With only one post-season victory in franchise history, the New Orleans Saints are rarely playing football at home in January. In their absence the New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers have gotten comfortable in the Louisiana Superdome. The franchises have won the last three Super Bowls held in New Orleans, continuing a tradition of post-season football in a city known for its nightlife and spectacle. When Hurricane Katrina crippled New Orleans and the Superdome in 2005, it did more than make the Saints a nomadic franchise. It ended all hope of hosting another Super Bowl until 2011. The exact dollar loss of missing a turn in the Super Bowl rotation is unknown. The New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau estimated the economic impact of Super Bowl XXXVI, the last Super Bowl hosted in New Orleans, to be $350 million. The 2002 championship game brought 125,000 visitors to the city, filling hotels, restaurants, bars and shops in what is typically a slow tourism period before Mardi Gras. The Super Bowl is not the only postseason game in New Orleans. As many LSU fans remember from the 2003 BCS National Championship victory over the University of Oklahoma, the Super Bowl is not the only bowl in town. The Sugar Bowl has been played in New Orleans since 1935. The game traditionally matches the Southeastern Conference champion against one at-large team. The Sugar Bowl is also part of the Bowl Championship Series, a bowl alliance that brings the BCS National Championship Game to New Orleans every four years. Last season the Sugar Bowl was moved to the Georgia Dome in Atlanta while the Superdome and New Orleans were being repaired. New Orleans lost tourism dollars and one of its most recognizable events. The NOCVB estimates the economic impact of the Sugar Bowl to be $250 million. Both the Sugar Bowl and Super Bowl have higher estimated economic impacts than Mardi Gras, which brings in $220 million. Allstate Insurance has partnered with the Sugar Bowl as its title sponsor for the next four years. Allstate replaces Nokia, who was the Sugar Bowl’s title sponsor from 1995 until 2006. Allstate will also be the title sponsor of the BCS National Championship Game in 2008. Years in which the championship game joins the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans could have a greater impact on New Orleans than the Super Bowl. The New Orleans bowl season begins with the New Orleans Bowl. The game matches the Sun Belt Conference champion and an at-large team from Conference USA to open the college football postseason. The bowl was moved to Lafayette following Hurricane Katrina, presenting numerous challenges. “All things considered, it went pretty well for us,” said Billy Ferrante, New Orleans Bowl executive director. Ferrante said the logistical challenges of organizing a bowl game in less than three months were trying. He said having the game in Lafayette slightly diminished the income for the game due to less hotel vacancy in a town still housing Katrina evacuees. Ferrante said the typical economic impact of the New Orleans Bowl is up to $20 million. The forced migration not only changed the venue of the game, but it also ended a three-year partnership with Wyndham Hotels. “Wyndham pulled out when we moved [the game],” said Ferrante. The hotel chain was the title sponsor of the bowl from 2002 to 2004. Currently the game has no title sponsor, but Ferrante said he is confident the game will replace Wyndham in time for the 2007 New Orleans Bowl. His outlook for the Dec. 22 game is bright. “We’re back in our home,” said Ferrante. “The game is moved to a Friday night, which is easier on game participants. We’re going to have our best bowl ever.” Friday night is usually reserved for high school football, but for its championships the Louisiana High School Athletic Association chooses to play Saturday and Sunday. The LHSAA moved its championships to the Independence Bowl in Shreveport following Katrina. The State Farm Prep Classic returns to New Orleans Dec. 8 to 9.
—–Contact David Hebert at [email protected]