Longtime stadium manager on why New Orleans keeps landing Super Bowls

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - Given the excitement over the Super Bowl’s return to New Orleans, it can be tough to imagine the controversy surrounding the Superdome when it was under construction in the 1970s.

Louisiana voters overwhelmingly approved the dome’s construction in a statewide referendum in 1966.

While it garnered 70 percent of the vote, some of the public later soured on the idea as construction delays and cost overruns plagued the project.

The dome, which cost $134 million to construct, came in $35 million over budget.

“It’s a remarkable architectural achievement,” said Doug Thornton, President of Venues North America for Legends/ASM Global, the company which runs the Superdome for the Louisiana Stadium Exposition District.

“I started here in 1997 right after Super Bowl 31,” said Thornton, who was the dome general manager then.

Today, he oversees venues around the country, including the dome, Soldier Field in Chicago, NRG Stadium in Houston, U.S. Bank Stadium in Minnesota, State Farm Stadium in Arizona, EverBank Field in Jacksonville, and Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

In the 1970s, critics argued the Superdome was too large and extravagant.

Half a century later, Thornton argues it was precisely the dome’s size—with two million square feet inside—that allowed the state of Louisiana to remain competitive as modern stadiums grew larger.

“That building was constructed when (two million square feet) was unthinkable,” Thornton said. “But in today’s standards, that’s nothing.”

Modern stadiums, he said, run about a 30-year life span, after which they demand either replacement or renovation.

He praised the state of Louisiana for continuing to fund improvements, including the nearly $500 million spent recently on upgrades.

“I think the improvements allow us to be competitive with other facilities.”

Thornton believes the dome helped land New Orleans on the map as a sports destination site, helping the city transition to a tourism economy as the oil and maritime industries shed jobs.

“We call it the golden triangle,” Thornton said, a reference to the dome, the Morial Convention Center, and the French Quarter, the engines that drive the tourism economy of today.

The NFL in recent years has rewarded city’s for upgrading stadiums by staging the Super Bowls there.

He notes the Superdome bonds are paid for through hotel and motel room taxes, primarily by visitors.

Thornton noted that the New Orleans Saints also contributed one-third of the cost.

Beyond finances, the dome holds a special place in the hearts of New Orleanians, not unlike Wrigley Field in Chicago or Fenway Park in Boston.

For an eleventh time Sunday, the football-crazy town of New Orleans plays host to, arguably, the nation’s biggest annual event.

“Football has a way of bringing communities together,” Thornton said. “It is the national game and the Super Bowl is the national event.”

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