Monday night marks the first time the New Orleans Saints will play in the Superdome since Hurricane Katrina hit last year. The facility, which served as a shelter to 30,000 locals in the wake of Katrina, has undergone 13 months and $185 million worth of renovations in preparation for its grand reopening. While Monday’s game against Atlanta may help New Orleans residents put to rest the misery and desperation associated with the old Superdome, it is not clear what the new Superdome will represent. Governor Kathleen Blanco believes the new Superdome serves as a “a symbol of recovery”. The return of sports to New Orleans will no doubt provide some sense of normalcy and unity to those whose lives were forever changed. But let’s not forget the that the spectacular sports facility to be unveiled Monday night sits in the middle of neighborhoods with nothing more than boarded-up homes and garbage-filled streets. Half of the city’s residents have not returned because their homes, their jobs and their schools were washed away with Katrina. So while it is great that New Orleans has its football back, don’t be fooled into thinking everything is fine.
•Times-Picayune: All Systems Go at Dome
•Kornheiser Column