This week, the Marist Center for Sports Communication sent me and four other lucky students to cover Super Bowl Week in New Orleans, LA. This is the first of multiple entries detailing the sights and sounds throughout the Crescent City leading up to Super Bowl LIX.
Sunday, Feb. 2
Super Bowl LIX between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles promises to be an electrifying matchup, with the rare host city capable of exceeding the energy of the big game all on its own.
Since our contingent of students from the Marist Center for Sports Communication touched down in New Orleans on Sunday, we have begun a dizzying week-long journey that will see us attend nearly a dozen Super Bowl Week events. Along the way, we encountered some of the biggest names in football and sports media while immersing ourselves in the unparalleled culture of New Orleans.
To kick off the week, the city unveiled a nightly light show projected onto the façade of the iconic 18th-century St. Louis Cathedral. As the sun began to set, the adjacent Jackson Square quickly became packed with fans and locals alike, while the sound of passing marching bands created a palpable buzz in the air.
The light show began shortly after 6 p.m. and featured 40,000-lumen laser projectors displaying vibrant Super Bowl-themed designs from various local artists.
Monday, Feb. 3
After spending our Sunday evening enjoying some local jazz on Frenchman Street, we woke up refreshed and ready to take on a jam-packed Monday.
First on the docket was a “Welcome to Super Bowl LIX” press conference held by the Super Bowl Host Committee held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, with numerous key dignitaries in attendance to discuss organization efforts for the big game.
Earlier in the morning, a bombshell report from the Associated Press revealed the New Orleans Saints president and other top team officials had played an instrumental role in helping the Catholic church do damage control after the church’s clergy sexual abuse scandal five years ago. Saints owner Gayle Benson spoke at the press conference, and despite the elephant in the room, she solely focused on the six-year effort to organize Super Bowl LIX. She did not address the AP report and media members were not allowed to ask questions.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell had the most memorable moment of the presser, as she spoke at length about the NFL’s unwavering support for New Orleans in the immediate aftermath of the Jan. 1 Bourbon Street truck attack that killed 14 and injured numerous others.
“The NFL was unshaken standing with the City of New Orleans after January 1,” said LaToya. “And the first comment made to me from the NFL was that they wanted to make sure the soul and spirit of New Orleans was unshaken as well.”
Once the press conference concluded, we made our way over to Radio Row. “The Row” is a sprawling room filled with hundreds of tables for media outlets and surrounded by TV and radio sets for just about every major sports network under the sun.
As part of our credential, we received a small table with four chairs that serves as the hub of our week-long effort to create content, interview prominent guests and network with industry members. Before breaking for lunch, we recorded a new podcast episode to discuss NFL Honors and Super Bowl predictions.
These kids are going to be exhausted and stressed all week, then Monday morning is going to come and they'll all be like "when can we do this again?"
— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) February 4, 2025
Wishing them luck. https://t.co/otyHfD8Yho
After spending the rest of Monday afternoon riding trolleys in the Garden District and eating po’ boys, it was time to get back to work.
Around 5:00 p.m., we joined the hordes of media members, fans, players and coaches descending upon the Caesars Superdome for Opening Night. The event signifies the last time both teams appear in the same location until kickoff on Sunday. Tickets cost only $20 to attend with children under 12 being admitted for free; the Super Bowl Host Committee announced they anticipated around 30,000 fans attending.
Dozens of players from each team made themselves available to the media for an extended period. Aside from the Chiefs and Eagles stars in the building, the event served as a who’s-who of high-profile sports media members.
The organized chaos gave reporters direct access to the athletes, coaches, and some of the most famous talking heads in sports media. Our Marist contingent asked questions to many high-profile figures including Saquon Barkley, Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes, DeVonta Smith, Scott Hanson and numerous others to get their thoughts on the spectacle unfolding around them.
With an hour for each team, our group of five split up and trudged through the sea of media to ask questions to as many players as possible. Burning through our phone and camera batteries (and running out of energy ourselves) we caught a 10 p.m. shuttle back to the hotel and celebrated the achievements with a late-night Popeyes victory meal.
Devonta Smith player comp from someone he watched growing up: Desean Jackson pic.twitter.com/x3OoWldQKH
— Dan Aulbach (@AulbachDan) February 4, 2025
Tuesday, Feb. 4
Tuesday morning began with a flurry of media events featuring key figures from both teams at their respective hotels, kicking off with the Chiefs.
Head coach Andy Reid opened his press conference by complimenting Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni for steering Philadelphia to two Super Bowl appearances over three years. He relayed that there were no injuries of note to this point, while also expressing gratitude for being a part of a Chiefs franchise making its fifth Super Bowl appearance in six seasons.
Shortly thereafter, our group spoke with numerous Chiefs players, including Creed Humphrey, Kareem Hunt, George Karlaftis and Drue Tranquill to hear their thoughts ahead of the big game.
Once the Chiefs wrapped up their media availabilities, we took a quick stroll over to the Eagles’ hotel and prepared to hear from Sirianni.
Sirianni addressed a range of topics including the status of his offensive coordinator, Kellen Moore, who is rumored to be the frontrunner for the Saints head coaching vacancy. Sirianni reiterated his belief that Moore is solely focused on the task at hand despite his potential career aspirations.
“Kellen’s focused on this game,” said Sirianni. “I’m focused on this game, not really thinking about anything else other than this game, because every little bit of attention that you put into something else is attention you’re not putting into what the main goal is.”
Towards the end of his presser, Sirianni answered our question about his belief in Jalen Hurts’ ability to succeed in the passing game when necessary. The Eagles head coach notably extended the press conference past the time warranted by his public relations team, sneaking us in for his second-to-last question of the presser.
Up next were some more press conferences with Eagles players; we spoke with Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata.
Catching a delicious meal at Mother’s Restaurant downtown (where in line, we noticed the Eagles’ defensive line, as well as ESPN lead NFL insider Adam Schefter grabbing lunch), we ate and connected with some fellow student journalists from UNC-Chapel Hill. It was a well-deserved break before spending several hours editing and planning our content at Media Row.
Tonight ends with the NFL media party; rest assured, we will shut off our laptops and enjoy what the NFL has in store at Mardi Gras World.
Click here for the next installment!
Edited by Dan Aulbach
For more coverage of Super Bowl LIX, follow @cfmarist on Instagram, X and TikTok.
