The New Orleans Saints are heading to France to play a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. It's the story of the week in the New Orleans sports market.
Many things in Louisiana, including the name of the state, named after King Louis, have French ties. The name of the Saints' city is New Orleans, named after Orleans, France.
Orleans is located an hour and a half south of Paris depending on your mode of travel. The Saints will be playing close enough for Saints fans going on the road to travel there, too.
The Associated Press' Ken Maguire discussed the origins of New Orleans' name and the Saints' logo. Here's some of what Maguire had to write on the topic.
"As the NFL has expanded globally — this season there are a record nine international games — the league has allowed teams to claim countries in its “global markets” program.
The Saints are currently the only team with marketing rights in France. The designation lets them sign commercial deals and grow their fan base in the country.
'They’re in good position. They’re becoming France’s team, which is great,' said Brett Gosper, the NFL’s head of Europe and Asia-Pacific. 'I don’t think it will be long before other teams turn up in France, because it’s such a great market,' he added. 'The Saints may enjoy it for a while on their own, but I’m not sure how long that will last.'"
The Steelers have French ties, too. Maguire discussed them in his article on the topic.
"The Steelers can claim a connection to France, as well. 'Pittsburgh bears the mark of Franco-American history: in the 18th century, the French built Fort Duquesne there, on the territory that would become the future city,' said the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs in a social media post this week."
The title of America's Team already exists. The Dallas Cowboys hold that title, even though the 1970's nickname lacks relevance in modern day. The Cowboys haven't won enough to command that kind of attention.
The title of France's Team may be on the line on Sunday.
Whether or not the two teams can generate enough interest in American football is still to be seen. France is a country that takes pride in what Americans call soccer. Still, the game is an interesting opportunity for the Saints to celebrate their French roots. They will hope to head home with a win.