State of sports: Conversation with Jeff Landry – Nola.com

Q: In January, you went up with (Saints-Pelicans owner) Gayle Benson to meet with (NFL commissioner) Roger Goodell and (NBA commissioner) Adam Silver. One of the things that came out of that was New Orleans’ bid for a future Super Bowl. What are our chances of getting the 2031 game?

A: Well, I’m betting on it.

Q: Why? What makes you so confident?

A: Well, because No. 1, when you go around and you ask NFL fans, what is the best place you’ve ever enjoyed a Super Bowl, time and time again, it comes back to New Orleans. I mean, it just is. The city’s built for entertaining. You know what I mean? And when we recognize that, and when we utilize that, and when we leverage that, then the city is prosperous. I think that the things that we’ve done by making the city safer, by working to bring more people into the city, which of course increases revenues, which, again, helps to fill the city and the state. It’s all good stuff.

Q: Reportedly, the NFL would like to see upgrades with Louis Armstrong Airport and increase some of the high-end hotel inventory in the city before we get around to our next Super Bowl. How important is that to helping us lure future events like the Super Bowl and Final Fours and other major events?

A: It’s a must. It’s one of the things that Roger (Goodell) talked to me about when we were there. He said, Jeff, it’s hard for us to really point to a whole of things to critique (New Orleans) about, (but) the Super Bowl (LIX) we just put on, he said there is an issue with ramp space in the airport, and they’d like to see us fix that. That’s an easy fix, and I think we’re doing that. Certainly, he mentioned the high-end hotels. The Omni is really the anchor to proving that we can do that. When you bring the Omni hotel in, it will only enhance the events that we’re already bringing in like the rodeo, LIV Golf, and all the other things. I’d love to see the Final Four back in the Superdome. The Superdome was built in the late ’60s and ’70s. That stadium has endured and continues to be a go-back-to stadium, more than any other in the entire country. When NFL went through all these big stadium buildups (and constructions) in recent years, the Superdome just kept rocking along. We did a big upgrade to it for the Super Bowl. And guess what, it shined. That building is a magnificent place to entertain people.