NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — Four southern cities are competing to host the 2019 and 2020 Super Bowls: Atlanta, Miami, Tampa and New Orleans. We’ve hosted the big game 10 times. But with other cities unveiling their lavish stadiums, can the Superdome manage to host another Super Bowl?
The chance to host another Super Bowl. New Orleans’ star quarterback says why wait?
“It’s a no-brainer. They should just give it to us right now,” laughs Drew Brees.
New Orleans is already at work, putting a competitive bid together.
“When we hosted it in 2013, the city, the greater New Orleans metro area received a total net income impact of $480 million. The public relations exposure you get from hosting an event like this makes it immeasurable,” says Kristian Sonnier with the New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau.
New Orleans has stiff competition. The Falcons are building a new stadium, the Dolphins just went through a $350 million renovation and Los Angeles could be a finalist for the 2020 Super Bowl since there are plans to develop a stadium there.
“If they are going to build a two billion dollar stadium in L.A., which is what the number is, you can pretty much bank that they are going to be in a rotation for a Super Bowl,” says SMG Vice President Doug Thornton.
Last year, New Orleans lost the 2018 Super Bowl bid, that went to Minneapolis, with their new stadium.
“We’ve been through that process before and we know how powerful a new stadium can be in a Super Bowl,” says Jay Cicero, President of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation.
Although the Superdome has been through hundreds of millions of dollars in upgrades in the last decade, the 2013 Super Bowl suffered a power outage. However, to prepare for the bid, more improvements are in the works.
“They’re going to update all the scoreboards, jumbo trons, the audio and a lot of the fan amenities that are present in a new stadium,” says Cicero.
While other bid cities have new facilities, New Orleans has something they don’t have, location!
“I think we’ve got it down to a science. Every Super Bowl I’ve been to in other places, there’s always problems with traffic, you can’t get around or in this place or that place. It’s always spread out in other areas but in New Orleans it’s centralized,” says Brees.
The Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation says the NFL will be in New Orleans doing site visits over the summer. The owners will vote on hosting cities next May.