Once In a Lifetime: How the 2009-10 Saints Embody the American Spirit.

In the history of professional football (and sports) there has never been a bigger underdog franchise than the New Orleans Saints. And there has never been a better underdog story than that of the 2009-10 New Orleans Saints.

Since the Saints joined the NFL in 1967 they have played in only 10 post-season games. Let that number sink in. It took them a decade to achieve their first .500 regular season record. It took them two decades to have their first winning season. It took them 43 years to win their first conference championship.

Their history of losing is so extreme and consistent that they do not have one single rival in the entire NFL. Think about that for a second. That means that if you're not a New Orleans Saints fan you have no inherent reason to hate or dislike the Saints… unless your team is playing them -- and even then it is very hard to root against a team that you have historically always destroyed. It’s also hard to root against a fan base that is so self-aware of the pathetic nature of their team that they once put trash bags over their faces during games. (They still went to the game though!)

This level of losing is unheard of in any other franchise in professional sports history. The Clippers come close, but the Lakers have always been in town, so basketball fans in L.A. have gotten off easy. The New Orleans Saints fans have not been so lucky. This underdog story is as much about the fans as it is about the franchise. They're in this together.

If you've ever met a Saints fan you know that they are the least obnoxious and the most endearing sports fans on the planet. How could they not be? To continue to love a failing team requires more faith than reason, and Saints fans are aware of this fact. Truthfully, they embrace the bond they have with the team because they know that no other fan can understand that bond. Comical and irrational as it may be, they have pride in loving a team that never wins. (It also subsequently feels that much better when they do win). The team that requires the most faith to love and follow in all of sports is a team called "The Saints." Get ready to taste more irony.

The tragedy of the Saints franchise was always overlooked because of the aura of New Orleans itself and self-awareness of the Saints fans. That is why Hurricane Katrina is such a big part of this underdog story.

The Saints franchise had been in sports hell for a while. Hurricane Katrina put the entire city in a proverbial hell. The Saints' rise to NFL prominence has come at a time when the city of New Orleans has needed them the most. In many ways it feels like karmic retribution for the loyalty of the Saints fans. For so many miserable, heart-aching decades they stood by the Saints and, in the city's darkest hour, the Saints franchise answered the call and provided the light.

How ironic and sensational is it that a franchise known for losing provided an unquestionable sense of hope for a city trying to overcome the greatest natural disaster in American history? It is truly remarkable. The team inspired the city, the city inspired the team -- and together they would conquer the hell that they shared.

The ultimate underdog franchise, filled with an underdog roster, and cheered on by people in the most realistically brutal underdog situation are on their way to a place that they thought would never exist in their reality: The Super Bowl. This would feel cliché if it weren’t so real. The genius of the irony evokes an unmistakable sense of fate into everything about the 2009-10 New Orleans Saints and their quest for the city's first Super Bowl Championship.

How can you NOT cheer on the 2009-10 Saints? Seriously. (Colts fans get a pass… I guess)

How often do we get the opportunity to witness and be a part of something this ironic, miraculous and joyous? Even if you're not a football fan, you have to be touched and amazed by what the city, fans and team have accomplished and been through together over the last 5 years. This is more than a sports story. At its core it’s an American story.

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