I’ve got a thing for the underdog in just about every situation I can imagine. Starting the season back in August, people were talking about the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints as the teams to beat and, somehow, that’s who ended up in the Super Bowl. The 15 and 1 Colts were taking on the 13 and 3 Saints and while lots of people were wanting the Saints to win, most of those people still seemed to pick the Colts to win it. Peyton Manning is a machine. The man only takes a break from football to make Oreo commercials with his brother, Eli and the Williams sisters. And even then, I’m sure he’s reading playbooks in between takes. The Colts were efficient, solid, dependable and talented. But then there were the Saints. The never quitting, always enthusiastic Saints. The team that spent 21 seasons trying to put together a winning season. The team who, not only had never won a Super Bowl, but had also never even made an appearance at the Super Bowl. The team whose fans used to show up to games with paper bags over their heads, wanting to be supportive, but not wanting to been seen at the games. The Aints. As in Ain’t Gonna Happen. How could you not root for this team…

Perhaps even more inspiring than the teams long history of Aintsness is New Orleans’ relatively short history of post-Katrina devastation. After Katrina hit there was talk that the team would not return there.  Then Quarterback Drew Brees showed up on the scene after San Diego dismissed him looking for a younger quarterback. Brees had something to prove, and someone to prove it for. The Saints came back to New Orleans and they brought with them hope for the city. They worked, on the field and off, for New Orleans. They made it about something bigger than football- they made it about an entire city. On SportsCenter this morning, Saints linebacker Scott Fujita was interviewed saying the Saints didn’t win the Super Bowl, that New Orleans won the Super Bowl. This is what sports should be about.

The Saints became America’s team this season. They gained attention by going unbeaten through the first half of the season; they were dynamic. Their players had personality. Reggie Bush, while also serving out in the community and being one of the most acrobatic players on the field (from any team in the NFL, not just the Saints), is also dating reality tv star Kim Kardashian. It seemed like no matter who you were, you couldn’t avoid hearing about the Saints. They worked hard, they got the job done and that’s what Americans like to identify themselves with. Bandwagon fans abound! They’re not a dynasty team like the Cowboys and Patriots of past decades. They also had a story of a city that needed some kind of victory. What’s not to love?

The Saints are a perfect example of why I love sports. The power of a team to encourage a downtrodden city, maybe even a struggling country, to celebrate is amazing. The Saints proved a teams ability to be bigger than themselves and unite people who normally may have nothing in common. I’m glad the under dog won last night. And I’m also glad The Who played a great half time show. And, can we talk commercials? Bud light house? Bud light auto-tune?! MILK-A-WHAAA?

Annie is the Sports and Fitness Editor for Girls Guide. She writes about all kinds of sports related topics and then really goes out and plays sports almost every evening. You can contact Annie by emailing her at annie [at] girlsguidetothegalaxy [dot] com, and we are still trying to talk her into getting a Twitter account – no success yet.