Rooney Questions New Orleans’ Long-Term Viability

Can New Orleans Market Sustain Saints Long-Term?

NFL officials are “concerned about the long-term viability” of the New Orleans market to support an NFL team despite being “encouraged by the [Superdome] makeover and the Saints’ record-breaking ticket sales,” according to Jeff Duncan of the New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE. Steelers Chair Dan Rooney: “The thing that has to be determined is the business (in the city). Is that going to come back? There were problems here before Katrina.” Rooney said that support from the NFL “is only temporary” and “eventually the New Orleans market will have to stand on its own.” Rooney: “We’re not the government.” About 30 of 137 Superdome luxury suites remain unsold, a figure Saints Owner Tom Benson said is “nowhere near the level of the rest of the league.” Benson added, “I’m a little disappointed in the business community. The hospitality industry especially needs to come forward.” But Saints Exec VP/Administration Rita Benson LeBlanc said that the team was “encouraged by the sale of a handful of suites in recent weeks” (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 10/25). Meanwhile, Rooney added, “I think New Orleans has an excellent chance of getting another Super Bowl” (TIMES-PICAYUNE, 10/25).