Never a dull moment in the Big Easy.
New Orleans just weathered a once-in-a-century winter storm. Next on the docket, how about the most iconic American sporting event there is? And the week-long circus that precedes it?
Weather-wise, long-range forecasts predict 70s and sunshine for Super Bowl weekend. One model showed another polar vortex hitting the Gulf South, but that appears to have dissipated.
However, rain or shine...or snow or whatever else heinous object that falls from above…the Super Bowl is coming to town.
The NFL playoff picture has dwindled to four teams: The Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills, and Kansas City Chiefs.
This weekend determines which fan bases will flood New Orleans in the days leading up to the big game. But regardless, we know they'll pack our house.
A lot’s going on with beautification, infrastructure upkeep, security prep, and event planning. There’s so much to do, and so much has been done already.
So what will Super Bowl week look like? Guest host of the Newell Normand show, WWL's Dave Coen, interviewed a handful of critical figures involved in this year's Super Bowl production in today's "Ramp Up To The Super Bowl" show. Together, they provided a helpful snapshot of where the city is at and how it’ll all come together.
Nicki Ewell, Senior Director of Events for the NFL, gave an insightful talk concerning the events of the Super Bowl week. Ewell told Cohen that it’s her team's responsibility to “deliver all the fan experiences that we have at our temple events: the combine, NFL draft, Super Bowl and Pro Bowl…We're excited. We're opening on Wednesday, February 5th…That's going to be at Caesar's Superdome. And then we have a number of what we call 'hospitality events' for our VIPs, sponsors, and broadcast partners throughout the week.”
But it's not all closed doors. Starting Wednesday, the Super Bowl fanfare is open to the public, and anyone can attend these events for $20 on Wednesday and Thursday. The price bumps up to $40 on Friday and Saturday, but all children under 12 get in for free regardless of the day.
Ewell explained that if you decide to stop by opening night (Wednesday), “Our two participating teams are NFC champions and our AFC champion will be at the Superdome that day to do their media availability. We also have a lot of local flair happening. We have a King of King Cakes competition, and we have some local artists doing live murals. We have some autograph signings from some Saints players. We have a lot of local entertainment.”
However, throughout the rest of week there will be similar events happening, that are all open to the public. Ewell says, "It's the things that we know our fans want. They want free player autographs. They want to see the Vince Lombardi Trophy and our Super Bowl rings. They want to buy merch. They want to kick field goals."
For the most part, it will be all fun and games. However, Super Bowl prep requires more than making sure fans have enjoy themselves. Cohen also interviewed Dr. Jeffrey Kuo, Chair of the Medical Committee at Oschner Health.
Dr. Kuo is coordinating medical services and emergency care surrounding the big game and associated activities.
He explains the intense process required to prepare the city medically for such a huge event, saying, “Over four years ago, when the city of New Orleans was announced as the host of Super Bowl 59, we really started the planning phase of it then. My role as the medical chair of the Super Bowl host committee is collaborating with the NFL, law enforcement, the fire department, city officials, regional officials, state officials, and even federal officials to ensure that all of our fans who come to town and our local community are well taken care of from a medical perspective during the week preceding the Super Bowl and on in the game day."
“We always hear the phrase built to host because New Orleans is such a walkable city and because it has 30,000 hotel rooms within walking distance of the Superdome,” Kuo continued. “That's a whole lot of people in a very small area. And people get sick. People get hurt. Things happen.”
What do those preparations look like practically? Dr. Kuo explains, “For Super Bowl 59, we're going to help support the medical staff for both those teams and the pregame, at the Dome. We're going to be outside of the stadium working in collaboration with folks such as Acadian Ambulance Service to set up multiple medical stations to cover the pre-game footprint."
In terms of the big game itself, Dr. Kuo said, “We'll also be in the Superdome, the staff and medical first aid tents and areas for the fans. In the week preceding the game, we're going to be providing medical support at multiple offerings that are happening. For instance, at the convention center, where Super Bowl experiences happening, we'll work in collaboration with New Orleans EMS to ensure that all the fans are safe. And if they need us, we will be there to support them...We'll have multiple urgent cares at Ochsner Health downtown and in the surrounding area so that fans who are here and don't necessarily know where to go can find a convenient urgent care center if their needs are there. It takes a lot of moving parts and a lot of people and a lot of entities.”