As Sam Sees It

Hurricane Katrina was the worst natural disaster in American history. Many lives were lost and more were changed forever. The country will be pondering the mistakes made that contributed to making the disaster even worse and there were plenty.

Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama are all noted for having competitive athletic teams, especially at the collegiate level. The effect on some of these will be minimal, but many will suffer major disruptions and changes to their athletic programs.

Louisiana has a plethora of college teams noted for their athletic prowess. The Louisiana State University Tigers out of Baton Rouge have fielded topnotch football, baseball and basketball teams for decades.

The Tigers were ranked fifth in the nation when the hurricane struck. One of the first changes in an athletic schedule was the relocating of LSU's game with the Arizona State Sun Devils from Baton Rouge to Tempe. The future of other LSU home games will be determined later. Baton Rouge has been affected as much by the influx of hurricane victims from New Orleans as by the hurricane itself.

Tulane University is a highly regarded private school located in New Orleans. The Green Wave fields quality teams in every sport. The Tulane baseball team went deep into the college playoffs just this summer. That campus may not reopen for sometime.

Even some of the "little" schools in Louisiana are noted for their sports programs. Terry Bradshaw of NFL fame played at Louisiana Tech. The Grambling Tigers are a storied and highly successful black university. Southern University is one of Grambling's chief rivals.

Mississippi has three universities which compete well in most sports. The only one likely to have suffered major hurricane damage is Southern Mississippi at Hattiesburg. The University of Mississippi at Oxford and Mississippi State at Starkville are far enough north to have missed the brunt of Katrina, but have many students and athletes whose families felt its wrath.

These states have excellent and proud high school athletic programs. Some of those schools may never open again. If they do, they may find their students have relocated.

There are probably some "athletic bonanzas" out there for schools fortunate enough to reap them.

There is really no way of knowing where the more talented high school athletes who fled the hurricane-ravaged areas will relocate. Don't be surprised, though, if some schools that were expected to be among the weaker in their conferences find new strength from the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina.

Let's hope that the various state athletic associations cut through the red tape and allow the displaced athletes to at least continue to compete in their sports. Let's also hope that in doing so, they allow students already in their states every opportunity to play.

It is difficult to predict how Hurricane Katrina will change the face of athletics in America, but it will change it. The New Orleans Saints of the NFL are almost certainly going to have to find a new home, at least for this season. So will the Hornets of the NBA. There is no major league baseball team in Louisiana or Mississippi, but there are some high minor league teams that will be displaced.

All of this is unimportant compared to the real problem of rebuilding (which will be done, wise or not) and designing adequate measures to protect against another such disaster.

There is a lot of work to be done. Getting the athletic teams back in action is probably one of the most important things that can be done for the morale of those who survived the hurricane.

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