There is a very strange disdain for New Orleans within Louisiana - outside of New Orleans.
As for the flagship city - delusional LSU fans resent that New Orleans is considered the flagship city when they believe that the university (and specifically LSU football) should be the crown jewel of Louisiana.
It was never more clearly displayed in the aftermath of Katrina. If there is something that means the opposite of “rolling out the red carpet” - that’s what Baton Rouge and especially LSU did for the Saints. There were LSU fans legit offended that the Saints were going to play games in the historic Tiger Stadium. It was a sad display - and as someone born and raised in Baton Rouge, it nearly broke my heart to see it up close.