For years my brother (WDSU news anchor Travers Mackel) and I would emcee an event for The Idea Village called “The Big Idea.”Listening to local entrepreneurs pitch their product or idea in hopes of landing seed funding was always fascinating and motivating.The slogan for the event was “Trust Your Crazy Idea.”That said, I’ve been cooped up so long following the stay-at-home order, I’ve got a crazy idea, and I’m trusting you’ll keep reading about it and not laugh at the conclusion of this article.Here’s my idea – my pitch.While New Orleans has two amazing major professional sports franchises (the NFL Saints and the NBA Pelicans) our city should always be looking at expansion in the world of professional sports.That said, I’d love to see Saints and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson work with local and state leaders to lure the National Women’s Soccer League to New Orleans. The team would play games in a newly constructed 10,000-seat stadium built on the footprint of (and using elements of) the iconic Municipal Auditorium in New Orleans’ historic Treme neighborhood. The project would be funded in part by the more than $41 million available from FEMA – money allocated for the auditorium following Hurricane Katrina, but largely unused since the storm hit the Gulf Coast in 2005.Sound crazy? Stay with me.Here’s the reasons I’m tying Benson, the NWSL and the Municipal Auditorium together.As the owner of the Saints and Pelicans, Gayle Benson is one of Louisiana’s wealthiest, charitable and most influential residents. She may be the only person capable of adding a new team to the pro sports landscape in Louisiana and ensuring its success. It’s worth noting Gayle was instrumental in convincing her late husband Tom to buy into the NBA in 2012. The Bensons purchased the Pelicans (then Hornets) for just under $350 million. Today, the franchise is valued at $1.3 billion. I think Gayle Benson understands, ‘getting in at the right time’ so to say.Plus, as the owner of two major professional sports franchises, Benson is arguably the most powerful woman in professional sports, so investing in and betting on the growth of a women’s professional league seems like a natural fit.The cost of buying into the NWSL right now is affordable. Last year, a group from Louisville paid a $1 million expansion fee to join the league in 2020. While the costs of operation and overhead need to be factored in, the price is right.The location could also be perfect.Since Hurricane Katrina, I’ve closely followed the fiasco that is the Municipal Auditorium situation.A venue that once hosted Elvis Presley and Led Zepplin, was the home of both the New Orleans Buccaneers of the ABA (American Basketball Association), the New Orleans Jazz of the NBA, the New Orleans Brass of the ECHL (East Coast Hockey League) and literally thousands of Mardi Gras balls, is now a blighted, mold-filled disaster. The reason the $41 million from FEMA was never used on repairs is because the estimated cost of fixing the grand old dame and restoring her to state-of-the-art conditions was $80 million.In recent years, reports have surfaced indicating the Municipal Auditorium could be turned into the new City Hall for the city of New Orleans.I can’t express enough how terrible of an idea I think that would be.To move from a dated, dilapidated building into one that has rotted for 15 years and has never been used as office space? The Municipal Auditorium as the new City Hall for New Orleans is, in my opinion, a stupendously bad idea. My crazy (creative) idea is to build a new stadium on the footprint of the municipal auditorium.As someone who loves history and culture, especially the history and culture of New Orleans – what I’d love to see is the original facade of the building remain and for a new stadium to be built incorporating the original structure. For example, look at Soldier Field in Chicago.When the Bears franchise built a new stadium, they kept the historic, original facade from the old Soldier Field and built a new stadium around that structure. On top of the original facade being saved and reused, Congo Square, Armstrong Park and the Mahalia Jackson Theater would remain intact and untouched by the new venue (which would fit into the red square in the attached photo below).If anything, they’d be enhanced. A new sports stadium across the street from the French Quarter turns that entire neighborhood into a true entertainment district. In a deal similar to the one used at the new Louis Armstrong International Airport, local bars and restaurants could have locations in the new stadium and operate year-round. In a city built on tourism that will need the tourism industry now more than ever moving forward following the COVID-19 health crisis, we need venues and teams like the ones I'm proposing. We need to lean in to what we do well and enhance it. A new stadium and a new team do that. As far as a new team finding success selling tickets and receiving support, looking at the average attendance of NWSL games, Portland is the only outlier, averaging about 20,000 fans per game.The rest of the league averages about 5,000 fans per match. The NWSL plays 12 home games from April through October. I feel certain a team in New Orleans, at the foot of the French Quarter, playing games on weekends, could easily average 5,000 fans per game and may easily eclipse that mark and get closer to 7,000-9,000 per match.Why do I believe this? We've done it before. Back in the early 2000s when the New Orleans VooDoo played in the Arena Football League, the team averaged 15,240 fans per game annually for their eight-game home schedule, which was played from February through August. Plus, New Orleans loves events (and each of these games could be marketed as an event) and the metro area has a bigger appetite for soccer than some believe. Back in 2015, nearly 35,000 fans attended the U.S. Women's National Team Victory Tour match in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.On top of a NWSL team as the primary host, the new stadium, which would be a state venue operated by the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District (LSED), could also become the home of the NOLA Gold of Major League Rugby and be used for college and high school football, soccer and lacrosse - as well as festivals and concerts.The annual Sugar Bowl lacrosse Classic. Perfect at this venue.The River Bell Classic, the annual meeting in football between Southland Conference rivals Nicholls State and Southeastern, another great game for a stadium this size. Even the Saints could hold a select number of mini-camp and training camp workouts here. The city of Louisville recently completed a soccer-specific stadium capable of hosting 14,000 fans for $65 million.I know money doesn't grow on trees, but if the city of New Orleans has nearly $40 million in reserve for a Municipal Auditorium project, I'm sure tourism leaders, elected officials and Benson's top executives could find a way to bridge the gap in funding to make this project become a reality. Now to the final aspect of this pitch.Baseball.Yes, baseball.New Orleans history with the sport goes deep.For 90 years, 1887- 1977, the New Orleans Pelicans played in some way, shape or form in New Orleans. When the Superdome opened, New Orleans worked hard in an attempt to help various Major League Baseball teams relocate to the city. From 1993 through 2019, the New Orleans Zephyrs and Baby Cakes played in the AAA Pacific Coast League.In 2020, minor league baseball left New Orleans.The stadium where the Zephyrs/Baby Cakes played, The Shrine on Airline, now sits empty, in need of major repairs.Since the baseball stadium is located next door to the Saints and Pelicans campus, some have suggested Benson explore purchasing a minor league team and bring the sport back to New Orleans.I think that's a very bad idea.Minor league baseball is dying a slow death. Not that Benson has a desire to expand her sports empire, but if she did.Which pitch sounds better?NWSL, which has real growth potential including national TV and streaming deals and featuring international stars who'll gain even more attention after the 2021 Summer Olympics.A soccer team that could play in a stadium built exclusively for them in one of New Orleans' most historic areas.Minor league baseball, which will fold an estimated 20-40 teams in 2021. Playing way too many games in the oppressive south Louisiana heat at a location in the suburbs away from any type of nightlife in a stadium that needs major repairs. This decision would be the equivalent of asking someone in the 1980s if they wanted to invest in computers or typewriters.In my crazy dream world, if this idea ever came to fruition, what I'd suggest is: tearing down The Shrine on Airline and using the space to create a headquarters, training facility and practice fields for the new NWSL franchise.Benson would then have three sports franchises operating out of individual, state-of-the-art training centers on one main campus in Metairie -- while playing games in New Orleans at stadiums located within one mile of each other.In closing, I'll say this, black and gold is in my blood. Having grown up in New Orleans I'll always love covering the Saints. The NBA is like religion to me, and I love nothing more than covering the Pelicans.But, I'd also love another team to report on and I think the NWSL is a perfect fit for New Orleans.So, that's it. That's my crazy idea.Gayle Benson, the Municipal Auditorium and the NWSL!Wash your hands, wear your masks and stay healthy everyone!