FanHouse NewOrleans

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- NFL commissioner Roger Goodell just announced that New Orleans will be the host city for Super Bowl XLVII in 2013.

It will be New Orleans' 10th Super Bowl, which will tie it with Miami for the most ever. Miami will host its 10th in 2010.

"I think this is a great statement about the spirit of the people of New Orleans and the great relationship the NFL and the Saints have with that community," Goodell said.

New Orleans is still officially the home of the 2008 All-Star Game. Remember that. But with the whole fiasco over the hip-hop crowd, and perhaps some concerns over how NOLA will go, the NBA got to thinking. According to The Sacramento Bee, the league has considered taking the game outside of the U.S.A. because of it.

Oh, my bad, this is all because of what a success Las Vegas was:

Building off the interest and excitement of holding the All-Star Game in Las Vegas last month, the NBA has discussed the historic move of taking its mid-season showcase overseas in a merger of its powerful marketing and international appeal, The Bee has learned.

Talks have been preliminary, without so much as a target city or timeline, according to a senior executive. But the league is clearly open to the concept, even with the accompanying logistical issues that would likely include extending the All-Star break from the current window of four days to compensate for jet lag and travel time.

Now, I'm not going to get all conspiracy-minded and tell you that this is an all-out cover-up. Obviously having it in Vegas--a non-NBA city--opened all sorts of commercial doors for the event's future. But anyone who has followed the fallout knows that, at this point, there's no way that the failings of 2007 aren't playing a factor.

New Orleans, New Orleans. You have dealt with immeasurable sorrows. You were supposed to host the 2007-08 All-Star Game. And then Players Association chief Billy Hunter expressed misgivings, major figures like Shaq and T-Mac followed suit, and soon even Rafer Alston's worries were a news item.

Apparently, Billy Hunter has decided to actually get some first hand information. From Ken Berger at Newsday.com:

The fallout from players' association chief Billy Hunter's comments questioning New Orleans' ability to host the 2008 All-Star Game continued late into the week, with NBA Commissioner David Stern meeting with Hunter on Thursday, according to two people familiar with the situation.

Hunter is scheduled to leave Tuesday for a two-day visit to New Orleans, which is trying to rebuild and combat a serious crime problem 18 months after Hurricane Katrina. Hunter and Stern are expected to meet again after the trip.

Imagine that. Instead of people relying on news channels and Spike's snapshot of a disaster, someone with some influence is actually going to investigate the city of New Orleans. Maybe he'll hear about something called Mardi Gras, and how well that went...or maybe he'll get to tour all the neighborhoods that are still in shambles. I don't think this is an easy decision, but at least now it could be an informed one.