NEW ORLEANS, La. – May 24, 2016 – Following is a statement from Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation President and CEO Jay Cicero regarding today’s decision by the National Football League to award the location of Super Bowl LIII to Atlanta, Georgia.
“We take pride in the excellent work that went into our overall bid process for Super Bowl LIII and congratulate Atlanta. We were certainly the underdog in this scenario with five cities competing for only three years, and two of those cities opening brand new stadiums. Additionally, we were only able to bid for the 2019 Super Bowl due to major events in the city in 2020 and 2021.
Although we had an incredibly competitive bid, we are not surprised at the outcome, as we were faced with nearly insurmountable odds. Submitting and winning a Super Bowl bid requires perfect timing with the right bid in the right year for both the NFL and New Orleans. In a neutrally competitive environment, we are confident in New Orleans’ ability to produce more memorable Super Bowls, and we think the NFL recognizes this fact with its invitations to New Orleans to bid.
The Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation and the New Orleans hospitality community have been actively booking large-scale events, festivals and conventions to take place throughout the city. We have a lot to look forward to already in New Orleans, including the 2020 College Football National Championship and the NCAA Women’s Final Four.
New Orleans’ reputation as a host city remains the best of the best and we are confident there will be future opportunities to showcase our city’s distinctive culture, passionate fans and true appreciation of major sporting events to the NFL. We are as competitive today as ever, and the opportunity to bid would not be possible without the full cooperation from Mr. and Mrs. Benson and the New Orleans Saints, the State of Louisiana, the City of New Orleans, SMG and the Louisiana Superdome Exposition District, the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.”