Saints pushing Saban angle for first LSU game

[Golphindolphin]

"The marketing plan for the first-ever New Orleans Saints' regular-season football game in Tiger Stadium has called an audible.
The organization will be pushing the Nick Saban angle as much as the Saints' angle, which has a definite downward slope of late. "

"Only 30,000 tickets have been sold so far for the Saints-Dolphins game in Tiger Stadium after its announcement on Sept. 12 by NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue."

"The Saints are not attempting to sell all 92,400 seats in Tiger Stadium"


After their showing in Green Bay this past weekend the NFL has recommended that the Saints purchase 62,400 paper bags from Publix and place them over the remaining seats.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/saints/2005-10-12-baton-rouge-tickets_x.htm

 

[Mike13]

I guess no one wants to see Saban's homecoming stomping of the Saints.

 

[Canadianfishfan]

I can'rt imagine too many people from Louisiana happy with the fact that the Saints have publicly stated that they would rather play in San Antonio.

 

[Timmy54]

You also have to remember there are alot of saints fans who right now dont have football on their minds. they are too busy rebuilding their lives. I understand why they are having the game in baton rougue but i dont think they will make money from them. in the end, the saints are a bad team in a devistated market!!

 

[first&goal]

You also have to remember there are alot of saints fans who right now dont have football on their minds. they are too busy rebuilding their lives. I understand why they are having the game in baton rougue but i dont think they will make money from them. in the end, the saints are a bad team in a devistated market!!

Very good point

 

[DolfanDaveInMI]

The Saints will play in front of more people in San Antonio than they will in Baton Rouge. The first San Antonio game was headed for a sellout before Paul Tagliabue insulted the city, which caused the corporate leaders to pull back on their support. (They ended up about 6,000 shy of a sellout.) This Sunday's San Antonio game will sell out because people want to see Michael Vick. The Christmas Eve game will be an extremely hard sell unless businesses buy up thousands of tickets and give them to their employees as "Christmas presents."

But I think if the Alamodome can be retrofitted to accomodate a second level of suites, San Antonio makes much more sense as a long-term home for the Saints than does New Orleans. A San Antonio/Austin marketing strategy would give the team a top-20 population base, and there is a lot of corporate support in both cities -- more in Austin but growing in San Antonio.

And before any of you jump on me for being crass, let's be honest. The Saints will not go back to New Orleans after this. The only question is whether they go to Los Angeles (like Tagliabue is pushing) or San Antonio (as Benson is leaning).