Bayou Classic

Photo: Southern University Human Jukebox Marching Band and Dancing Dolls are major attractions for most SU fans.

by Richard A. Webster, New Orleans City Business

The Bayou Classic had a $175-million economic impact on the New Orleans economy in 2004, ranking it third in the top 10. And yet it remains an event somewhat under the radar of locals because it falls at the end of November close to Thanksgiving, said Janet Speyrer, associate dean for research in the University of New Orleans College of Business Administration.

“People tend not to think of it quite as much because they’re at family gatherings and aren’t downtown to see the impact it has,” Speyrer said. “A lot of people are at home with the family or going somewhere, so they tend to underestimate how important it is to the local economy. People don’t think of that being such a big event.”

But the Bayou Classic, which pits Grambling State University against Southern University, typically draws close to 70,000 people to the game. Up to 200,000 more come to take part in additional activities, said Cydni Bickerstaff, CEO of Bickerstaff Sports and Entertainment, which manages the event.

“A lot of people may not be able to go to the game, but they go to the Battle of the Bands or one of the other ancillary events that take place that weekend,” Bickerstaff said. “It’s like a big reunion. People come back and see people they haven’t seen in a while and reconnect.”

Photo: Members of GSU Marching Tiger Band performs for crowd at University of Pittsburgh game.

After playing in Houston in 2005 following Hurricane Katrina, the Bayou Classic returned in 2006 to significantly smaller crowds. Last year the game drew 47,136 compared with 68,911 in 2004, a 31 percent drop.


The dip in attendance would have resulted in a significant drop in the Classic’s top 10 ranking, but an economic impact study on the game has not been conducted in three years.
Based on 2004 figures the Sugar Bowl, with an economic impact of $250.5 million, would have ranked well ahead of the Bayou Classic at $175 million.

Ralph Slaughter, president of the Southern University System, said people’s fears of New Orleans stifled attendance in 2006.

“People were afraid to come,” Slaughter said. “They thought the air and water were bad. There were so many people who had it in their minds that New Orleans was underwater. People were encouraging us not to have the game, but I haven’t seen those kinds of e-mails this year.”

Bickerstaff said she hopes the people who attended the Bayou Classic last year and this year’s Essence Music Festival have spread the word New Orleans is safe and just as much fun as it was before the storm. She expects this year’s attendance to approach what it was before the hurricane.

“There was never a question of bringing the Bayou Classic back to New Orleans,” she said. “This is where the game belongs, where the history is. And as much as the schools contribute to the city of New Orleans, it’s only natural for them to come back and be able to help rebuild the city.”
Southern University Jaguars Human Jukebox Marching Band at Chicago Football Classic 2007