Puzzling Decision of LSU to Host Home Football Game

Critical game, of course, against might North Texas. This is really strange since the mayor did not want them to do it, nor the police, council, etc. (see article). They also had reserved Texas Stadium, and Shreveport Stadium as perfectly reasonable alternatives. Of course putting fans on the road in evacuation zones would be stupid as well. Why not CANCEL THE STUPID GAME!?

Football games criticized

Officials say they’ll try to handle traffic
By SCOTT DYER
Advocate staff writer
Published: Sep 11, 2008 - Page: 1B - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

With widespread power outages, piles of storm debris and inoperable traffic signals in the wake of Hurricane Gustav, city-parish officials said it was not their idea for LSU and Southern University to play home football games Saturday in Baton Rouge.
But city-parish staffers told the Metro Council on Wednesday that they plan to respond as best they can to make the games as safe as possible for the thousands of fans who will converge on the capital city to cheer on their teams.
The seating capacity at Tiger Stadium is 92,500 while the seating capacity at Southern’s A.W. Mumford Stadium is 25,500. Those numbers do not include tailgaters.
The city-parish’s plans call for debris-clearing crews to focus on Highland Road, a narrow two-lane road that is a main artery to Tiger Stadium, before LSU is slated to play the University of North Texas.
Metro Councilman Byron Sharper questioned the wisdom of making Highland Road a priority when thousands of East Baton Rouge Parish residents are waiting for huge piles of storm debris to be picked up from their front yards.
“It doesn’t sound right or look right for us to be talking about a football game at a time like this,” Sharper said.
The mayor’s chief administrative officer, Walter Monsour, said city-parish is merely trying to remove debris not only on main routes to the LSU game, but also to the Southern University-Mississippi Valley State game.
The debris poses a traffic hazard and needs to be dealt with, Monsour said, noting that debris pickup efforts are continuing in other parts of the parish.
The decision to play those games was made by the schools, Monsour said.
“It will put a cramp in our style to have 140 officers working both of those games,” Monsour said.
Metro Councilman Ulysses “Bones” Addison said the games will likely mean “total chaos” for the parish, not only because of the debris but also because of the widespread power outages and the fact that more than 100 traffic signals still aren’t functioning.
“Shame on us all,” Addison said.