But as a child, I fell in love with Steve Young, Jerry Rice, and the general wonder that was the 49ers, and somehow found myself cheering for and learning about a sport in which I had little interest. And while the Niners will always have my heart, in recent years, I've always needed to find a different team to support when Super Bowl Sunday comes around.
This year, that honor belonged to the New Orleans Saints, so I was elated as I watched them win the championship. Yes, Drew Brees and his son were adorable, but what I've enjoyed reading about in the aftermath of their win is Brees' love for and charity towards the city of New Orleans.
While there are a high number of individuals who direct their status to more positive endeavors, I really appreciate what Drew Brees has been able to do for the morale of NOLA since arriving in 2006.
The city has obviously struggled immensely in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, which struck back in 2005. While areas such as the French Quarter escaped relatively unscathed, there are portions of the city which are still struggling to recover - the Ninth Ward, for one.
A few years back, I spent a week in Louisiana, working on some of the homes that had been damaged by Katrina. Although we stayed and worked about an hour outside of New Orleans, we spent a day in the city, during which it became clear as to why so many people are enamored by NOLA and the area at large:
There's a warmth exuded by many of the people there; the families whose homes we worked on, for example, welcomed us into their homes in the most gracious manner. It makes being in the city, even as a non-native, an unthreatening and enjoyable experience.
The food is fantastic. I'm not wild about seafood (though I've recently expanded my palate to include shrimp), but I loved trying po-boys, beignets, and jambalaya*, the last of which was my personal favorite. I think I'm physically incapable of disliking places with appetizing regional cuisine.
Once you look past some of the more ravaged portions of the city, New Orleans emerges as a place with distinctive charm. There is Bourbon Street, portions of which I would describe as trashy, but that still possess an aura that is unique to New Orleans. Then there are the areas alongside the Mississippi River, or the quaint historical buildings that comprise Jackson Square.
And perhaps most importantly, the culture. Mardi Gras is the most famous cultural event of the city, but there are numerous other festivals that take place in NOLA. There's also the strong jazz presence, which undoubtedly lends itself to the city's fantastic live-music scene.
The Super Bowl reawakened my appreciation for this city. Congratulations to Drew Brees, Sean Payton, and the Saints, but most importantly, to New Orleans, a city whose people deserved this win.
* For those looking to try a little New Orleanian cuisine, but live outside of the city, The Cheesecake Factory serves a delicious, if inauthentic, chicken and shrimp jambalaya.
