Sports can help the healing process

Tomorrow is my day to present to the class and since newspapers are starting to give away their stories online the night before the paper is published, what better way to show off web journalism than to give away my presentation the night before I do it?

On Monday, Professor Kennedy showed the class the New York Times' coverage of the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks and I sat there thinking about how I dealt with the situation, having lived only a couple of miles from Ground Zero. Sports has been and always been my stress reliever. When baseball returned to New York City a mere 10 days after the attacks, I focused on that, hoping to forget about the horror that happened only a short while before. I was not alone. Thousands felt the same way when they showed up at Shea Stadium on Sept. 21 and a certain big-hitting catcher put their minds at ease with this mammoth blast.

This past Monday, the Saints returned to New Orleans, a little over a year after Hurricane Katrina nearly destroyed the city. The Saints were as much in limbo last season as the residents of New Orleans were. The city needed the Saints and the Saints needed the city. They reunited in grand fashion. The newspapers were in full force with their coverage of this emotional event. The Times produced an excellent video story on the fans and their return to the Superdome. The Times-Picayune and nola.com came up with a slideshow also commemorating the return.

For those who like to stick to words, Michael Smith at ESPN.com has a personal connection with New Orleans and tells the world why the city needs the Saints. Wright Thompson also wrote an emotional story, this one retelling the story of a family's journey for safety and explaining how the rebuilding of the Superdome is a symbol for the reconstruction of the entire city.