There it is: the New Orelans Saints’ home venue will now be named “The Caesars Superdome” for the next 20 years, replacing the “Mercedes-Benz Superdome” title it has held since 2011. Reports from Thursday’s meeting with the Louisiana state legislature’s Joint Budget Committee state that while the Saints will receive 100% of profits from the deal, the team has pledged to put them towards Superdome renovations and upgrades.
The Mercedes-Benz signage was removed last week when the German automaker’s deal expired, opening the door for a new naming-rights sponsor to step in. And as the Athletic’s Jeff Duncan reported earlier this year, Caesar’s Entertainment, Inc. was the frontrunner to take over.
That’s now official. This is the first stadium sponsorship agreement between an NFL team and a casino partner (when Hard Rock sponsored the Miami Dolphins’ stadium a few years back, it had to be specified that they were doing so in their capacity as hotel resorts, not gambling outfits), so it’s something of a landmark. That’s appropriate with New Orleans’ next Super Bowl scheduled to be hosted in 2025.
The process isn’t finished, though. Lawmakers had some reservations about the proposed renderings of what the Caesars Superdome will look like, with state senator Katrina Jackson correctly pointing out that the two-font look needs some work. Here’s hoping the Superdome graphics team can come up with something cleaner.
At a legislative budget meeting this morning, lawmakers are considering the new naming rights contract for the Superdome. @KatrinaRJackson raises concerns that the signage is gaudy. She doesn't like the two fonts. What does everyone think? #lalege #lagov pic.twitter.com/On3pY4wMEl
— Julie O'Donoghue (@JSODonoghue) July 22, 2021
