Rams. Both teams worthy, both teams had the fire in the bellies, but there was one winner to hold the coveted NFC spot in that championship. Having watching the New Orleans Saints win and win over again, undefeated meant that they had a real chance of going again to another Superbowl game.
The Saints had the whole city of New Orleans fired up during the week and days before the championship game. Pep-a-rallies were in the streets, in front of City Hall, on that Friday at 10 am, even during the federal government shutdown. New Orleans is the type of city that takes any excuse to have a celebration and this time it was our beloved Saints. Drew Brees just turned 40 a few days before the game, his wife Brittney treated Drew to a mega-stardom birthday party with national and local acts in appreciation to the man that who would be the catalyst to the Saints players and it's fans. Brees is not the only one who makes the Saints spirit possible, it is the coach Sean Payton that works single handedly to with his team and make the fans feel as though they are part of his team too. In other words, the Saints' Spirit was among the living in New Orleans and hopefully a good part of the nation too. Who Dat!
Yesterday's game with a packed house in the Superdome of 73,000 attendees , mostly dominated by seats leaving a hue of black and gold, with very little specks of blue from the Los Angeles Rams fans, but visiting the French Quarter the night before, L.A. fans were undoubtedly present. The game started and was a nail-biter from the end of the 4th quarter to Overtime. The score was tied at 20-20, the coined was tossed, Rams kicked to punt and Brees walked onto the field to play for the championship title and the team that would be going to the Superbowl. Brees threw a couple of passes, stopping the clock, but nothing solid that would get them close to a touchdown, until this one pass. Brees threw a pass that seemed to be perfect to Tommy Lee Lewis, his receiver. The ball was in the air and before the pass was set into Lewis' arms, the Ram's player Nickell Robey-Coleman destroyed any opportunity of Lewis receiving Brees' throw. It clearly and right our to the football handbook of a Pass Interference. Brees saw it, Payton saw it, 73,000 screaming fans in the dome saw it, heck, I even saw it. Did the officials? Nah, nothing to see here, move along for now. The Refs, not working in the Saint's favor, were now working and always were working for the NFL's Commissioner tycoon Roger Goodell.
During the game, there were at least two penalties that could have been called by the refs and were not. Now in overtime, limited plays on the field, it looked like the referees did not wanted to be bothered with a frivolous call. Only, this was none of the above. It was clear at this point that Goodell told the Referees not to let the same proceed to win the game, giving them the championship title for 2018 and the seat at the adult's table of the Superbowl. Goodell has tried many times again not to have the Saints become successful in their years as a 50 year old team. The year of the "injury bounties" made the Saints team in the NFL the poster child on punishing a team correctly. Other teams were involved, but Saints were made example of by losing their coach Sean Payton for an entire year, amongst other players that would not be allowed participate playing in the season. Goodell really had it out for the Saints and nothing would get in his way to destroy a team on it's way to NFL stardom.
This being said is why the Superbowl exists. The creme de la creme compete for this game only that the New Orleans Saints are just not good enough to be a team in the Superbowl. All the feel good moments with NFL commentators and their picks for the slot could not be more blatant. Only one of the seven chose the Saints to proceed to the Superbowl. No other commentator had "faith" in the Saints. And why is that? Are the Saints a second class team? Low class? Or is it because Saints are not bourgeois like the ever loved Pats, that play time and time again the Superbowl. There were two underdogs in the slot, Kansas City Chiefs and the New Orleans Saints. NFL clearly made up their mind before the games even started that it would end up in an East Coast-West Coast shootout for Superbowl 53.
So the city of New Orleans and hopefully Kansas City should avoid the Superbowl at all costs. Boycotting the game could send a message to the NFL elites, hopefully knocking them off their high pedestals. I am not a bitter loser, only I do believe the game should be played fair and square. If there was a call by the referees at the time, that could have been a clincher for the Saint's win. I sure hate it for the L.A. Rams for their slot in the Superbowl. I wish them well, but Goodell already has the Pats for an undoubtedly win. The message is a clear one, Superbowl is not about the game anymore, it is about commercialism. One thing the NFL that started this game 53 years ago, probably never intended on what it is today. Politics has quickly changed the game, making a Sunday ritual fun to most people switching off the TV just to witness overpaid athletes taking a knee during the national anthem. This time it was not the teammates doing the crazy antics, it was the NFL gods showing their power of brainwashed United States citizens to show them who is now in charge of what will be, will be. Que sera, sera.