New Orleans Sports Teams
It is no coincidence that New Orleans has played host to more spectacular sporting events than any other destination – including a record nine Super Bowls; four NCAA Final Four tournaments and countless other collegiate championships; the Allstate Sugar Bowl Classic; the Zurich Classic PGA tournament; the Crescent City Classic marathon; the Bass Masters Classic; Olympic sailing trials; the BCS National Championship game rotation and more. This is a city for sports lovers because this is a city that loves its sports.
New Orleanians, after all, are notoriously loyal (and rabid) Saints fans, remaining diehard supporters of their NFL team through thick and thin for 38 seasons. This devotion to the Black and Gold has been compared to that of Boston Red Sox fans; but we think those northerners have nothing on our southern football craze. Played in the spectacular Louisiana Superdome, Saints games are, in fact, some of the best-attended in the league year after year. Tickets start at just $35 for a once-in-a-lifetime experience: seeing the New Orleans Saints in the Louisiana Superdome.
Our passion for the Saints can only be matched by the excitement we feel for our NBA team, the New Orleans Hornets, who created the buzz of the century when they made the city home in 2002. New Orleans had not had a professional basketball team since the Jazz left the city for Utah in 1979, but the Hornets quickly reminded everyone what NBA excitement was all about. Now, when fall rolls around and the air turns cool, that buzz of excitement spreads across the city.
Even the “great American sport” gets spiced up New Orleans style by our New Orleans Zephyrs, one of the finest AAA baseball teams in the country. An exciting game under a blue sky at Zephyrs Stadium appeal to anyone who loves baseball or just likes a fun time; baseball purists will appreciate the great roster of players on this top Major League feeder team, which contributed five former players to the 2005 All-Star Game (including Bobby Abreau, who won the Home Run Derby). Of course, families will love the weekly Kids Night, daily super deals and special promotions, including free post-game concerts, Thirsty Thursdays, great giveaways and more.
New Orleans Sports Venues
You can get an idea of New Orleans’ appreciation for great sporting events when you take a look at a couple of the monuments we have built to showcase them: the world famous Louisiana Superdome and its neighbor, the New Orleans Arena. After all, there is nothing quite like sharing the thrill of a game with 70,000 other fans in the dome that set the standard when it opened in 1975, or getting caught up in the blistering pace of a hoops game in one of the nation’s most cutting-edge facilities.
 Attending a football or basketball game in the Louisiana Superdome is, literally, taking part in sports history. And every Louisiana high school player grows up dreaming of one goal: to play in the Dome. The Superdome has eclipsed all kinds of facility and event records in its amazing 30-year history:
- It is the world's largest steel-constructed room unobstructed by posts.
- It was the first privately-managed, publicly-owned arena.
- It has hosted more Super Bowls than any other facility; six, including Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002.
- It holds the world attendance record for an indoor concert: 87,500 for the Rolling Stones in 1981.
- It was the site of 1988 Republican National Convention, where George Bush was nominated.
- It holds the national record for e attendance at an NCAA Final Four game (64,659 in 1987) and for a regular season game (68,112 in 1990).
- Pope John Paul II addressed 80,000 school children here in September 1987.
The Superdome was cutting-edge when it was built and, incredibly, it still remains the nation’s greatest domed arena after even three decades of multifunctional use. Its size, design, technology, flexibility and location – conveniently in the Central Business District near hotels, the I-10 expressway and amenities – set it apart. Jim Steeg, former NFL director of special events, said it most succinctly: “The Superdome is as good as it gets.”
 The New Orleans Arena, which opened in 1999, was built next to the Superdome to also take advantage of the fabulous central location as well as many shared efficiencies. With seating for up to 18,500, the Arena has been an extremely flexible venue during its first 6 years. It serves as home to the New Orleans Hornets and hosts the annual Nokia Sugar Bowl Basketball Tournament and Dillard-Xavier Basketball game.
The Arena’s modern technology, architectural design and high-end amenities have also attracted an amazing string of headliner concerts, plus festivals, circuses, meetings, banquets, receptions, trade shows, exhibits, parties, conventions and TV presentations, as well as special events in association with the Superdome. It also has a permanent 85’ x 200’ ice facility, believe it or not.
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