The New Orleans Saints are among the many teams no longer on the field in the postseason, falling miserably short with a 5-12 overall record that placed them dead-last in the NFC South.
But the Caesars Superdome itself will be hopping sooner rather than later, with New Orleans set to play host for Super Bowl LIX at the Caesars Superdome.
Despite his strong Louisiana ties and going down as one of the best overall athletes in state history, Shaq says he does not keep up with the Saints on a regular basis — that’s because he’s a die-hard Dallas Cowboys fan.
O’Neal may have taken the court for LSU, but he’s a strongly devoted Texas native who says he actually almost headed to Austin instead of playing for the Tigers.
But while back in the Big Easy, O’Neal will be bringing “Shaq’s Fun House” into the Saints’ house.
“I am so excited that it is coming to the Big Easy,” O’Neal told me this week. “It is part music festival, part carnival, and there is no doubt in my mind that it will be the number one party of the Super Bowl weekend. It’s an all-inclusive event … There will be carnival rides, games and a circus performance.”
In addition the O’Neal being present, other celebrities like Ludacris and DJ Diesel will be in attendance. And O’Neal believes his particular event will be different than a lot of the other ones taking place, also with a free 6-hour open bar.
“On weekends like this, you tend to have a lot of events that they say are parties, but they’re just corporate events. You come in, you stand around and people are talking and no one’s really paying attention to the DJ,” O’Neal said.
In addition to the event, O’Neal says he’s looking forward to being back in what he describes as perhaps the most unique city on the planet.
He added, “New Orleans is a great city in its own right that has a wonderful culture that is unmatched in any other city. You just have to be there and visit there to understand.”
There will be a lot going on at this year’s Super Bowl event, with several former Saints athletes, including quarterback Drew Brees, in attendance.
It is set for kickoff at 6:30 p.m. ET on Feb. 9.
