New Orleans pulsating under spotlight of nine major sporting events

New Orleans pulsating under spotlight of nine major sporting events
January 4, 2012
Jeff Duncan
Nola.com

Rainbows connected in the French Quarter on Monday. Fans in black and gold New Orleans Saints jerseys weaved through pods of maize and blue and clusters of maroon and burnt orange as the Sugar Bowl second-line snaked through the Vieux Carre's ancient streets.

Enlarge David Grunfeld, The Times-Picayune DAVID GRUNFELD / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE Jennifer Jones entertains the crowd during a second line parade with Michigan and Virginia Tech fans in the French Quarter Monday January 2, 2011. Michigan will take on Virginia Tech Tuesday in the Allstate Sugar Bowl in the superdome.
Allstate Sugar Bowl fans second line gallery (7 photos)

Michigan and Virginia Tech football fans flooded the city Monday in anticipation of tonight's Allstate Sugar Bowl. They crowded the streetcars, flocked to Harrah's Casino and endured long lines at Mother's, Cafe du Monde and Camellia Grill. Some were decked in maroon and burnt orange feather boas. Others donned maize "GEAUX BLUE" T-shirts. Regardless of their allegiance, all wore smiles.

Among the festive horde, the Elswicks from Christiansburg, Va., stood out, Chase in his navy blue Michigan hoodie holding hands with Kathleen in her maroon Virginia Tech sweatshirt. Chase grew up a die-hard Michigan fan. Kathleen bleeds maroon and burnt orange.

As soon as the couple learned the Hokies and Wolverines would tangle for the first time in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, they booked their first trip to New Orleans. Don't count the Elswicks among those who think the Sugar Bowl matchup lacks pizzazz.

"It was the chance of a lifetime," said Kathleen, 24.

Added Chase, 27: "There was no way we were going to miss it."

The Elswicks were just two of the thousands who have or will descend upon the Crescent City for a remarkable fortnight of fun, football and frivolity.

The city has hosted its share of major events, but it's never seen something quite like this, with so many big events squeezed into such a short time frame.

Brimming with big events

New Orleans is in the midst of a head-spinning two-week span in which the Superdome and New Orleans Arena will play host to nine major sporting events, including three nationally televised football game.

The cavalcade started with the Saints' historic "Monday Night Football" game against the Atlanta Falcons on Dec. 26, when Drew Brees set the NFL record for passing yardage in a season in dramatic fashion.

It continued last week with a pair of New Orleans Hornets games and the Saints' regular-season finale against the Carolina Panthers.

That's a good week for any sports town. But those were only the appetizers on the New Orleans menu.

This week comes the smorgasbord.

Tonight's Sugar Bowl between the Hokies and Wolverines and the Saints' wild-card playoff game against the Detroit Lions on Saturday will bookend a week that will also see the Hornets play a pair of home games against the 76ers and Nuggets.

The remarkable run will climax Monday night with the highly anticipated BCS national championship game between LSU and Alabama, in what could be the biggest college football game in the state's long, proud history.

"It's unprecedented," said Doug Thornton, the president of stadiums for SMG, the company that runs the Superdome and New Orleans Arena. "I don't ever recall a time at the Dome when we had so many big events back to back. There's no doubt sports have been a catalyst for New Orleans and its recovery (from Hurricane Katrina)."

'Something great and new'

This was the idea then-Gov. Kathleen Blanco had in mind when she made the controversial decision to fast-track the Superdome renovation process in the dark days after Katrina devastated the city in August 2005. At the time, many criticized her for misplaced priorities. They wondered why a football stadium would be rebuilt before hospitals and schools.

The scene Monday in the French Quarter was a shining example of her prescience. The BCS title game is the first in a series of major events that will take place in the Superdome and New Orleans Arena in the next 13 months. The SEC men's basketball tournament is scheduled for March. The men's Final Four is in March and April. And the Super Bowl will return to New Orleans for the first time in more than a decade when the XLVII game kicks off in February 2013.

"I'm so very proud of what I see happening now," said Blanco, who recently visited the Superdome to watch her hometown Ragin' Cajuns of Louisiana-Lafayette knock off San Diego State in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. "Every year there's something great and new going on. And the renovation has made the Dome just look so grand."

Saints enjoy the buzz

The festival of football even has caught the attention of the normally laser-focused Saints. Players and coaches on the NFC South Division champs undoubtedly have been preoccupied with their scintillating eight-game winning streak and preparations for their home playoff game against the Lions, but as fans they are excited about the hype and hoopla in town.

"You have to be," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "That's pretty cool for the city and the region and certainly for the economy and all the people that count on earning a living that way."

Safety Roman Harper is one of several Saints players and coaches who plan to squeeze at least one of the bowl games into their schedule around game-planning and practices for the playoffs. Harper plans to attend the Sugar Bowl to support Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, whose son, Chase, is a reserve linebacker for the Hokies. And as a proud Alabama alum, he wouldn't miss the BCS title game.

"The city is definitely buzzing right now, especially with the way the Saints are playing right now, the city's just really on edge, everybody's excited," Harper said.

Indeed, for the next week, the national spotlight will shine brightly on New Orleans. If you're a sports fan, it simply doesn't get any better than this.