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Age of greed A vote for the underdog, stable Saints
The biggest villain in professional sports today is the owner who moves his team from one town to another. I rank him higher than the greedy agents, the greedy players, the greedy networks, rank him as the worst greedy figure on the food chain of greed. The greedy owner, more than anyone else, squanders the time, love and money of an existing fan base to find another more profitable population and situation. That is why I am not rooting for the Baltimore Ravens of Art Modell in the NFL playoffs. That is why I am not rooting for the Tennessee Titans of Bud Adams . That is why I am certainly not rooting for the Oakland Raiders of Al Davis . That is why I am happy that the Indianapolis Colts of the late Bob Irsay and the St. Louis Rams of Georgia Frontiere are out of this little tournament. That was why I was sad when the Georgia Frontiere Rams won Super Bowl XXXIV a year ago, although they did do it over the Bud Adams Titans, which was a small consolation. Playoff excitement and a championship should be rewards that are earned. The people hoisting champagne glasses and dancing in the downtown streets should have a history behind them, should have walked up a long, hard hill to get to the party. That is why I would be comfortable with the Philadelphia Eagles, the New York Giants, the Minnesota Vikings, OK, even the Miami Dolphins, winning the whole thing. That is also why, in my underdog heart of hearts, I'm a new New Orleans Saints fan. Those people deserve it the most. Sports Illustrated senior writer Leigh Montville appears regularly on CNN/Sports Illustrated. The opinions expressed here are solely those of the writer.
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