NOLA diversifies as a 'sports city'

The Crescent City has been bracing itself for a wave of X Games enthusiasts as fans flock to New Orleans for the inaugural X Games Championship being held at the Caesar’s Superdome. This comes after previously hosting the Savannah Bananas and their brand of “Banana Ball” as well as the Hondo Rodeo Fest. It’s all part of an intentional path forward according to Jay Cisero, President and CEO of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation.

"It's been part of the focus of our host group to try to bring in a diverse crowd and to diversify our events" notes Cisero. He says there was also a specific effort to bring in non-traditional fare during the summer months that tend to be slower for the area.

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While bringing in large new sporting events is a welcome addition to the landscape, Cisero emphasizes that New Orleans is a 'championship city' and he expects the city to be in the running for the classics everyone looks forward to as well. The College Football Playoff National Championship will come to town in 2028 and New Orleans will host a college football playoff game next January. Final Four bidding will be coming soon for 2032-2036 and Cisero hopes the city will be in the mix for men's and women's Final Four consideration.

The big prize for nearly every city is a Super Bowl and New Orleans will remain a strong candidate in future years according to Cisero. "It's no secret that we're targeting 2031. They just awarded 2030 to Nashville in the past few months, so the process for 2031 will hopefully be starting soon and we'll hopefully be in the mix," Cisero explains. That said, he adds that competition is fierce and there are more cities with more new stadiums than ever before all across the country. However, Cisero says that New Orleans is a 'championship city' that is built to host big games of all types.