If anyone needed any further proof of the importance of NFL in America then surely Monday’s Press opportunity meeting of President Obama and the reigning Super Bowl champions The New Orleans Saints will have provided it once and for all.  The Saints were greeted in the East Room where he took the opportunity to get in a  a nice PR statement – that the Saints represented “the hopes and the dreams of a shattered city” in reference to the Hurricane Katrina disaster, which to be fair was badly managed by his predecessor George Bush.

In a light hearted move the President was presented with a Saints Shirt with Obama 44 on it – referencing him being the 44thman to hold down the job.  Just to enhance the melodrama of the autograph signing and photo opportunity the White House band treated those in attendance to a rendition of  “When the Saints come marching home”.

Soon though it was back to business as per usual with discussions turning to more important things such as more polularist swipes at BP and their efforts to stop the Gulf oil leak, meanwhile the  Saints departed chorused by more hand claps, chants of “Who dat!” and the band playing their song again.