L-R: Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation and Host Committee President and CEO Jay Ciero, New Orleans Saints owner Gayle Benson, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, Louisiana Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and Super Bowl LIX Host Committee Chairman Marcus BrownGetty Images
The countdown to the Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans began yesterday when Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, Mayor LaToya Cantrell, Saints owner Gayle Benson and key organizers “gathered to mark the start of preparations for the NFL's championship game at the Caesars Superdome,” according to Anthony McAuley of the New Orleans ADVOCATE. Landry said that the next year “will be an opportunity for the city to focus on its ‘challenges’” so it can “put its best foot forward in time for the big event.” While the details of what “will be required for the city were not discussed,” elected officials and civic leaders in recent months have “suggested that improved lighting, fixes to roads and sidewalks and other infrastructure improvements in areas heavily trafficked by tourists,” such as the French Quarter and the Central Business District, will be “top priorities.” Most in attendance yesterday had traveled to Las Vegas last week for the handover ceremony, where the NFL “passes the torch from this year's city to next year's.” New Orleans “will have a tough act to follow after this year's blowout show” at the Allegiant Stadium. ASM Global EVP Doug Thornton Doug Thornton said that the “last stage of a” $500M stadium renovation is “on track to be completed by July, well ahead of the start of the Saints season” (New Orleans ADVOCATE, 2/21).
