Let the Good Times Bowl!

The City of New Orleans has been awarded Super Bowl XLVII; it was announced today by New Orleans Saints Owner Tom Benson. After exhaustive efforts by Benson, the Saints organization, the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation and other officials, Benson's fellow NFL owners voted that the city will host the league's championship game in 2013.

Mr. Benson also saluted the work of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, who worked in conjunction with the Saints in every aspect of creating and presenting the bid for Super Bowl XLVII. Wooden boxes built from cypress were sent to each NFL owner, each uniquely decorated for that club by young local artists. The bid also outlined planned improvements to the Superdome that were announced recently, with the stadium being enhanced and Mr. Benson purchasing two adjacent properties and restoring them to create a new Sports Development District downtown. The plan further spurs economic development in the region.

NCAA Brings it Back!

With the return of the NCAA Men's Final Four in 2012, and the Women's FInal Four in 2013, also comes regional basketball in 2010 and 2011.
The GNOSF will partner with Tulane University to host the 2010 Mens 1st and 2nd Rounds in the New Orleans Arena, March 18th and 20th. Click here for details.

The next few years will also mark New Orleans' return to hosting the Men's Regional in 2011, and the 2012 Men's FInal Four, both in the Louisiana Superdome, with Tulane as the host institution for both events.

Finally, in 2013 the hat trick will be complete, as the GNOSF and UNO Athletics co-host the Womens Final Four in the New Orleans Arena.

BASS RETURNS TO THE BIG EASY

The Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, present today at a media luncheon for the 2008 Bassmaster Classic in Greenville, South Carolina, announced the upcoming return of the championship event to New Orleans in 2011. Bayou Segnette will once again serve as the launch site for what many refer to as the Super Bowl of fishing. The New Orleans Arena will host ESPN's national broadcast of the weigh in ceremonies, with its increasingly popular fanfare and elaborate production elements. Simultaneously, Bass will open the doors to the adjacent Louisiana Superdome for the 150,000 plus square foot Outdoors Expo. All events will be free to the public, and the entire weekend is expected to bring an economic impact in excess of 20 million dollars, coupled with the significant national media exposure that BASS and ESPN bring to the event.