The Saints bested the Colts 31 to 17 last night in a Super Bowl that didn’t really feel like the big game to me. Maybe that’s because the Steelers weren’t in it. Anyway, congrats to the Saints and the city of New Orleans. Stories are a powerful way to communicate a message, and the Saints are no exception. Here’s their story, as told by ESPN’s Wright Thompson (hat tip to Copyblogger):
The soul of the city is in a football game three seasons ago, the return to the Superdome, on a Monday night when those of us who love New Orleans first realized the city would be back. It was Sept. 25, 2006 — Payton’s and Brees’ first home game.
The Friday night before, Payton gathered his team in the empty stadium. People had died there, just 13 months before. The bodies were stored in a catering freezer. The building seemed unfixable, and now the Saints stood at midfield. On the video board, Payton played a movie about the hurricane. It showed it all, the dark, dark water, the archipelago of rooftops, the fear on the faces of an abandoned city, the slow pan of the Humanity Street sign barely visible above the current. It showed the Superdome with its roof almost torn off. It showed a city that looked as though it would never return. Then the video ended. The players, standing at the center of a rebuilt stadium, all shiny and new, talked about what they had seen and how important they were to the people who would fill these seats the next night.
They understood.
The game began and, less than two minutes in, the Saints blocked a punt and recovered for a touchdown. One of my best friends, a chef who grew up in the city, sat on his couch in Mississippi and wept. So did thousands of people in the Dome. For 37 seconds, an eternity on television, the announcers stayed quiet, the only noise coming from the screaming of the crowd. Thirty-seven seconds, while a city went completely and totally insane with joy.
Now let’s turn to some stories of the pecuniary variety.
Editor’s Picks
Ryan presents Living in Honolulu for Less than $1000 a Month posted at Planting Dollars. Ryan is living the dream!
Madeleine Begun Kane presents My New Policy posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog.
The Financial Blogger presents The New Meaning of Retirement posted at The Financial Blogger.
FMF presents 2009 Budget Review posted at Free Money Finance.
BWL presents Money Management Advice from Grandpa posted at Christian Personal Finance.
Super Bowl Fact: The first Super Bowl was played in 1967 between the champions of the National Football League (NFL) and American Football League (AFL). The two leagues merged in 1970, and the leagues became conferences.
Other Great Money Stories
MDP presents Do You Overlook the Indirect Costs? posted at My Dollar Plan.
Darwin presents How Much Could You Reduce Your Budget if You Get Laid Off? posted at Darwin’s Finance.
CreditCardAssist presents Card Issuers Step Up for Haitian Relief Efforts posted at CreditCardAssist.com.
oneadvice presents Single Parents Debt Advice posted at One Advice.
att Mason presents To Buy or to Rent… That IS the question posted at Wealth Creation Blog.
Super Bowl Fact: The Pittsburgh Steelers have won a league-leading six Super Bowls. The Cowboys and 49ers come in second with 5 wins each. At the other end, four teams have yet to make it to the Super Bowl–Lions, Browns, Jaquars, and Texans.
Sagar satapathy presents The Problem With Dow ETFs posted at ETF Database.
Brian McKay presents New Credit Card Rules – How the New Credit Card Laws Affect You posted at MonitorBankRates.com.
Patty Pedersen presents Good Stocks to Buy When Stock Market Correction is Over posted at AlphaProfit MoneyMatters – Investing Blog.
Joel presents Kwedit.com: Social Payment Network for Teaching Kids about Credit Use posted at Credit Card Chaser.
Joe Plemon presents Tax Refund? How You Should Use It and Why You Should Lose It posted at Personal Finance By The Book.
Super Bowl Fact: After the Packers won the first two Super Bowls, some feared that the AFL was no match for the NFL. Then along came Joe. The Jets lead by Joe Namath defeated the Colts in Super Bowl III and the Chiefs, an AFL team, bested the Vikings in Super Bowl IV.
Billeater presents Individual Development Account: Save Money and Get Matching Contributions posted at Billeater.
Lakita presents How a FREE Raffle Cost Me $70 posted at Personal Finance Journey.
Patrick @ Cash Money Life presents How Much Should You Leave Your Childrens Guardians in Your Will posted at Cash Money Life.
Ray @ Financial Highway presents Frugal Valentines Day Gift Ideas posted at Financial Highway.
Silicon Valley Blogger presents Personal Budgeting Made Easy With the 60% Solution posted at The Digerati Life.
Super Bowl Fact: The Vikings, Broncos, and Bills have lost the Super Bowl more times than any other team in the league–4. The Bills’ losses are the most painful, having occurred four years in a row.
Before You Invest presents Online Investing for Beginners posted at Before You Invest….
Tom @ Canadian Finance Blog presents Introducing Alan Schram posted at Canadian Finance Blog.
he Smarter Wallet presents Beware of Internet Scams: Avoid Get Rich Quick Schemes posted at The Smarter Wallet.
Mrs. Accountability presents I’m Drowning in Receipts | Out of Debt Again posted at Out of Debt Again.
David R. Lampsen presents It’s the Grocery Game… And I’m Actually Interested posted at Personal Finance Analyst.
Matt Jabs presents Turbotax – Prepare Taxes Online – Free eFile posted at Debt Free Adventure!.
Sun presents How We Spent Our Money in 2009 posted at Earn More Invest Wisely at The Sun’s Financial Diary.
Matthew Paulson presents Businesses Hope for Profits from Super Bowl posted at American Consumer News.
That’s it for this edition of the Carnival of Money Stores. We’ll leave you with one of our favre-it Super Bowl commercials this year:
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