Opinion
 

Staff Editorial

                          Matt Dulin    Barrett Goldsmith    Zach Lee 
                Jim Parsons            Christian Schmidt           Blake Whitaker

Whew!

Why were we so worried?

In the months and days leading up to the Super Bowl, it seemed Houston was, as a Washington Post reporter put it, "busy having an anxiety attack."

But it's all over now. The signs telling us to put our smile on can go down -- company's leaving. We can finally go back to being the ugly misanthropes we really are. We can stop worrying about how the weather will turn out. The big day is gone, and Houston represented itself in fine, true fashion: with a wet cold front.

What better way to say, "Hey y'all, welcome to Houston!"

There's no sense in trying to invent a new image for Houston with impulsive beautification efforts. Why aren't we concerned with making Houston a cool place to live because we live here, instead of making it cool for someone who couldn't care less, such as Kid Rock?

While there were several reports coming out of the more than 4,000 members of the media giving Houston a pat on the back, a few dished out disappointment.

Bill Simmons, the Sports Guy of ESPN, used his Super Blog to dismiss Houston as pathetic, mostly, it seemed, on account of the weather. But Saturday's party time cured his discontent for a while. 

Meanwhile, journalists from towns like Dallas and San Jose, Calif., unloaded criticisms of Houston's sprawl, no doubt motivated by their inability to attract the bowl to their own cities.

If they thought Houston was bad, they should just wait a couple years. Detroit is sure to be a charming place.

The New England Patriots may have walked away with the Lombardi trophy Sunday, but Houston walked away the bigger winner. We only hope our rediscovered pride lingers long enough to fuel more improvements throughout the city. The criticism and compliments Houston got in the media should help us see the town as others see it, which is valuable in some ways. But more important is how we see our town and what we take pride in.

It looks to us like Houston's in a prime position to bring the Super Bowl back. Here's to 2009.
 Send comments to dccampus@mail.uh.edu