Saints Trade Seats for Suites, Superdome Kicks Fans to Curb

by Ross McDaniel

Construction workers began removing chairs from the Louisiana Superdome last Friday to make room for a new press box and more luxury suites in the first phase of stadium renovations that will cost 1,200 Saints’ season ticket holders their seats next season.

Last summer state lawmakers and the Saints agreed on a two-phase plan that will add $85 million worth of improvements to the Superdome such as expanded field-level seating, exclusive lounges and wider concourses for increased concession in addition to the new press box and luxury suites. The decision was publicly announced last summer, but at the time nobody bothered to tell the 1,200 unfortunate Saints’ fans that their seats would be the sacrificial catalyst. 

Saints Box Office employees began delivering the news to the 1,200 displaced fans last Thursday. As you could imagine, most of them are having trouble coping with the possibility that they won’t be able to see that championship banner hoisted at the Saints 2010 home opener.

Michael Stanfield, the New Orleans Saints vice president of ticket and suite sales, insists the organization is working with each displaced season ticket holder individually and that he or she will be moved to the top of the season ticket waiting list which is already 60,000 names long. After a miracle season that brought the franchise its first Super Bowl and ignited a city whose fan base is woven into the fabric of the organization more so than any other in the NFL, the likelihood of 1,200 Saints’ fans dropping their season tickets is miniscule, especially when you consider the Saints have sold out every season since 2006. 

The renovations will add 3,400 seats for the 2011 season, which does nothing to help displaced season ticket holders in the immediate future. Stanfield insists, though, that the 1,200 affected will remain at the top of the list for those seats if they cannot be accommodated this season.

Louisiana state officials say the improvements are necessary with the city set to host a NCAA Men’s Tournament Regional in 2011, the Final Four in 2012 and the Super Bowl in 2013. Maybe so, but one can’t help but wonder why the two phases of renovation couldn’t be done in one phase. We, as a nation, watched as the Superdome was rebuilt and renovated in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. An epic endeavor that cost $185 million finished just in time for the Saints 2006 home opener.  

Sadly, this is a common occurrence in sports. In a “Show Me Yours” era where bigger and brighter equals better, more cities and franchises are scrambling to compete with the $1 billion multi-purpose palaces going up across the country at the expanse of tax-paying fans.  It’s a twisted capitalistic circle that tests wills and redefines what it means to be a fan, begging the question, “How much are you really willing to pay?”  

The deadline for season ticket holders to renew their seats is fast approaching. Then the 1,200 displaced ticket holders will find out their fate for next season. If you’re number one on the list then you might have a decent shot.  Otherwise, you might as well go ahead and splurge on that new flatscreen you’ve had you’re eye on. You’re going to need it next year.

Ross McDaniel is freelance sportswriter and serves as operator/editor of Spumor.com. You can see more of his work at www.spumor.com.