The New Orleans Saints have managed to do something amazing.

In fact, they managed to do many amazing things. On Sunday night, they started the best spontaneous party this city ‘- a city of spontaneous parties ‘- has seen in recent memory. They took their team and their city to a place they have never been before: the Super Bowl.

If you were raised in Louisiana, you were raised on the ‘Aints, not the Saints. You were raised on disappointment and near misses, trained from an early age to watch the games with a bag over your head. For you, the long-term Louisiana fan, the Saints brought you an advanced state of euphoria and disbelief. For the first time, ‘The Saints are in the Super Bowl!’ is not the punch line from a ‘hell freezes over’ joke. Think about that for a minute. Yeah. That will blow your mind.

Perhaps most impressive is the speed at which the team managed to arouse the Loyola student body from its highly advanced and scientifically perfected state of apathy. Let’s admit it: when it comes to common causes (except for a vague disdain for Tulane) Loyola students are laid back to the point of not really caring.

Even music can’t get everyone going. The Trem’eacute; Brass Band, one of the city’s best, has been here three times in the last year or so. Last week, their third Friday performance topped their record with 100 people. When they second-line, the following is a small fraction of that, at best.

Sunday night, however, we followed in the best tradition of the city with our own spontaneous second-line. This is nothing short of amazing. The show of solidarity with our city and our team is unprecedented.

This is something that we should be proud of. Some people will disparage recently enthused Saints fans for jumping on the bandwagon only when the Saints started winning, but really it should be encouraged. There is only good in joining with your adopted city. Sure, new fans have not suffered through years of emotional trauma, but there is enough euphoria to go around.

Let’s take this chance to join our city, regardless of where we are from, in something we can all enjoy together. The Saints knock down political, racial, religious, class and wealth distinctions. They provide a perfect opportunity for us all to be New Orleanians. Let’s roll with it.

Now, whether this means you will watch the game in the Danna Center, or grab a bottle of whisky and follow a second-line all the way down St. Charles, you still add to the joy of the city.

Now, the only thing that will be lacking on that historic Super Bowl weekend is a Monday free of classes.

Speaking of class on that Monday after, New Orleans is gearing up for what is potentially the greatest celebration this city has seen in decades. Think about it: the Saints, the greatest heroes in the city, have fulfilled our most enduring pipe-dream in dramatic fashion.’ Place this event, which is already the best thing to happen to this city in decades, a sign of our revival and continued life, in the middle of a resurgent carnival season.’ What we have is the recipe for a great week and a half.

Given the propensity of older generations to continuously recall, in great detail, the Saints’ ‘glory days’ under Archie Manning, we can be sure that this season will be remembered, that this week will be remembered.

Given the historic nature of the upcoming events, we certainly don’t want, in twenty years, to be caught among others reminiscing only to have to shamefully admit that we missed the fun, that we missed the celebration of celebrations in the city that celebrates, because we were in our dorms, too busy or too tired to take to the streets.’

With all due respect to academics and work, they might seem important now, but in a few decades, we will not remember why we stayed in our dorms.’ We will, however, remember the brass bands in Treme, or the Mardi Gras Indians under the bridge at Claiborne.’ The images of Krewe de Vieux will remained, burned into our memories.

We all came to, or stayed in, New Orleans for a reason. We chose this city despite doubts about its future, despite misgivings of others and a lack of assurances. We chose this city because it is unique, alive, vibrant and full of secrets.’

In a week, this city, a city like no other, will bare its all in a celebration like this country has never seen. Please, Loyola, let’s not miss it.

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