FWtex

This is in reference to the newest request of talks the saints want with the state. I do beleive this is completely spurred on by the L.A. situation and the saints are looking to capitalize one last time before the league completes its expansion and relocation desires.

I tend to lean more to the saints point of view regarding this situation. While I don't particularly like to see an individual business owner receive state funds to conduct their business I do beleive the state and The city of New Orleans receive more monetary benefit from the saints per year than Tom Benson. This is a true win win situation for both sides.

Just think of La. and the city of New orleans without the saints. What would the people of La. have to look forward to every fall and what would the people of La. be able to place their hope in year after year. I am not kidding. Think of the psychological void the people would have.

Now, lets look at the monetary gains for the city and the state. I don't have any hard stats to back this up but what is the value of the advertising and name recognition the state and city get from the saints. For 16 weeks every year the city of new orleans gets free publicity for its tourism with the city of the team it plays that week. Having the saints here allows the city to host the superbowl. This not only brings money to the city the week of the superbowl but it provides the city with free advertisement for 5 months. The week of the superbowl in New orleans the city gets world wide free publicity. In promotion dollars alone, how much do you think the state and city would have to pay for this free publicity? Just think of the publicity the state and city would get if they saints were to have a super bowl contending team for the next 10 yrs.

What are the comparable companies in the area with an annual payroll of roughly $60 million/ yr? Where do the saints rank compared to other companies in the area for generating sales tax dollars. What is the measure of revenue generated by businesses benefiting from the saints being in New Orleans?

The siants and any sports team are a unique privately owned/public interest entity. I don't think the city of new orleans would dry up without the saints but I do beleive the city of new orleans would be trying for years to come to lure a new NFL team to the area and in the end would end up paying a heavier price to bring a new NFL team back to the city. Look at Houston, St. Louis, and Baltimore.

I am not saying the state should bend over for the saints but I do think the state should look seriously at the inevitable. Stop pinching today because the price is only going to be higher in the future. As long as the state is not spending hard dollars on the saints then they should do what it takes to make a fair settlement for the next 30 yrs.