At the greatest game the Saints have ever played, my mom, Dave, and I had the best seats in the Superdome: the very last row. Like everyone else up in that last row, we beat the hell out of the wall behind us, so much that my hand was sore and swollen for days.
Today I read this, from the New Orleans blog Library Chronicles:
Over my many years of watching and attending Saints games, I’ve been accustomed to seeing or hearing fans in the top row of each section bang on the metal walls in order to create noise when the opposing team has the ball. When we purchased our season tickets in 2006, we selected seats in the top row so that we could participate in this time-honored bit of idiocy which has been in practice basically since the Superdome opened in 1975. During the second quarter of a crucial Monday Night game in 2008, Superdome security decided that it was time to crack down.
A few minutes into the second quarter, for no apparent reason, a uniformed security person shouted at everyone in our section that the next fan seen banging on the wall would be thrown out of the stadium. We were mystified. Is this some bizarre interpretation of the NFL’s notorious new “Fan Code of Conduct”? The section adjacent to ours is typically filled with fans of the visiting team. Did one of the Vikings fans complain? If so, why? And also fuck them. Over the past three seasons, the Superdome has become an ever-more fan-unfriendly environment. What can be done to reverse this trend?
Seriously? That is just terrible. Why on earth would the Superdome security shut down such a great, fun, masochistic homefield advantage?
Also, like me, Library Chronicles, is a strong supporter of the Saints’ correct gold pants.
Also:
He looks like someone here, but I can’t place it. Ralphie after he shoots his eye out maybe?
I am going to check this out with the diehard, wall banging Saints fans at HNJ. This cannot be true! That was the BEST game I have ever been a part of in my whole life.
PS. Haslett has now admitted that he was wrong in leaving Aaron Brooks in and not giving My Jake a chance. Oh the power of hindsight!!!!!
I checked around for a affirmative on this. No one in the HNJ area of the dome was asked to stop beating on the walls. Must have been an overzealous security person.