Saints Host Jaguars at the New Orleans Superdome

 

The trip down South is now well over and done. Yet, I am far enough behind that only now am I really catching up fully with putting at least some of the pictures from everything that we did during the trip. In that spirit, this is the post that covers what we did on our final night.

What did we do? We went to a Saints game, of course. I was excited mostly just to see the New Orleans Superdome, which is one of the most historic stadiums/arenas/domes in the country, if not even the world. This dome has hosted seven Super Bowl games, and it will host the Super Bowl for an eighth time in February of 2025. In addition, there have been numerous college "Bowl" games played there over the years, as well as five NCAA tournaments, and who knows how many concerts and other major events? It is where both the New Orleans Saints and Tulane University play their home football games, and used to be the home of the then New Orleans Jazz, who eventually moved to become the Utah Jazz (obviously, the name feels like it carries more weight with the city of New Orleans, though). 

However, this was also the place where people who found themselves homeless after Hurricane Katrina stayed. Yes, this stadium is historic, on a level that few other stadiums can compete with. And it is an impressive structure, one that cannot be ignored when you drive around the city. It is too big to miss, obviously. 

For me, I can remember many of those events. The first game that I can specifically remember watching at the Superdome was Super Bowl XX, when the Chicago Bears just crushed the New England Patriots, when both teams were playing in their first Super Bowl. I remember the Giants playing in some big games in the stadium in the late eighties and then early nineties, and remember the 49ers also crushing the Broncos there in Super Bowl XXIV even worse than the Bears had beaten down the Pats. There was Super Bowl XXXI, when the Packers beat the Patriots, and a few years later, New England would finally find success in the Superdome, shocking the prohibitive favorites, the St. Louis Rams, also known as the "Greatest Show on Turf.," in Super Bowl XXVI. Who could forget the very memorable game between the Falcons and Saints there in 2006, when the stadium finally reopened for NFL football play? And there was also Super Bowl XLVII between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers, perhaps best known for that strange power failure that lasted something like forty minutes. Ultimately, the Ravens beat the Niners in that one. 

Now, here we were, with a chance to finally visit this stadium/dome that I had only seen on television to this point. It was not an opportunity that I wanted to miss. I looked into tickets, and was not entirely sure if it would be a good idea, the night before our flight back to Newark from Nashville. In the end, I gave into the temptation of approximately $20 tickets (including all of the extra fees) for very decent, lower level seats, and obtained them. There were some complications with the parking, which was ridiculous for surprising reasons. I had obtained a parking pass, thinking myself smart to do so, and discovered that I need not have done that at all. There was literally nobody at the lot where I was supposed to park, and we got the impression that we should not leave the car there unattended. So we ultimately parked on a street, where you did not have to pay for parking after 7pm. There were plenty of other people there, including some in front and back of us, which eliminated the possibility of us getting towed, just in case I misunderstood. As it turns out, it was a non-issue, because indeed, we not only were not towed, but also not ticketed. Again, surprising situation with the parking.

The dome itself is impressive on the outside, as well as inside, and both my son and I enjoyed it. My son is not a big football fan, but he was surprised by how good the seats were, as well as how festive the atmosphere was. There was a guy dressed up as Darth Vader, and another guy dressed up as a Stormtrooper, and they were both relatively close to where we were sitting. There were other people dressed up, and overall, again, it felt like a more fun-loving atmosphere than any other NFL football game that I have ever been to, and possibly more than any other sports event that I have been to. It was just fun to be there, overall.

As for the game, well, it was fun. The Saints are beginning life without star quarterback Drew Brees, who at least led the New Orleans Saints to their one and only Super Bowl championship, but retired after last season. Meanwhile, the Jacksonville Jaguars have the hottest prospect from this year's draft, quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who I remember playing a National Title Game in this very stadium just a few years ago (his team, Clemson, lost that one). He played well in this one, showing some signs of promise. Ultimately, however, the Saints raced off to a fast start, jumping all over the Jaguars early for a 14-0 lead, and hanging on down the stretch for the 23-21 win in the second preseason contest for both teams. 

Here are some pictures from our night in the New Orleans Superdome:

New Orleans Saints Darth Vader is more or less in the center of this picture, and the Stormtrooper in the same style is to his left, close to the edge of the picture here.