Category: Superdome

New Orleans stands on top of Boston Globe’s NFL destinations rankings

New Orleans stands on top of Boston Globe’s NFL destinations rankings

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New Orleans Saints fans have known this for a long time, but it’s always satisfying to get some outside validation. According to veteran Boston Globe NFL writer Ben Volin, there isn’t a better place to catch a football game than New Orleans. Volin reflected on the 200-plus games covered in his career and ranked all 30 NFL cities based on the fan experience of traveling into town, seeing the sights, and grabbing a seat before kickoff.

And in those respects, New Orleans has the rest of the nation on the ropes. Volin wrote of his No. 1-ranked NFL destination:

“It is really hard to have a bad time in New Orleans. Incredible food, incredible culture and nightlife, and most everything is walkable, including the stadium. On game day, the atmosphere inside the Superdome is always loud and supercharged.”

I’ll be curious to see whether New Orleans (and, by extension, the Saints) continue to hold this strong reputation in the post-Drew Brees era. Sean Payton is still coaching a quality roster, but Brees did more than anyone to make the Saints competitive and elevate the black and gold on a national level. If the Saints collapse and become a doormat again, it might take more than world-class food and drinks to appeal to visiting fans.

With that said, New Orleanians will always be able to boast a more attractive home than Tampa (ranked at No. 17 by Volin), Charlotte (24), and Atlanta (27). Let’s see if the NFC South can catch up.

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Report: Caesars Entertainment closing in on naming-rights deal with Superdome

The Athletic’s Jeff Duncan reports that Caesars Entertainment is closing in on an exclusive naming-rights deal with the Saints’ Superdome.

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The Athletic’s Jeff Duncan reports that a new Superdome naming rights sponsorship is close to completion between the New Orleans Saints and Caesars Entertainment, Inc., which would be valued at $200 million over the next twenty years. Nothing has been signed yet, but the move would make the Superdome the first NFL venue to be sponsored by a sports gambling outfit. Caesars also owns Harrah’s New Orleans location, which in 2018 became the official casino partner of the Saints and Pelicans.

Mercedes-Benz inked a ten-year contract for the Superdome rights back in 2011 that was said to be worth $50 to $60 million at the time, but that agreement is set to expire in July after the German automobile manufacturer purchased a 27-year sponsorship of the new Atlanta Falcons stadium at $12 million per year. That agreement included prominent signage throughout the Superdome and the company’s logo emblazoned on the exterior roof.

It’s unclear how Caesars would be represented once pens are put to paper, but this would be a lucrative addition to the franchise. And with so many expensive ongoing renovations at work ahead of the 2021 season and New Orleans’ next Super Bowl scheduled for 2025 (when Drew Brees could be on the call with NBC’s broadcast of the championship game), adding more resources to get the Superdome ready for prime time is a good move.

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LOOK: Superdome lights up with goodbye message to Drew Brees

The Mercedes-Benz Superdome nighttime lights show featured a tribute to New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees after he announced his retirement.

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Drew Brees rattled the NFL on Sunday when he announced his decision to retire after the 2020 season, leaving a historic legacy behind with the New Orleans Saints. Tributes and congratulations flooded in for Brees from teammates, peers, and rivals on social media, but one message dominated the conversation: “Thank you, Drew,” from his fans and supporters within and outside the Who Dat Nation.

And that expression was echoed on the walls of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, written large in addition to the stadium’s nightly lights show. That’s not the first time the Superdome has saluted him; Brees’ accomplishments have been displayed for the city to see before, celebrating broken records and big wins. It’s a fitting acknowledgement for the best player in team history. Let’s circle back in a few years once he’s voted into the Hall of Fame.

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LOOK: Renderings of new field-level suites at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome

New Orleans Saints fans will soon have the option to rent field-level suites at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, beginning in the 2021 season.

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Construction on renovations to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome will resume once the 2020 season has concluded, and now we have a new look at what’s in store for 2021 and beyond. The upgrades include 164 new private suites for viewing New Orleans Saints home games, a dozen of which will be on the field level. Computer-generated renderings of the new additions were shared by WDSU’s Fletcher Mackel.

These field-level suites have been in vogue around the NFL in recent years, with the Dallas Cowboys, Carolina Panthers, Los Angeles Rams and Chargers among teams introducing them at their home venues.

Saints Vice President of Brand Strategy Jen Martindale told Forbes.com about the new seating options: “The field level suites will take the Saints game experience to a whole new level. In addition to being the closest seats to the field, these suites are the most luxurious, comfortable spaces in the Superdome.”

It’s just one of many new changes coming to one of the NFL’s most historic venues. And it’s right on schedule within the city’s timeline to host its next Super Bowl in 2025. Stay tuned for news on additional plans and modifications as details continue to emerge.

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Superdome officials report 32 positive coronavirus cases amid renovations

32 construction workers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome renovations project tested positive for the novel coronavirus COVID-19.

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Renovations on the Mercedes-Benz Superdome began immediately after the LSU Tigers won their Jan. 13 national title game, taking the first steps to ensure the New Orleans Saints will continue to play in a cutting-edge venue rivaling any stadium around the NFL.

Back in May, WDSU-New Orleans reported that construction on the Superdome (most of which is happening behind the scenes, where fans won’t see it, in this first phase) had not been impacted by the novel coronavirus pandemic. However, a recent statement from Superdome officials to WDSU confirmed that nearly three dozen workers received positive tests.

The statement to WDSU reads: “We can confirm that in the last few weeks, 32 of the 275-plus daily workers on the project have tested positive for COVID-19. This post-Memorial Day increase is consistent with what 21 other states, not including Louisiana, are experiencing at this stage of the pandemic as more restrictions have been lifted for travel, shopping, and work.”

Those staffers are employees of Broadmoor, LLC, a contractor that is spearheading the Superdome project. According to the statement, affected workers were sent home to self-isolate and must clear testing before they can return. In the meantime, their coworkers received personal protective equipment to wear on the job in an attempt at limiting further infections.

Broadmoor and Superdome management are also working together to enhance health and safety procedures, detailed as, “access to handwashing stations, wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) and that all workspaces are cleaned and sanitized daily. In addition, medical technicians administer temperature screenings for all workers who enter the Superdome each day, and Broadmoor has instituted social distancing measures, including staggered starts and breaks.”

It remains to be seen whether this will affect the project’s construction goals, which are staggered to account for the expected start of the NFL season. These extensive renovations to the Superdome were drawn up in a yearslong plan to work around Saints games and other big events, but organizers may have to adjust on the fly if the pandemic continues to trip them up.

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Superdome renovations, naming rights sponsor search not slowed by Covid-19

The New Orleans Saints are renovating the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and recruiting new naming-rights sponsor despite the Covid-19 coronavirus.

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The New Orleans Saints have played games inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome for nearly a decade, but their home stadium will wear a different name after the 2021 season.

As first reported by Nola.com’s Jeff Nowak last year, Mercedes-Benz’s 10-year naming-rights sponsorship with the Superdome will soon expire. And the Saints are busy recruiting new partners for one of the most iconic venues in American sports.

Forbes reports that an internal memo stresses a desire for regional benefits tied to a new sponsor’s cooperation, such as a “Hurricane Preparedness Pep Rally” planned to help residents stockpile supplies before the summer storm season. The Saints are always active in their community outreach, and they clearly plan to increase those efforts once they’ve acquired more resources.

Meanwhile, the Superdome itself is having some work done under the hood. A $450 million renovation and expansion project is in the works, designed at easing congestion for fans exiting the stadium and improving behind-the-scenes logistics like new service elevators and food preparation facilities. The most noticeable change for fans watching from home might be the addition of field-level box seating near the end zones, which can be seen in other stadiums around the NFL.

That work began immediately after the LSU Tigers’ victory in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game, and it hasn’t been impeded by the novel coronavirus pandemic. WDSU-New Orleans reports that construction is moving ahead on schedule, with different phases of activity planned around the upcoming Saints seasons, the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four, and landmark music festivals like Essence Fest.

While it’s unfortunate that many of these events have been postponed or canceled while the country’s healthcare system combats the coronavirus, this might be an opportunity for the Superdome renovations to move a little quicker with fewer stops and starts. Maybe it’ll all wrap up ahead of the stated goal: 2024’s Super Bowl LVIII, the next NFL title game hosted by New Orleans.

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Saints, NFL considering delay for New Orleans’ hosting next Super Bowl

The New Orleans Saints and the NFL are discussing whether to host the Super Bowl in 2025 instead due to a Mardi Gras scheduling conflict.

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The NFL’s decision to expand its regular season to 17 games has resulted in larger changes for its schedule, and one of those could be hitting Saints fans close to home. NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reported Thursday that the NFL has been in discussions with the Saints and the city of New Orleans about a scheduling conflict between the 2024 Super Bowl and that year’s Mardi Gras festivities.

That combination of mass events may be too much for the city’s infrastructure to support, so it’s possible that New Orleans could end up hosting the 2025 Super Bowl instead. The Saints won the bid to host the 2024 title game back in 2018, making it the eleventh Super Bowl to be played in New Orleans, more than any other American city.

There are a few upsides to postponing the year in which the Saints will host another Super Bowl. The Mercedes-Benz Superdome began extensive renovation work earlier this offseason as part of a yearslong effort to modernize the facility. Delaying its next Super Bowl appearance would do a lot to take pressure off the construction timeline. But the league and the city have not yet ruled out whether to keep the New Orleans-hosted 2024 Super Bowl in place as scheduled, and it’s unclear which city would host instead.

For the curious, here are the locations of the remaining Super Bowls that have been awarded:

  • 2021, Super Bowl LV: Tampa, Fla.
  • 2022, Super Bowl LVI: Los Angeles, Cal.
  • 2023, Super Bowl LVII: Glendale, Ari.
  • 2024, Super Bowl LVIII: New Orleans, La.

Saints vice president of communications Greg Bensel later issued a statement to the media:

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First look at redressed Superdome ahead of National Championship Game

The Mercedes-Benz Superdome has been prepared for the College Football National Championship Game between the LSU Tigers and Clemson Tigers.

 

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A major football game will kick off at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Monday night, but it won’t feature the New Orleans Saints. Instead, the LSU Tigers and Clemson Tigers will kick off the College Football Playoff National Championship Game in front of a raucous home crowd, and the Superdome has been decorated for the occasion.

The first look at the dressed-up Superdome comes from Nola.com director of photography David Grunfeld, who shared a photo from the LSU end zone to his official Twitter account. The Superdome is covered in LSU purple and Clemson orange, with College Football Playoff logos on just about every surface. See it for yourself:

This game is kind of poignant — it will be the last kickoff in the Superdome before major renovations sweep through the building this offseason, with further updates and construction planned for next year, too. It’s all part of a larger agenda to maintain pace with other top-tier venues around the country, which will allow New Orleans to continue hosting major events like college football bowl games and playoff championships, Super Bowls (the next NFL title game will be played in New Orleans in 2024), Wrestlemania, Monsterjam, landmark music concerts, and of course, Saints home games. The Superdome will look different the next time Saints fans crowd its halls.

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