On Sunday afternoon, the New Orleans Saints gave what was quite possibly the worst outing in the entire Sean Payton era. That comes of course one week after laying out one of the best. The loss to the St. Louis Rams is a blemish on this season's record and one that never should have happened, but in a way...I'm glad it did.
When the Saints started out their championship season at 13-0, the Who Dat Nation had grown in huge amounts in a hurry. People love to flock to a winner and something popular even if they don't really care about them. Then the loss to the Dallas Cowboys came and a few "fans" turned their backs.
The Saints finished that regular season on a losing streak and the Superdome had grown increasingly quiet during that time. Surprised? I wasn't.
As the team went on to win the Super Bowl that year, the fans were all in a tizzy and it was a mixture of those who were true and those who were on the band wagon. Fair weather fans surround every single team and having witnessed sports in numerous cities, I've seen it personally.
But never as bad as I have in New Orleans. That goes for the fan bases of the Saints, Hornets, VooDoo, and others.
Sunday's loss to the Rams was an epic collapse by the Saints and let it be known that my personal belief is they just got ouplayed by St. Louis. The Rams were prepared and willing to do whatever it took to win while the Saints couldn't execute properly and simply could do next to nothing right.
During the course of the game though, fans across social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook were turning their backs on the team they "love so much." Not only were they complaining about the game-play which is understandable, but they were saying how awful the team is as a whole.
"This team sucks."
"From champs to...I don't even know what they are."
"Losing to the Rams? The Saints are a complete joke!"
Amazing isn't it? Even with the loss, the Saints are still on top of the NFC South and will most likely make the playoffs this season. It's just amusing that fair-weather fans say they bleed black and gold yet are the first ones to put them down as if they are the winless Detroit Lions from a couple years ago.
Of course these particular fans will never admit they are guilty of being fair-weather as when confronted, they'll say they are "diehard" or scream "Who Dat" or run and put on a Saints' jersey. It's quite pathetic and absolutely discouraging that there are still fans like that out in the world today.
Stop being trendy and popular. If you don't care about sports or don't want to, then stay away from your local teams because you only care to be there when they're doing good anyways. Your type of support isn't necessary because there are those out there who are true fans and care for their teams during the highs and the lows.
Do this year's Saints have things to improve on? After watching Sunday's performance against the Rams, damn right they do. But if you're a real fan, then you understand that and support the team as they fix these issues.
Wondering if you fall into the fair-weather category? Be truthful now.
- Will you support and watch the Saints if they go on a losing streak?
- Will you check out the Hornets if they don't re-sign Chris Paul?
- Are you going to a New Orleans VooDoo game next season?
If you answered "no" to any of those questions then perhaps its time you find yourself a new hobby on game days.
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