Saints, Colts not a big draw in N.C.

Super Bowl

Saints, Colts not a big draw in N.C.

By Ken Medlin, Erin Hartness, Ken Smith

Feb 8, 2010

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The biggest spectacle in American sports drew hardcore fans and casual observers to television sets across the country on Super Bowl Sunday.

Across Carolina, the parties were mostly muted.

What could have been a banner day for sports bars turned out to be a bust for many.

Chris Allen, manager of Skybox Bar at the North Raleigh Hilton, said, “It’s tough. You have Indianapolis and New Orleans -- two non-traditional markets. It’s just not a game people are excited about.”

In a tour of 10 sports bars across the Triangle, WRAL News crews found six people dressed in Colts jerseys and none wearing the black and gold of the Saints.

Louisiana fans gather for emotional win

Watching the Saints march to victory had special emotional resonance for Geraldine Gilbert and her family. They moved from New Orleans to Wake County after Hurricane Katrina and watched the game with some fellow Louisianans.

"It's comforting to be able to have extended family because once you come from Louisiana, then everybody becomes extended family whether you are blood-related or not,” she said.

"It's not just a football game," she said. "It's history in the making."

Her sister, Eva Gilbert, described being a Saints fan as “the good, the bad and the ugly.”

“We've been the Saints, the Aints, the bagheads,” she said.

In the years since Katrina, the team has been the glue that held the city together, she added.

"The Saints are a big part of what New Orleans is … and through it all, they were there and we never stopped following them."

“That's why this game was so important,” her sister Geraldine concluded. “Not just for the score, but for the story.”

Indy fan wears the blue and white

Rooting for the other side was Bill Burns. He is such an avid Colts fan he named his son Peyton.

Burns hosted a party in north Raleigh for fellow Colts fans, setting the tone for his guests by painting his head.

“I got the idea watching (DirecTV’s NFL) Sunday Ticket,” he said. “There was a Colts fan always like this behind the Colts bench.”

It took a neighbor two hours to reproduce the Colts helmet on Burns’s shaved head.

"It was definitely something different," neighbor Chris Hawk said. "It was a little bit awkward, but we're neighbors and we'll just chalk it up to that."

Win or lose, Burns said, he’ll wash it off before work Monday morning.

Military families celebrate with Panthers players

The biggest party in North Carolina was sponsored by the NFL Network at Fort Bragg. The network asked the USO of North Carolina to help host an event to honor America’s military.

Carolina Panthers players Tyler Brayton and Jason Baker, a USO ambassador, signed autographs and posed for pictures with fans at USA sports on post.

The party started with a moment of silence for those who serve. It was a welcome break from the daily stresses faced by military families.

Soldier James Corn and his wife jumped at the chance to meet the players and score an autograph. He recently returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan

“There's many times I didn't think I was going to be here. I'm just blessed to be here,” he said.

His wife, Jennifer, said their daughter is also a fan. “She likes the Panthers. When daddy is watching it on TV, she sits there and plays and claps for the Panthers.”

Tiffany Mitchell lost her husband in Afghanistan. She attended the party with her mom.

“It's wonderful,” she said. “Everybody here, the Panthers, the Super Bowl, the family, it's fun.”

Baker, a punter, is an ambassador for the USO of North Carolina.

“I think everybody in the U.S. and abroad recognize that our armed forces, whether it be a conflict or a situation like Haiti, these are the people we call when you need them.”

“To be able to come down here and enjoy Super Bowl Sunday with some of the people that serve our country, it's just an honor,” his teammate Brayton said.

Even those who could not make it to the party got something from the players.

Kim Hall clutched an autographed sweatshirt she will save for her husband, who is serving in Afghanistan.

“I was disappointed when i found out they were going to be here and he's gone,” she said.

Most Recent Comments

RE: Saints, Colts not a big draw in N.C.

I'm originally from the gulf coast so pulling for the Saints is in my blood. I'm glad they finally won! It's been a long road but they did it. WHO DAT!!

RE: Saints, Colts not a big draw in N.C.

I'm somewhat surprised the Saints and Colts were not a big draw here in the Triangle. Since we don't have a home NFL team, I would have thought at least the Superbowl would have sparked some interest. I personally wanted the Saints to win as they did, because my feeling was New Orleans went through so much during and after Hurricane Katrina, the City deserved the joy of the victory. If for no other reason than that, it would have been nice if football fans in the Triangle could have had some more interest in the game.

RE: Saints, Colts not a big draw in N.C.

DUH THE SAINTS ARE IN THE NFC SOUTH WITH OUR PANTHERS WE HATE THE SAINTS!!!!!!!!

RE: Saints, Colts not a big draw in N.C.

here in greenville, i saw a lot of saints fans. a few indy fans were out and about, mainly for manning, some raised that way from birth. but, i saw a lot of people pulling for individual teams in this area. it was an overall good atmosphere, marred by a couple of dramatic incidents.

RE: Saints, Colts not a big draw in N.C.

Just because people were not at sports bars does not mean there was little interest. I was at a Super Bowl party in North Raleigh that had almost 50 people there. Some stayed only until halftime so they could get the kids home to bed on a school night, but everyone was into the game. Most were for the Colts, but there were those there cheering on the Saints also. It was an entertaining close game.

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