Panel to put La. in hunt for sporting events

The Bayou State has played host to many high-profile athletic events over the years, including the Super Bowl, the BCS Championship, NCAA Final Four, the NBA All-Star Game and Olympic Track & Field Trials. Still, lawmakers believe there’s more that Louisiana can be doing to attract events. That’s why they passed Senate Resolution 137 by Sen. Ed Murray, D-New Orleans, during their recent session. It created the Major Sporting Event Funding Committee, which is meeting later today for the first time in a Superdome boardroom to elect officers and better outline its mission. According to Murray’s resolution, the committee has been asked to “study the feasibility of establishing trust funds to support the hosting of major sport events in Louisiana.” Texas law, for example, allows the Lone Star State and its local governments to partner and create trust funds that hold some of the tax revenue created by sporting events. Those trust funds are then used to dole out economic development incentives to attract other tournaments and bowls. The Texas trust funds have also been used to pay claims for costs incurred by public and private entities in hosting or attracting these championship contests. Locally, the LSU Athletic Department and Baton Rouge Area Sports Foundation have seats on the committee, which is expected to produce a public report before the end of the year. —Jeremy Alford