Companies Buy Saints Tickets At Alamodome To Impress NFL

San Antonio Businesses Making Ticket Push To Impress NFL

Nearly 30% of the 60,000 tickets that have been sold for Saturday’s Lions-Saints game in San Antonio “were bought in the past two weeks by corporations eager to impress NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue and other league officials,” according to local business execs cited by Tom Orsborn of the SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS. California-based HollyHills Group, AT&T and Valero were “among the biggest corporate buyers.” A HollyHills spokesperson said that the 10,000 tickets the company bought “would be donated to area military bases.” AT&T purchased 6,500 tickets, and a spokesperson said that they would be distributed “to various charities, including evacuees from hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and for a promotion by Cingular.” Valero bought 1,200 tickets for its employees. Orsborn reports Saturday’s game “has been a tougher sale” than the previous two Saints games played at the Alamodome “because of the date [Christmas Eve] and the quality of the teams.” If the game sells out, the Saints would have averaged over 62,000 for the three games in San Antonio (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 12/23). The team averaged 40,311 for four games in Baton Rouge (THE DAILY).

TRAINING DAY: Louisiana Stadium & Exposition District (LSED) attorney Larry Roedel sent a letter to attorneys for Saints Owner Tom Benson to formally request that the Saints “return to their Metairie training facility in January.” The letter noted FEMA and the Louisiana National Guard, which had used the complex as a Hurricane Katrina recovery base, had “no further need to use the facility.” The letter also said that the state and LSED “are taking the steps necessary to repair ‘the minor storm-related damage’ to the facility, which can be done while the team is using the facility,” and that the lease at Metairie was considered “valid and in effect” (Baton Rouge ADVOCATE, 12/23). Superdome Commission Chair Tim Coulon, on the letter: "This clears the air once and for all of whatever doubt remains in the minds of those persons that might not want to come back. We wanted to assure the Saints that we've gotten the clearance from the various authorities so there's no doubt that the facility is available" (TIMES-PICAYUNE, 12/23).