The grandest celebration of football this season came to an end in Sin City, leaving some in tears while others celebrated. But as they say, the show must go on, and the next stop is New Orleans, the city of Jazz. The Big Game—Super Bowl LIX, to be exact—is set to take place at the Saints’ home turf, the Ceasars Superdome on February 9, 2025. The Who Dat Nation or any NFL enthusiast must not worry if you’re planning to go and watch the game since the Dome will complete its renovations by July — ahead of the 2024 regular season.
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The city officials have recently confirmed that this year will mark the completion of their long-awaited renovations worth a whopping $500 million. According to Front Office Sports, the original project had a budget of $450 million, but an additional $50 million was allocated due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This said project was approved in 2019, and five years later, fans will get to experience the final product — featuring escalators, bathrooms, walkways, and other amenities.
The upcoming Super Bowl will mark the city’s 11th big game, tying with Miami for the all-time record. During a recent press briefing, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry has already spoken his mind and speculated that the Saints are going to the Finale next year to lock horns against the Joe Burrow-led Bengals. He predicted,
“I think next year it might be (Joe) Burrow versus (Gayle) Benson, right?” as per FOX8.
The 2023 season wasn’t much kind to the Black and Gold, as they missed the playoffs by mere inches. One could very well argue that the Week 3 loss against the Packers with a final score of 18–17 contributed to this. They had a 17-point lead by the end of the first half, and after a scoreless third quarter for both sides, the Saints secondary failed to limit the Acme Packers in the final quarter, eventually losing the game. And in this very showdown, Derek Carr suffered a shoulder injury on a botched sack — which hampered him throughout the season.
As the season went by, we witnessed one of the slowest defenses in the league, finishing among the bottom dwellers. The offense was no help either, with inconsistent plays in the red zone, terrible run games, and last but not least — the abysmal O-line. So, did they make any changes before the 2024 season?
As it turns out, the Saints cleaned house on the offensive front — giving the boot to main man Pete Carmichael, wide receivers coach Kodi Burns and senior offensive assistant Bob Bicknell. Perhaps there’s hope this season.
Fans React to the $500 Million Expenditure on the Dome Ahead of Super Bowl LIX
Under Dov Kleiman‘s post, reporting the same development, there are more than a few football fans, who are not at all impressed with the $500 million expenditure. One user even noted how the stadium was in despair when he attended the Sugar Bowl. Take a look:
The Caesars Superdome has a seating capacity of 83,000, a whopping 18,000 more than this year’s host — Allegiant Stadium. We’ve already seen the substantial impact a Super Bowl brings to the city hosting the game — millions of dollars in revenue earned by local businesses, tourism, and more — so it’s expected to have the same effect on the city of New Orleans as well.
