Gayle Benson, owner and CEO of the New Orleans Saints and owner of the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans, is in the spotlight as the Saints prepare to make NFL history in Paris this weekend.

The Saints will face the Pittsburgh Steelers at Stade de France in the league’s first-ever regular-season game in France. The game represents another step in the NFL’s continuing international expansion. The Saints have held international marketing rights in France since 2023, and Benson has been personally involved in building the franchise’s presence there. [espn.com], [neworleanssaints.com]

France isn’t the NFL’s only international destination in 2026. The league’s schedule also includes games in markets including the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Brazil, Mexico and Australia, underscoring professional football’s increasingly global ambitions. [si.com]

Fun Fact: From Interior Design to the NFL Owners’ Box

Here’s a part of Gayle Benson’s story that many football fans probably don’t know.

A lifelong New Orleans native, Benson began her career working in receptionist and secretarial positions while pursuing an interest in interior design. She later operated her own interior decorating business, Gayle Bird Interiors. Biographical accounts say she was also involved in renovating properties years before becoming one of professional sports’ most prominent owners. [en.wikipedia.org]

Following the death of her husband, Tom Benson, in 2018, she succeeded him as owner of both the Saints and Pelicans. [neworleanssaints.com]

And as you noted, Benson is part of a relatively small group of women in NFL ownership. A current biographical listing identifies her as one of ten female NFL team owners. [en.wikipedia.org]

Why We Find It Interesting

Professional football isn’t simply an American sports story anymore.

The NFL has been steadily increasing its international presence, and Sunday’s game brings that strategy to France for the first time. For Gayle Benson and the Saints, there’s also a natural cultural connection between New Orleans, Louisiana and France, something Benson herself highlighted when the Paris game was announced. [espn.com]

Her personal story makes the occasion even more interesting. The woman taking an NFL franchise to Paris this weekend began her career far removed from professional sports ownership, ultimately becoming the steward of two major professional sports franchises in her hometown. [en.wikipedia.org], [neworleanssaints.com]

That’s a pretty good BOARD ROOMinations story.

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