Far from saintly.

Byline: The Register-Guard

Few fans are so naive as to believe that loyalty has much of a role in professional sports.

Teams fire players and coaches with impunity, showing more regard for salary caps than service rendered. Players leap from team to team and city to city in search of higher salaries and to follow the lure of championship rings.

However, the New Orleans Saints may be on the verge of scoring a new low on the loyalty scale. The Washington Post recently reported that the Saints are considering a move in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the Gulf Coast city.

That's about as cold as it gets.

For decades, New Orleans fans have passionately followed the ups and, more often, the downs of the team they call "dem Saints." Even though New Orleans has been one of the smallest markets of any city with an National Football League team, Saints fans faithfully packed the Superdome, even when their team was stumbling and fumbling its way to losing seasons.

Now, according to Post sources, the Saints and the NFL are considering a relocation to Los Angeles if New Orleans is unable to bounce back with sufficient speed and strength - qualities, it should be noted, the Saints have frequently lacked on the field.

To be fair, professional football is a business - and a very big one at that. The Saints' home field, the Superdome, was severely damaged by the storm and will not be available until next fall at the earliest, if it can be repaired at all.

Meanwhile, the team has temporarily moved to San Antonio while New Orleans struggles to rebuild. With four-fifths of the city's homes flooded by Katrina and federally funded reconstruction moving at a glacial pace, it remains to be seen how many of the city's residents will return on a permanent basis. It's not hard to understand why the Saints and the NFL, despite their public denials, might consider moving the team to a lucrative market such as Los Angeles.

It's also easy to understand why rumors of a possible Saints move have incensed city officials and the team's long-suffering fans. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has even insisted that the team, if it does depart, relinquish its name and trademark fleur-de-lis logo.

"We want our Saints; we may not want the owner back," he fumed.

For New Orleans residents - many of whom have lost their homes, possessions and jobs - a move by their beloved Saints would be a cold, cold reminder of loyalty's sadly diminished place in professional sports.