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Nick Fairley Grand Marshal of MAMGA in Hometown of Mobile

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 6:08 p.m. ET

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Fansided, Roy Anderson/FanSided via Who Dat Dish

On Fat Tuesday, February 28 this year, Saints defensive tackle Nick Fairley will return to his hometown of Mobile, Alabama to be Grand Marshal of MAMGA, the Mobile Area Mardi Gras Association.

Mardi Gras as we know it today originated in Mobile after the Civil War as a way to bring some joy back to the people of the region suffering through the loss of family and harsh economic times.

In theory, it’s for everyone. In practice, it has a history of segregation just as much as any other institution in the South. The Colored Carnival Association was brought into being in Mobile in 1938 as a way for African-Americans to have their own Mardi Gras celebration. That eventually became MAMGA, the Mobile Area Mardi Gras Association.

Unfortunately, Mardi Gras in Mobile, New Orleans, and the rest of the Gulf South is still a very segregated institution. But on Mardi Gras day, MAMGA hosts the Mammoth Parade, a truly inclusive affair. This reporter has personally taken place in a Mammoth Parade and it was absolutely off the hook insane. Perhaps the most fun I’ve ever had.

This year, the association’s Grand Marshal is the Black and Gold’s very own Nick Fairley.

As a kid, it’s certain he attended the parades to catch throws and take in Mobile’s amazing

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marching bands from schools like his own alma mater Williamson High School. Their band is on a level with the legendary bands from Florida A&M, Southern, Grambling, etc. Given his size as a kid, it’s likely Fairley took home much more than his fair share of candy and beads.

But it’s just this kind of tie that binds that is likely to keep Nick Fairley in a Saints uniform in 2017 and beyond. There’s nothing like it in Detroit, St. Louis or Los Angeles certainly. In New Orleans, if you want some Popeye’s fried chicken it’s right around the corner. Some good gumbo, jambalaya, etoufee, grocery stores that carry grits, it’s things like that that make a man want to be close to home.

Family and culture provide a level of comfort that’s hard to replace regardless of the money one’s making. In the NFL they call it a “homeboy discount” when a player takes less money to be near the things he loves. Though the Saints will certainly have to pay Fairley well due to his outstanding performance in 2016, it’s unlikely they’ll be outbid based on money alone.

If you want to find out more about Mardi Gras in Mobile and MAMGA an excellent movie about it was put out by author/director Margaret Brown in 2009 called “The Order of Myths”. The Peabody Award-winning film is a must see.

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