CBA and the New Orleans Saints Host a Breakfast with NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue

The College of Business Administration and the New Orleans Saints presented a breakfast event featuring Paul Tagliabue, Commissioner of the National Football League (NFL), in early December at the Ritz-Carlton New Orleans. During the breakfast, Tagliabue discussed "NFL Football: America’s Passion."

Tom Benson, owner of the New Orleans Saints, was on hand to introduce the commissioner and give a few words about the team. He commented that as owner of the Saints for nearly 19 years, his goal has been for the team to support New Orleans, Louisiana, and the Gulf South region. He also noted that Loyola and Paul Tagliabue had one thing in common: "a steady, leading presence." Tagliabue then spoke about the importance of athletic competition and his passion for the NFL. A question-and-answer period followed which touched on everything from NFL interns to target audiences.

Under the leadership of Paul Tagliabue, the NFL has grown from 28 to 32 teams, revised its divisional alignment and scheduling formula, operated under successive has expanded league and team commitments to community service, refocused the NFL’s efforts in developing public-private partnerships for new stadiums, and adopted a new divisional alignment and scheduling formula. In addition, the NFL has been the new media leader in sports, creating the first leaguewide Internet network for fans and unprecedented Internet "portal" distribution.

An alumnus of Georgetown University, Tagliabue has, during his NFL tenure, presided over the adoption of a range of services to assist NFL players and their families, including the enforcement of stringent policies on steroids and other drugs. In addition, the Tagliabue era has seen the NFL expand its presence internationally and create the NFL Youth Football Fund to support the game at amateur levels.

Since Tagliabue took office in 1989, the NFL has taken steps to guarantee the appeal and safety of the game on the field and to ensure that all teams have financial and other resources to compete effectively for championships. Fan interest is at record levels, and the NFL is widely recognized as holding a preeminent position in sports entertainment.

In recognition of his accomplishments, Tagliabue was named the 2000 Sports Industrialist of the Year by The Sports Business Daily, the 2001 Sports Executive of the Year by The Sports Business Journal, and the 2001 Most Powerful Person in Sports by The Sporting News.

Gold sponsors for the event included Benson Motor Company; Best Chevrolet; The Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation; La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries; Loyola University New Orleans College of Business Administration; Loyola University Division of Institutional Advancement; New Orleans Saints— Mr. Tom Benson; Northwestern Mutual Financial Network—The Hornsby Group; The Port of New Orleans; and Joseph S. Tufaro.

Silver sponsors included Alta Max; del Corral Model and Talent Agency; Entergy New Orleans; LaPorte, Sehrt, Romig & Hand; Pamlab, L.L.C.; Regions Bank; and Stone, Pigman, Walther, Wittmann, L.L.C.

College of Business Administration
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6363 St. Charles Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70118