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Morning Edition

February 7, 2025

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New Orleans has hosted 11 Super Bowls. But the age of the Superdome—and hospitality scarcity leading to $15,000 hotel rooms—raises a question: Should it remain part of the rotation?

— Daniel Kaplan [[link removed]], with David Rumsey [[link removed]]

The Battle for the Super Bowl: Can New Orleans Still Host the Big Game? [[link removed]]

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

NEW ORLEANS — If you haven’t heard—and you probably have—Sunday’s Super Bowl will be this city’s record-tying 11th. People rave about the walkable downtown food and party scene and how the $550 million renovation of Caesars Superdome has brought the 49-year-old venue up to Big Game standards.

That’s the rose-colored-glasses view. The game Sunday is only the second New Orleans Super Bowl since 2002, and a new wave of sleek, modern stadiums threatens to further reduce the Crescent City’s status as a regular host of the NFL’s season-ending game.

Through the first 36 Super Bowls, nine were in New Orleans, or one in four (the first three were at Tulane Stadium, which closed in 1979 and has since been demolished). Of the next 23, including Sunday’s, New Orleans has had just two. And now Los Angeles and Las Vegas threaten to scoop up Super Bowls the way New Orleans once did, as does the new Nashville stadium, and potentially one in the Washington, D.C., area. That’s not to mention regulars Phoenix and Miami, which boast more modern stadiums and are bustling growth cities. The next two are in Santa Clara—its second in 10 years—and Los Angeles in 2027, its second in five years.

More Hotels Needed

Hotel rates are through the roof [[link removed]] in New Orleans, which has a quarter of the hotel inventory as Las Vegas did last year. On Location, the hospitality provider for the NFL, ran out of space in New Orleans and placed some customers in Biloxi, Miss., an hour away.

“Hotel inventory is so incredibly scarce,” said Deanna Forgione Carey, an On Location general manager. She views the slim hotel space—with nightly rates at luxury hotels going for around $15,000—as a sign that New Orleans is a coveted travel destination. And that it clearly is, evidenced by Mardi Gras and the crowded French Quarter.

“It’s a great market, the food, entertainment, culture,” Forgione Carey said, who added this Super Bowl is one of On Location’s most in-demand.

But the expectations for Super Bowl cities are changing, and New Orleans has a lot of dated building stock, evidenced by run-down areas adjacent to the Superdome. Construction cranes dot the skylines of cities like Miami, Nashville, Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Los Angeles. New Orleans likely needs to upgrade its hotels and add more if it plans to stay competitive in the Super Bowl host city derby.

Take Atlanta, which will host the Super Bowl in 2028, where thousands of hotel rooms are currently going up within walking distance of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, in a city that already had a healthy supply.

“I think we got 20,000 hotel rooms, within walkable distance from our stadium, and then Centennial Yards is a new project, if you haven’t heard of that, maybe look into that,” said Falcons president Greg Beadles. “That’s going to be a $5 [billion] to $6 billion project that Tony Ressler, the Hawks owner is a partner in and so they’ve already started that right across from the stadium.”

Are Renovations Enough?

Superdome GM Evan Holmes points to the $550 million renovation of the venue, which added escalators, elevators, wider concourses, electrical upgrades, and a new cooling system, as evidence the venue is Big Game–ready. Whether the building will need to do more for future contests is unclear. However, there is still at least one eyesore: The press center for Super Bowl Opening Night was in an old, attached parking garage, with port-a-potties and a non-working portable sink.

Maybe great food, culture, and character will be enough to bring the Super Bowl back. But at the very least, it could be a long wait.

SPONSORED BY TICKPICK

Super Bowl Matchup Set, Prices Moving

Super Bowl ticket prices [[link removed]] have predictably come down as the inventory levels have remained steady, if not slightly increased, throughout this week. This has driven prices down and given fans excellent opportunities to get a great deal on tickets.

It’s safe to say that ticket prices will never approach those we saw in Las Vegas last year, given the average ticket price is currently more than 32% cheaper for Super Bowl LIX than it was for Super Bowl LVIII.

Furthermore, this is shaping up to be the cheapest Super Bowl since Atlanta in 2019, the last Super Bowl of the Patriots dynasty. The Chiefs are in the midst of their own dynastic run, which could indicate buyer fatigue from a fan base who already has had ample opportunity to catch a Super Bowl in person.

For $150 off your tickets to the Big Game, use promo code FOS150 [[link removed]] in the TickPick app!

NFLPA Takes Aggressive Stance in Prelude to CBA Talks [[link removed]]

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

NEW ORLEANS — It’s a little early for the first battle of the NFL collective bargaining negotiations to commence, but not for skirmishes. This 2025 Super Bowl week may well become known for the initial grappling over the CBA, which expires in 2031.

NFL Players Association executive director Lloyd Howell, who’s been in the post for 18 months, took a decidedly different tone than he did in his introductory press conference at the 2024 Super Bowl in Las Vegas, where he was conciliatory and seemed open to an 18-game season. This week, however, Howell slammed the idea.

“The first time I heard Roger mention 18, I think it was draft weekend, and he did an interview on The Pat McAfee Show,” Howell said of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. “And so the first conversation we had was, ‘Did I hear you?’”

Players on the Super Bowl week panel with Howell, including NFLPA team president Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Austin Ekeler, threw scorn not just at 18 games, but also 17, which the NFL went to in 2021. NFLPA players narrowly passed the 2020 CBA that added the 17th game, suggesting the league will have a tough negotiation on its hands in the future if it pushes for one more game, given the disdain expressed for 17.

That’s likely why Goodell sought to turn down the temperature Monday in saying 18-game discussions would wait for formal CBA talks, after pushing the idea last year.

The NFLPA also rained on the NFL’s announcement of a regular-season game in Australia [[link removed]] in 2026, saying hours later it had concerns about the lengthy travel effects on player health and safety.

The NFL locked out the players in 2011 when CBA talks hit an impasse. After four and a half months of litigation and further talks, the sides signed a 10-year CBA. In 2020 the parties agreed to another decade-long labor pact, which had substantial player opposition. CBA talks typically heat up several years before expiration. But as this week’s muscle-flexing signals, the public jockeying starts even earlier.

NFL Set to Announce Dublin 2025 Game Featuring Steelers [[link removed]]

Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

NEW ORLEANS — The NFL is expected to announce Friday morning a 2025 game in Dublin, Ireland, a long-expected move that is sure to cause a lot fewer waves than the league’s time-zone-hopping deal to play games in Australia starting in 2026.

The Steelers are likely to be the home team, given their ties to the Emerald Isle. The late owner of the team, Dan Rooney, served as President Barack Obama’s ambassador to Ireland from 2009 to 2012.

The NFL will likely play seven international games in 2025: one in Ireland, one in Brazil (that is still being worked on), one in Spain, one in Germany, and three in England. The league eyed an eighth in Mexico, but Estadio Azteca in Mexico City is under renovation to meet standards for the 2026 World Cup.

The NFL Players Association greeted the NFL’s Australian development with consternation. While Peter O’Reilly, the NFL’s EVP of international and league events, said the union had been consulted, the association expressed concern over what such a long trip would do to player health and safety. Melbourne is 16 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time, and 19 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time.

Ireland poses fewer concerns, as there is a five-hour time difference with the East Coast. But NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell on Wednesday questioned the NFL’s international gambit and whether the league was truly prioritizing players’ well-being. He also said the union would need to sign off on more than 10 international games. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has targeted ultimately playing 16 games a season outside the U.S.

WM Phoenix Open Looks to Tame the Party After 2024 Chaos [[link removed]]

Arizona Republic

The PGA Tour’s rowdiest event is trying to tame things down this week.

After major issues around crowd control and fan behavior in 2024, the WM Phoenix Open, which began Thursday, has new precautions and policies in place to prevent further problems.

Headlined by the 17,000-seat stadium surrounding TPC Scottsdale’s 16th hole (a short par-3) and annually played on the same weekend as the Super Bowl [[link removed]], “The People’s Open” (as it’s nicknamed) attracts the largest, and wildest, crowds in golf—so much so that the tournament stopped releasing attendance numbers in 2019. In 2018, more than 700,000 fans turned out to the event.

The energy that the 16th hole Coliseum creates buzzes throughout the entire course, which is filled with booze-driven bachelor and bachelorette parties and tens of thousands of fans who likely wouldn’t attend a more traditional golf tournament.

Last year, things got out of hand.

The weather was unusually cold for Arizona in February and several days of rain created muddy and soggy conditions at TPC Scottsdale. On Saturday, play was suspended during the third round, and fans let loose.

Videos of drunk fans turning hills into mudslides and stumbling throughout the grounds percolated social media [[link removed]]. Arrests skyrocketed. At one point, the tournament had to close entry at one gate and suspend alcohol sales [[link removed]].

All in all, despite the Phoenix Open’s nontraditional flair, it was a bad look for everyone involved.

This year, organizers have added a new fan entrance, expanded spectator sidewalks inside the course, and relocated many food and alcohol vendors. Tickets have also gone 100% digital, replacing physical general-admission tickets and good-any-day tickets.

Despite the changes, more than 200,000 fans will still be expected to show up on Saturday alone, hoping to catch a glimpse of No. 1–ranked Scottie Scheffler, who is the main draw at the tournament offering $9.2 million in prize money.

SPONSORED BY UBS

Islanders Alumni at UBS Three Keys Cup

UBS hosted the Three Keys Cup at UBS Arena [[link removed]], where New York Islanders alumni played against the UBS hockey team as part of an all-day fundraiser with teams from various financial institutions benefiting 43 Oak Foundation, an organization that increases access to youth hockey.

Coached by the legendary Bryan Trottier, who won four Stanley Cups with the Islanders, the NYI alumni team lineup included Benoît Hogue, Arron Asham, and other notable alums who surprised the UBS hockey team with a friendly game to close out the day, before participating in a skills clinic with 43 Oak Foundation students.

Tune in [[link removed]] to see some of your favorite former Islanders in action.

Live From Radio Row Buccaneers running back Rachaad White sat down with FOS to talk about his rise from playing at D-II Nebraska-Kearney to becoming a starter in the NFL. Watch here [[link removed]]. NBC Sports analyst Chris Simms broke down the state of sports media and how he tries to get an edge on his competition. Check it out [[link removed]]. Outspoken NFL agent Sean Stellato, who rose to fame representing Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito last season, dished on his approach to getting his clients exposure [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks Amid ‘Record’ Super Bowl Betting, Market’s Two Largest Forces Still Reign [[link removed]]by Eric Fisher [[link removed]]FanDuel and DraftKings still dominate the ever-expanding space. Ippei Mizuhara Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison for Stealing Millions From Ohtani [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]Mizuhara had asked for a lighter sentence of 18 months. Trump Meets With PGA Tour to Help End LIV Golf Divide [[link removed]]by David Rumsey [[link removed]]PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan met with the president. Fox Seeks Dismissal of Sex Abuse Lawsuit, While Bayless, Taylor Deny Wrongdoing [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]] and Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]Skip Bayless and Joy Taylor deny the allegations made against them. Question of the Day

Should New Orleans remain in the Super Bowl hosting rotation?

YES [[link removed]] NO [[link removed]]

Thursday’s result: 61% of respondents think the NFL will play eight international games in 2025.

Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Shows [[link removed]] Written by Daniel Kaplan [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Or Moyal [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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