President Obama welcomes Saints to the White House
Six months ago, President Barack Obama greeted the Los Angeles Lakers to the White House. Now with the start of NFL training camps and the preseason opener, Obama welcomed the New Orleans Saints to the White House on Monday, to honour the 2009 Super Bowl champions.
Quarterback Drew Brees and the Saints rallied to upset Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 last season in Miami. Obama received the Saints in a ceremony on Monday where he praised the players, owner and coaches for a remarkable season and an impressive post-season. The Saints (16-3) won three postseason games this winter after winning only two in the previous 42 years.
An avid sports fan, Obama said "I make some tough decisions every day, but I never decided on an onside kick in the second half of the Super Bowl." Obama was referring to a surprise onside kick which was recovered by New Orleans at the start of the second half which sparked the Saints’ comeback.
Obama commended the players, not only for their athletic achievements, but also for their work off the field. The championship came just over four years after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the city of New Orleans in 2005, which left the Saints and many families homeless. The Saints played every game that season on the road with heavy hearts. “Back then people didn't even know if the team was coming back. People didn't even know if the city was coming back," said Obama.
While it was rumoured that the Saints might not return to New Orleans, players rapidly dispelled that notion and put an end to those speculations. They were not going to leave the damaged city and its people behind.
The Superdome was repaired and the Saints returned home and dedicated the following season to their fans going through hard times. Obama said: "Plenty of cities carry their sports teams through a tough season. It's a rare thing when a sports team carries its city through tough times."
The Saints and Brees eventually returned the following season and “took the hopes and dreams of a shattered city and placed it on its shoulders,” said Obama. He also added that “New Orleans and the New Orleans Saints are here to stay," having ended their championship drought and given back hope to their fans.
The 2009 Super Bowl victory was a fairy tale ending to a Hollywood script and both the team and the fans can now enjoy their success for a few more weeks before the 2010 regular season kicks off on 12 September. After that, the Saints will have to avoid any Super Bowl hang-over and defend their title. This will be the first time that New Orleans will have the pressure of duplicating last season’s success.
Now that the Saints have received their Super Bowl rings in June and met with the President of the United States, one thing was left to do before they get ready for preseason. Saints owner Tom Benson, Coach Sean Payton and Brees, who tied a Super Bowl record with 32 completions, presented the 44th President with a Saints jersey, with the number 44 and the President’s name on the back.
Before meeting with Obama, the Saints hosted a football clinic in Washington for children in the morning, and visited troops and their families at Walter Reed Army Medical Centre in the afternoon.
Obama also spoke about the oil spill in the Gulf. Similar to how the Saints provided its home fans with optimism, the President understands that there is plenty of clean-up work still to be done, but if the Saints pulled off their miracle, so too perhaps, can Obama.
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