New Orleans, Gulf Region See What A Difference A Year Makes

Venus (l) And Serena Williams To Play Exhibition At New Orleans Arena In December

With today marking the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina hitting New Orleans, City Council member and former Saints exec Arnie Fielkow said that Serena and Venus Williams will play an exhibition match at New Orleans Arena on December 5 to benefit relief efforts, according to Jeff Duncan of the New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE. A formal announcement is expected tonight during a Katrina-themed ceremony at the U.S. Open. Fielkow also said that MLB at each of its 15 games tonight will recognize the one-year mark with a video PSA featuring Harry Connick Jr., Faith Hill and Spike Lee, as well as “in-stadium graphics with instructions on how fans” can support Habitat for Humanity. Fielkow also unveiled a $1.5M “Playground Partnership” program, which “will recruit corporate sponsors to pay for clean-up and repair costs” at local parks and playgrounds on Saturdays prior to Saints home games. Sponsors will be asked to commit $25,000 (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 8/29). The December 5 tennis match in New Orleans is part of the third annual McDonald’s Williams Sisters Tour (THE DAILY).

OTHER EFFORTS: In partnership with KaBOOM, several NBA personalities will be assisting New Orleans and Mississippi this week for playground restorations to commemorate the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. There will be ten total projects as part of Operation Playground, a two-year initiative of KaBOOM to build 100 playgrounds in Gulf Coast communities affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Hornets Owner George Shinn, former NBAers Bob Lanier and Spencer Haywood, NBA VP/Basketball Operations Willis Reed, Hornets players Bobby Jackson and Brandon Bass, Jazz G Ronnie Brewer, Grizzlies F Lawrence Roberts and Trail Blazers f Travis Outlaw are among those participating (THE DAILY). Ravens WR Mark Clayton, who has no ties to New Orleans, initially donated $20,000 to families who had evacuated to Grand Prairie, Texas, and has “since done even more through his Mark Clayton Foundation, including handing out food to 800 families in New Orleans this summer” (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 8/29). In Westchester, Jane McManus reported this week’s Metro Golf Show on WVOX-AM in New Rochelle will be a fund-raiser for Katrina victims (Westchester JOURNAL NEWS, 8/25).

AHEAD OF THE CURVE: In New Orleans, Ted Lewis wrote, “Every element of the New Orleans sports fabric has been permanently affected to varying degrees ... [but] nothing has been declared permanently lost.” While other parts of “local life are struggling to recover, sports is well ahead of the curve.” Fielkow: “The emotion of sports has accelerated its progress over some other areas. Clearly, sports is not the most important thing in the rebuilding effort, but it is an exceptionally vital aspect of our recovery from many different perspectives.” But Lewis wrote, “The question of the area’s ability to support two major professional franchises certainly hasn’t gone away.” The city’s “ability to host major events also is in question, although the awarding of the 2008 NBA All-Star Game plus an NCAA Tournament subregional in 2010 are significant signs of confidence.” Lake Forest College economics professor Robert Baade said, “New Orleans was already a marginal market before Katrina, and now things are in place that do not bode well for the long run.” Meanwhile, SMG Regional VP Doug Thornton said of the NFL’s role in restoring the Superdome, “If the NFL had not stepped in, I think we would have lost much of our momentum from both the bond-raising entities and the public sector” (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 8/27). In Denver, Marc Spears writes, “Sporting events help native New Orleanians feel normal for at least a couple of hours. ... Sports are just as important to New Orleans right now as gumbo and jazz. They have been a supportive friend in this city’s darkest hours” (DENVER POST, 8/28).

SMG Exec Praises NFL For Role In Helping Restore Superdome

BIG EASY? New Orleans-based Helix Marketing President Greg Suit, a former Saints exec, said Shinn and Saints Owner Tom Benson “are saying, ‘We are coming back,’ but they always add, ‘and we’ll see what happens.’ The city is being given the opportunity to keep its teams, but that speaks more about the attitude of the leagues than that of the owners” (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 8/27). Thornton acknowledged that “the push for corporate dollars ... will be the challenge” for both the Saints and Hornets to remain in New Orleans permanently. Thornton: “There’s a lot of disposable income in the hands of the people living here. Everyone who is able to work is working, and they’re being paid higher wages. There seems to be a lot of pent up demand for entertainment. What we don’t yet see is the depth of the corporate market here. That will probably be slower to recover” (CNNMONEY.com, 8/28). Fox’ Terry Bradshaw noted the NFL “has poured about $40(M) into the Saints and rebuilding the (Superdome) to get the Saints back into that dome this year. Had they not done that it probably would not have been ready for this season.” Bradshaw added rookie RB Reggie Bush “has helped fill that stadium up. He has not yet filled up all of the luxury boxes” (“On The Record,” Fox News, 8/28).

Bowl Games Returning To New Orleans This Season

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: The TIMES-PICAYUNE’s Lewis noted the Sugar Bowl is in the first year of its new BCS contract and has a new TV partner in Fox. Sugar Bowl Exec Dir Paul Hoolahan said, “Fox has taken some of our revenue streams and we have manpower questions about putting on two bowls next year. So there’s no question we are going to have to be creative in solving our challenges.” Lewis noted the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation has the New Orleans Bowl back at the Superdome after holding it in Lafayette, Louisiana, last year (TIMES-PICAYUNE, 8/27). GANNETT NEWS SERVICE’s Glenn Guilbeau reported LSU has sold 67,800 season tickets this football season, compared to 67,355 last year and 66,000 in ’04. LSU ticket manager Brian Broussard said the school had a 99% renewal rate after Katrina. LSU Assistant AD Herb Vincent said, “People lost their homes, but they’re coming back. We’ve changed a lot of addresses in the last year” (GANNETT NEWS SERVICE, 8/27).

IN THEIR WORDS: New Orleans-area athletes speak with the TIMES-PICAYUNE about the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans’ future. Athletes interviewed include Saints WR Joe Horn, former Hornets F P.J. Brown, LSU QB JaMarcus Russell, former Tulane LB Anthony Cannon, Univ. of New Orleans G Jada Frazier and former Boothville-Venice High School football coach Paul Solis (TIMES-PICAYUNE, 8/29).