New Orleans Hopes To Bid For '18 Super Bowl To Celebrate City's 300th Anniversary

Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation President & CEO and Super Bowl XLVII Host Committee Exec Dir Jay Cicero announced that the group “would like to bid to host the 2018 Super Bowl, timed to the city's 300th anniversary,” according to John Roach of the New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE. Cicero said, "We have a superior knowledge about this event that other cities may not." Roach noted only South Florida has “hosted more Super Bowls than New Orleans, which is hosting its 10th this year.” But it has been “11 years since the city hosted its last Super Bowl.” The city of New Orleans' rebuilding progress after Hurricane Katrina “was a key point of emphasis” (NOLA.com, 1/28). Cicero said, "I know the Saints have talked to the rest of the ownership about that. If we are invited to bid -- and the NFL has to invite you to bid -- then that process will start in October" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 1/29). ESPN.com’s Bill Speros asked New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau President Stephen Perry what “makes New Orleans unique compared to other Super Bowl cities.” Perry said, “You can scribe an eight-tenths-of-a-mile circle that includes the Superdome to the Convention Center, which is a 17-minute walk from the Superdome, where the NFL Experience is, to where the first-ever Super Bowl Boulevard will be along the riverfront. There’s not another Super Bowl city where you have the NFL Experience, the outdoor activities, the event venue, the majority of the hotel rooms, nearly all of the restaurants and nightlife, within a 20-minute walking radius. The proximity creates an electricity for fans and a special-events atmosphere” (ESPN.com, 1/28).

THAT’S THE TICKET: In New Orleans, Richard Thompson reported ticket prices on the secondary market for Super Bowl XLVII as of last night “are showing some signs of downward movement compared to last week.” TiqIQ data showed that by midday Monday, the cheapest ticket “was going for $1,769 for a seat in the corner end zone.” TiqIQ Senior Dir of Data & Communications Chris Matcovich said that the figure is “down from the $1,877 being asked for the cheapest ticket last Tuesday, also for a seat in the end zone.” He added that he is “expecting prices to drop further.” Matcovich: "I could see tickets this weekend or later this week being anywhere from $1,000 to $1,500" (NOLA.com, 1/28).

STEAL OF A DEAL: In Baton Rouge, Michelle Millhollon in a front-page piece reports the Saints “sent legislators an email this month offering them the opportunity to buy two tickets each” for Super Bowl XLVII. It is “unclear how many legislators bought tickets through the Saints ticket office.” The $850 ticket is "far cheaper than the $3,195.14 average ticket price” as reported by TiqIQ. The Saints “allowed legislators to buy the tickets at face value, which ranges from $850 to $1,250.” StubHub listed “$1,800 a ticket for similar seats” (Baton Rouge ADVOCATE, 1/29).