Who does 'Who Dat' belong to?

[Comment Below]

By Joshua Davidson

As many people may have heard, last week the NFL sent out several cease and desist letters to companies that sell merchandise with "Who Dat" on it, including places like Fleurty Girl and Storyville.

Like many other Saints' fans from around the state, I'd like to believe that the phrase "Who Dat" belongs to the fans or to the people that bleed black and gold, but it doesn't. Regardless of who originally started the chant or when it actually came to be, when someone says the words "Who Dat," the first thing anyone thinks of is the Saints. So in that respect, the chant belongs to the Saints, and since they are part of the NFL, then it is a product of the NFL.

The Saints, as an organization, have done a poor job enforcing any sort of trademark on their symbols including that of the fleur de lis, their colors and more recently "Who Dat." So who should profit from merchandise with these elements on them, and who should be mad about it? The Saints should.

You know who shouldn't? Any average Joe that can print out T-shirts and sell them on a street corner or in a mom and pop store. If the store wants to sell Saints' merchandise, they should get a vender's license and sell the shirts legally.

Since "Who Dat" is just as New Orleans Saints as the name itself, the chant is a part of the team. You don't just see people in shops selling a shirt that says "Saints" on it and getting away with it without it being authentic merchandise from the team.

What people fail to think about are all the people on the side of the streets that sell T-shirts illegally profiting from something that they have nothing to do with.

What the NFL is doing is right; it's just doing it a little late. It should have gotten all of this in line in the mid-'80s when the chant really started building up steam, but instead it waited until the Saints were heading into the Super Bowl and were the popular underdog to root for.

If you want to support the team, buy official Saints' merchandise that says Who Dat, not some guy that's just trying to cash in because the Saints are winning. Spend money that will go to the team, not go to a hustler on the street.

So don't look at the NFL like it's the bad guy for trying to get a hold on Who Dat.

Its interests are for the team and to get some extra money. The only people this is hurting are the ones selling the shirts on the street. Shop owners should just get a proper license and stop complaining and start giving money to the team that makes the phrase as popular as it is.

Originally Published: Issue 863 - February 3, 2010

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