If the NFL isn’t going to throw a flag, Christ Episcopal Church will.
Via Kim Chatelain of the New Orleans Times-Picayune comes the latest installment in Saints fans finding a way to vent their anger and process the grief of being jammed out of a trip to the Super Bowl.
Rev. Bill Miller, the rector of Christ Episcopal in nearby Covington, is doing his part to help distraught fans channel their feelings in a more productive way during services Sunday.
“Folks will be encouraged to wear black and gold,” Miller said. “And we will distribute yellow penalty flags during the service but will turn them into prayer flags on which they can write an injustice or a challenge they wish to change, or work toward changing.”
After the service, fans can leave to the tune of “When the Saints Go Marchin’ In” and hang the symbolic flags on prayer lines outside the church.
“It’s really important that Saints fans take the high road and not stay stuck in the unhelpful place of anger and frustration,” Miller said.
If any good comes out of reminding his parishoners to focus their attention on solving a societal problem rather than griping about a football game, then that can only help. And if the gimmick helps goose attendance during the lull between Christmas and Easter for the non-regulars, that’s fine too.
But it remains a gimmick, just like all the petitions and proclamations from politicians and grandstanding happening elsewhere, regarding a problem the NFL doesn’t seem inclined to fix.
