Menu
Download the app

SBJ subscribers – Enhance your experience with the revamped iOS app

Facilities

New Orleans Mayor Downplays Power Outage; Calls City "Near Flawless" Super Bowl Host

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu yesterday said his "heart stopped" when the power went out at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome during Super Bowl XLVII, but he added there "was no panic in the stadium," according to Andrew Vanacore of the New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE. Landrieu: "You have 85, 90,000 people in that stadium, everything got back to normal in a very safe and peaceful way.” He added, “The power outage was an unfortunate moment for us. ... But 34 minutes of darkness will never overshadow or outshine the city of New Orleans or how we performed this Super Bowl week.” Vanacore notes the Super Bowl is “thought to have pumped close to half a billion dollars of spending into the local economy," and city officials are “taking a victory lap over what turned out to be an otherwise successful week.” New Orleans City Council member Jackie Clarkson said, “This was a Super Bowl that touched every part of this city. ... No one was left out of this game. It was phenomenal” (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 2/6). Landrieu said that the city's performance as host was "near flawless despite the lights-out episode” (AP, 2/6). In New Orleans, James Gill writes, “We did it. We showed the world that New Orleans is back to normal” (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 2/6). White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said that President Obama was “glad the power outage didn’t present security issues.” Carney said, “Based on the conversation I had with him, the initial response I think that we all had was I hope everyone is okay, it was not a security issue. And then once that became clear, it was just impatience to get the game going again” (NOLA.com, 2/5).

LOOKING FOR ANSWERS: Entergy spokesperson Chanel Lagarde said that the New Orleans-based electric company, the Louisiana Stadium & Exposition District and SMG, the management company of the Superdome, “will hire an outside consultant to determine what caused” the power outage. Lagarde added that a consultant “had not yet been hired.” In New Orleans, Richard Thompson reports Entergy is “conducting its own review, which is expected to be completed in the coming days” (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 2/6).

LOOKING INTO THE CRYSTAL BALL: The TIMES-PICAYUNE’s Jeff Duncan writes of Super Bowl LII in ’18, “It’s New Orleans' to lose. If ever there was a boat race for a Super Bowl bid, 2018 is it.” New Orleans officials have “strategically targeted the 2018 Super Bowl for years because it coincides with the city’s tricentennial birthday.” NFL officials “fully understand the inherent marketing benefits of aligning their signature event with such an historic milestone.” It would be a “monumental upset if anyone other than New Orleans were awarded the game” (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 2/6). Former ’12 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee President & CEO and Indiana Sports Corp. President Allison Melangton said that the city in its pitch to host Super Bowl LII does not want to focus on the "game-day seating problems that plagued Dallas two years ago or the power outage in New Orleans." Melangton said, "That's not been our style. Typically, when we've been bidding on all our events, we've pointed out why they should come to Indy and not why they should not go somewhere else, and it's worked for us. So why change now?" She added that she "believes Atlanta and Tampa, Fla., will bid on the game as well as at least one city that loses in this year's selection process." Melangton also believes Minneapolis "could make a pitch" (AP, 2/5).

RISK MANAGEMENT: Mets COO Jeff Wilpon said of preparations for the ’13 MLB All-Star Game at Citi Field in light of Sunday's blackout at the Superdome, “I talked to our guys first thing Monday morning. We were already thinking about redundancies, if there’s a mishap, what our contingencies are” (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/6).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2013/02/06/Facilities/Superdome-Blackout.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2013/02/06/Facilities/Superdome-Blackout.aspx

CLOSE