What makes the Superdome so special? The noise. 'It's wild. It's energetic. It's beautiful.'

It all comes down to the noise.
Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles, the New Orleans Saints will look to extend their playoff record at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome to a perfect 6-0 under coach Sean Payton. The Saints/ Superdome combination has a reputation. Those who have been in the teeth of the thing swear what makes the Superdome such a fun, fearsome, madcap and miserable place to play always comes back to one thing.
It is the great wall of sound that swallows all attempts at communication, lifts up the home team and weighs down the visitors. The Saints players pledge they are not paying lip service when they say there is nothing else like it in professional sports. It is the way the stands sit right on top of the sidelines, the way the roof keeps the noise in. The Superdome is a 269,000 square foot echo chamber with nearly 75,000 souls wildly adding to the cacophony. 

The Saints and their fans celebrate the late fumble by the Steelers during the game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints at the Superdome on Sunday, December 23, 2018. (Photo by Michael DeMocker, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)

Ask the guy who grew up in the Lower 9th ward and now wears game-issued Saints apparel, and he will tell you this distinctive atmosphere is not thanks to some unique acoustic signature of the building, but is a product of the relationship this city has with its pro football franchise. 

Saints defensive back Art Maulet knows what it’s like to be down there amidst the clamor, and he knows what it’s like to create it, too. 

Don’t sleep on the people up in the 600 sections. 

“That’s where all the noise really comes from, that’s what they don’t know,” Maulet said. “The nosebleeds, they get crazy up there. It’s a party. It’s the culture that we have. And the players here, they buy into the culture.”

As much fun as it would be to wax on the mysticism of the place, there are some truths that must be addressed, one of which was pointed out by the team’s own coach: The Superdome is only truly special when it has a winning team to back. 

There is some symbiosis here, Saints coach Sean Payton said. When the team is good, the Dome gets louder, and both help each other. When the team is not good, the Dome is not loud, and suddenly it is not so hard to play here. 

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) shows his loves for the fans as he runs off the field after the Saints beat the Washington Redskins 43-19 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, La. Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. (Photo by David Grunfeld, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)

  

When Payton arrived in 2006, the Saints had an all-time regular-season record of 104-128 in the Superdome and were 1-3 in the postseason. Since that point, they are 68-36 in the regular season and 5-0 in the postseason. 

“Not too long ago here it wasn’t too tough a place to play when we were struggling,” Payton said. “I think part of that is what kind of team you’re fielding and when you get the combinations of a good team and then the crowd noise and then you have something.”

Now, once that noise is in place, the uproar coming from the stands causes some plain technical difficulties for visitors. The oppressive din makes verbal communication virtually impossible, but it also creates mental stress for those who do not choose to welcome the craziness of it all.  

New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis (56) and cornerback Marshon Lattimore (23) celebrate with fans the 21-18 win over the Cleveland Browns at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, La. Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018. (Photo by David Grunfeld, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)

  

Dr. Bhrett McCabe is a licensed clinical and sports psychologist based in Birmingham, Alabama. He is a former high-level athlete, having won two College World Series championships while playing collegiate baseball at LSU, and he is the founder of MindSide Sports and Performance Psychology.

To weather the storm of sound, McCabe said athletes must embrace it rather than being worried about it or trying to pretend it does not exist. 

“Historically, when people believe it’s a problem, or act like it’s not a problem, what it does is create a distraction,” McCabe said. “That distraction takes the energy and the power away from you to execute. The noise becomes mental noise, mental clutter.” 

McCabe likened it to a conversation held between two people at Starbucks. With base level ambient noise, it is easy to focus on the person in front of you and what they are saying. But if a loud group drops in at the table next to you, your focus becomes fixated to the unwelcome noise. 

But, if the loud party at the next table were in a different setting where noise is expected or embraced, the conversation would go on as normal. 

“If I was on the opponents’ side, I would talk about how fun it is to play in the Superdome, how great it is,” McCabe said. “It’s one of the greatest environments to play in, we’re excited. It’s an advantage for both teams to play in front of fans who love it. 

“You’re not ignoring it, you’re not minimizing it, but what you’re doing is embracing what it is.” 

And what is the best way to describe what the Superdome is on game day? Through the words of the people who experience and embrace its full force regularly.