crawfish
07-14-2007, 03:02 PM
(Credit Source: SCOTT RABALAIS, Advocate sportswriter, Jul 14, 2007)
http://planete.qc.ca/images/A3/Superdome01.jpghttp://fleet.typepad.com/photos/nola_katrina/superdome_032.jpg
NEW ORLEANS--Paul Hoolahan called moving the 2006 Sugar Bowl to Atlanta in the wake of Hurricane Katrina a “do or die situation” to keep the 74-year-old postseason classic going. Doing a good job in January of double hosting the Allstate Sugar Bowl and the BCS National Championship game may be almost as important. Though the Sugar Bowl has been firmly entrenched in the BCS rotation since its inception, Hoolahan, the game’s CEO, isn’t resting comfortably. Not with the AT&T Cotton Bowl moving to the Dallas Cowboys’ new $1 billion stadium in 2010. Or noise from bowls like the Chick-fil-A in Atlanta or the Capital One in Orlando, Fla., expressing desire to join the BCS rotation. “Now all eyes are on me and our guys to see if we are up to the task,” Hoolahan said. “With the negative press about the city with the recent spate of crime, the slow (rebuilding) process, the same old political doldrums … those things put us on the spot. “We’re under the microscope and we understand that.” Hoolahan participated in a question-and-answer session at The Advocate’s offices Friday during the “Newsmaker” session of the Louisiana Sports Writers Association annual convention.
Also in attendance were Southeastern Conference media relations director Charles Bloom and new Sugar Bowl media relations director Duane Lewis. Sugar Bowl organizers will follow their BCS counterparts at the Fiesta Bowl. In January they hosted their bowl game on Jan. 1 (Boise State vs. Oklahoma), then hosted the inaugural BCS title game a week later between Florida and Ohio State. The Sugar Bowl will be played Tuesday, Jan. 1, with the BCS Championship game set for Monday. Jan. 7. The date of the championship game could prove problematic for the Sugar Bowl if the New Orleans Saints are playing a home playoff game. If the Saints earn a first-round bye, as they did last season, no problem. But if the Saints play at home in the first round, that game would be Jan. 5 or 6. Hoolahan said it would be impossible to refit the Superdome for the BCS Championship Game following a Sunday playoff game. If needed, he hopes the NFL would have the Saints play Saturday.
Right now, though, there are more pressing issues. One is the very real need for hotel rooms, with fans from four teams converging for the two games. The other is perception of New Orleans in terms of safety and efficiency in the ongoing Katrina recovery. Hoolahan insists football fans will find enough places to stay. He said there are about 31,000 hotel rooms in downtown New Orleans. That’s down from about 38,000 before Katrina but close to the approximately 32,000 rooms available the last two times the Sugar Bowl hosted national championship games in January 2000 (Florida State vs. Virginia Tech) and January 2004 (LSU vs. Oklahoma). “If we could get a little growth between now and the game we wouldn’t be far off 2000 and 2004,” Hoolahan said.
Security concerns — in terms of crime and terrorism threats — must also be balanced. Hoolahan said the games will have a significant security presence, but just how much will have to be weighed against potential inconvenience to fans. “We want to make sure we have a level of security which is approaching what you have for the Super Bowl,” he said. “Hopefully we don’t have to do what has been done in the past, which is to fence the stadium off.” Hoolahan cautioned fans attending the games that they will be largely responsible for their own safety outside of the “footprint” around the Superdome. “Crime is going to continue to happen, I believe,” Hoolahan said. “But it’s relegated to distinct areas and is drug and gang related.”
Still, Hoolahan said, “There’s probably more (crime) than is being written about.” Perception of the city and how the games will be run is a big part of Hoolahan’s mission right now. He believes the Sugar Bowl got off to a good start in April when BCS conference commissioners were in New Orleans for their annual meeting. “Everyone walked away thinking it was better than what they thought” before, he said.
The ultimate test is in January. “Our biggest threat is poor performance,” Hoolahan said. “We can overcome a lot of the handicaps (in New Orleans) by performing. “My emphasis is not worrying about who is waiting to take our place, but to make sure this is a flawless performance.”
http://planete.qc.ca/images/A3/Superdome01.jpghttp://fleet.typepad.com/photos/nola_katrina/superdome_032.jpg
NEW ORLEANS--Paul Hoolahan called moving the 2006 Sugar Bowl to Atlanta in the wake of Hurricane Katrina a “do or die situation” to keep the 74-year-old postseason classic going. Doing a good job in January of double hosting the Allstate Sugar Bowl and the BCS National Championship game may be almost as important. Though the Sugar Bowl has been firmly entrenched in the BCS rotation since its inception, Hoolahan, the game’s CEO, isn’t resting comfortably. Not with the AT&T Cotton Bowl moving to the Dallas Cowboys’ new $1 billion stadium in 2010. Or noise from bowls like the Chick-fil-A in Atlanta or the Capital One in Orlando, Fla., expressing desire to join the BCS rotation. “Now all eyes are on me and our guys to see if we are up to the task,” Hoolahan said. “With the negative press about the city with the recent spate of crime, the slow (rebuilding) process, the same old political doldrums … those things put us on the spot. “We’re under the microscope and we understand that.” Hoolahan participated in a question-and-answer session at The Advocate’s offices Friday during the “Newsmaker” session of the Louisiana Sports Writers Association annual convention.
Also in attendance were Southeastern Conference media relations director Charles Bloom and new Sugar Bowl media relations director Duane Lewis. Sugar Bowl organizers will follow their BCS counterparts at the Fiesta Bowl. In January they hosted their bowl game on Jan. 1 (Boise State vs. Oklahoma), then hosted the inaugural BCS title game a week later between Florida and Ohio State. The Sugar Bowl will be played Tuesday, Jan. 1, with the BCS Championship game set for Monday. Jan. 7. The date of the championship game could prove problematic for the Sugar Bowl if the New Orleans Saints are playing a home playoff game. If the Saints earn a first-round bye, as they did last season, no problem. But if the Saints play at home in the first round, that game would be Jan. 5 or 6. Hoolahan said it would be impossible to refit the Superdome for the BCS Championship Game following a Sunday playoff game. If needed, he hopes the NFL would have the Saints play Saturday.
Right now, though, there are more pressing issues. One is the very real need for hotel rooms, with fans from four teams converging for the two games. The other is perception of New Orleans in terms of safety and efficiency in the ongoing Katrina recovery. Hoolahan insists football fans will find enough places to stay. He said there are about 31,000 hotel rooms in downtown New Orleans. That’s down from about 38,000 before Katrina but close to the approximately 32,000 rooms available the last two times the Sugar Bowl hosted national championship games in January 2000 (Florida State vs. Virginia Tech) and January 2004 (LSU vs. Oklahoma). “If we could get a little growth between now and the game we wouldn’t be far off 2000 and 2004,” Hoolahan said.
Security concerns — in terms of crime and terrorism threats — must also be balanced. Hoolahan said the games will have a significant security presence, but just how much will have to be weighed against potential inconvenience to fans. “We want to make sure we have a level of security which is approaching what you have for the Super Bowl,” he said. “Hopefully we don’t have to do what has been done in the past, which is to fence the stadium off.” Hoolahan cautioned fans attending the games that they will be largely responsible for their own safety outside of the “footprint” around the Superdome. “Crime is going to continue to happen, I believe,” Hoolahan said. “But it’s relegated to distinct areas and is drug and gang related.”
Still, Hoolahan said, “There’s probably more (crime) than is being written about.” Perception of the city and how the games will be run is a big part of Hoolahan’s mission right now. He believes the Sugar Bowl got off to a good start in April when BCS conference commissioners were in New Orleans for their annual meeting. “Everyone walked away thinking it was better than what they thought” before, he said.
The ultimate test is in January. “Our biggest threat is poor performance,” Hoolahan said. “We can overcome a lot of the handicaps (in New Orleans) by performing. “My emphasis is not worrying about who is waiting to take our place, but to make sure this is a flawless performance.”