Scuzzbucket of the Month

Some "know-it-all" from ESPN (who HATE the Saints for some reason).

His comments on New Orleans are outlined below

Kristian: Colin Cowherd needs to re-examine his facts
by Kristain Garic , posted May 22 2012 4:01PM
ESPN's Colin Cowherd slammed New Orleans on his nationally syndicated talk show today.

No, not the Saints...the City of New Orleans itself!

"Can I ask you something," Cowherd said. "Why is the least-safe major city in the country now the default destination for every big sporting event?"

Cowherd seemed miffed that New Orleans landed the Super Bowl, the Final Four, the BCS National Championship AND possibly the Pro Bowl, all within the span of one calendar year.

"It is the least safe major city in the country…not my opinion, statistically the least safe," he said. "There are only two where locals will tell you, turn around, don't go that way…Detroit and New Orleans."

To say the City of New Orleans is unsafe is completely unfounded. Are some parts less desirable? Absolutely! Are there segments of this city that you shouldn’t venture into? Yes. But, that doesn’t mean New Orleans shouldn’t host major sporting events. What city is better at hosting sporting events than the Big Easy? None!

Click below to hear Cowherd's remarks:


Several times, Cowherd seemed to equate having a flashy airport with his idea of an ideal sports destination.

"(New Orleans) doesn't have a world-class airport. It is not geographically easy for much of the country to get to. I mean if you live Rocky Mountains west, New Orleans is a looong way away."

This is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. I mean, New Orleans is somewhat centrally located to the rest of the Continental United States and the 31 other NFL markets. How much farther is Miami or New York from "West of the Rocky Mountains?"

"I want a lot of hotel rooms, a great airport, good weather, safety,” Cowherd said. New Orleans is not top-15 in any of those."

Granted, New Orleans has a crime problem, but the numbers are somewhat skewed by violent crimes committed by people who know each other, and drug-related crime in some of the more downtrodden parts of the city. Yes, this is a major problem the city faces...but actual attacks upon tourists, and people in “tourist areas" are pretty rare.

He "wants a lot of hotel rooms?" Had he bothered to check, Cowherd would have found that in terms of hotel rooms, New Orleans is tops in the nation, in both quality and quantity.

And, NOT in the top 15 for "great weather?" Good God, man, where would you rather be in February for the Super Bowl? New York? Chicago? Green Bay?

I think it’s simple why New Orleans hosts major sporting event after sporting event. This city knows what it’s doing. We host a party like no other. We have police PROTECTION like no other. I’ve been to Super Bowls in other cities, and while they were nice, they didn’t have that "personal touch" of New Orleans. That's not just me talking, in Indianapolis dozens of people stopped by our broadcast booth on Radio Row and said, "Yes, Indy is nice, but we can't WAIT to be in New Orleans next year!" And when the Final Four was here, folks I talked to loved their experience.

Cowherd is a West Coast elitist who swoops in for a night or two, stays in a swanky upscale hotel, and gets whisked around in a limo surrounded by security. He doesn’t experience a fraction of what New Orleans really offers real fans in the sports scene. (Hell, no wonder he's so infatuated with hotel rooms and airports...that's ALL he ever sees!) No other city combines food, music, fun, night life, and local flavor like we do. Other cities do certain things well, but only New Orleans has it ALL, and more, within walking distance.

Hey, haters are gonna hate. If Cowherd is getting through the off-season by just trolling hard, I guess I'm just feeding the troll here. But, if he's got a bias against New Orleans because he doesn't like the city, he needs to man up and just admit it. Instead, his arguments are factually suspect at best, and intentionally malicious at worst.

Part of me says, "Screw him, Colin Cowherd can keep stay on the West Coast." But despite everything he said, I'm a fan of Cowherd's and would love to take the time to be a tour guide and show him both the good and bad of our town.

The door is open, Colin. Be responsible and take the time and effort to really learn about one of the greatest cities in the world before you slam it!