An early look at Cowboys Stadium
July 27, 2009 by Cody Dunlap · Leave a Comment
A lot has been said about Cowboys Stadium, both good and bad, but to be inside of “Jerry World” is, for lack of a better word, awesome. The sheer enormity of the place has to be seen to be believed.
Levels upon levels of seating rises to the ceiling, interspersed with four rows of luxury suites and vast open areas at each end. The enormous high-def screens look like they were air-lifted in from Times Square. Friendly staff, clean concourses, impressive array of concessions, you name it, the new Cowboys Stadium has it.
The worst part is the traffic getting in and out of the stadium. Especially with the construction around I-30 right now, getting into the place can be a real beating. Arriving early cannot be stressed enough.
I experienced this firsthand at the Chelsea-Club America contest yesterday, as it was a real pain just to get into the place. $20 cash parking was being offered for spots that were 5-10 minutes away in the lots of churches, gas stations and wherever people could set up to make a buck off of fans.
I’m not complaining about the stadium itself; Cowboys Stadium has to be one of the most fantastic places to see a sporting event in this country.
However, I wonder about a few things.
First, will the stadium even sell out every game? In all likelihood, yes. Especially this first year and with the Cowboys still a threat to challenge in the NFC. Still, this is a tough economy the team is trying to sell seats in. As far as I know, luxury suites for Cowboys Stadium are very available, and it was evident last night. I would be surprised if there were 25% of the total suites filled in the place. Granted, the event last night was only a soccer game. But it was still a soccer game between two of the most famous and skilled teams in the world, and there were about five to ten suites filled per row, with four rows of suites.
Second, will the Cowboys have any chance at a form of home-field advantage? Hell-to-the-no. In reality, it might even be a disadvantage for the Cowboys to play at Cowboys Stadium. First of all, the Cowboys, especially in the past few years, had not had much of an advantage at Texas Stadium, so I don’t think Cowboys fans can have the reputation of being great fans like those in Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Denver, just to name a few. Secondly, Cowboys Stadium was not made to attract the die-hard Cowboys fan that’s going to cheer the Star forever. It was made to be the cool place to be. Quite frankly, all sporting events are becoming like that.
NFL and NBA games matter in our culture much more than MLB and NHL games do, so they’ve been struck more by the plague of hipfan. What is hipfan? Well that’s what you call a person or people that only cares about a sports team because it’s hip, not because they love the team.
Cowboys Stadium is hipfan mecca. While it is awesome in almost every single way, real fans need not apply.
Third, and lastly, is the stadium too big? The 2010 NBA All-Star Game will be played at Cowboys Stadium. Will the whole stadium be opened to the public? Doubtful. But even so, there’s no reason to go and sit anywhere above the second deck. I could barely see the soccer game from the highest row of suites, and a soccer field might be the biggest athletic field out there. A basketball court? There’s no reason to look down at what are basically ants playing basketball. You’ll just look at the TV.
And that brings me to my final point about Cowboys Stadium. Most people can’t afford to sit in the seats in the lowest section, or even the second lowest section. The seats that are even in the same ballpark as affordable are the ones that are in the corners scraping the rooftop. From that high? You can barely see the players. The screens are, in every way, the best way to watch a game.
In short: You are going to a sporting event in order to watch it on TV.
That’s what Cowboys Stadium is, frankly. A giant sports bar with kick-ass TVs that just so happens to actually have the game going on.
There’s nothing wrong with that. I’m just not so sure that it’s actually good for the Cowboys.
Check the Stadium out in person: Dallas Cowboys Tickets as low as $45 at StubHub!
Stadium pic: http://sportsbusinessdigest.com/cowboys-stadium-names-jerry-jones-field/
Dallas Sports Offseason Update
July 23, 2009 by Guest Contributor · Leave a Comment
It’s almost NFL betting time and you can feel it in the Texas air, can’t you? Training camps are on the verge of kicking into overdrive, and the NHL and NBA camps aren’t far behind. Let’s check in with our Dallas teams.
The biggest storyline around camp these days is the pressure mounting on Tony Romo. With no more Jessica Simpson, he has no more excuses. As great as his numbers can be, he’s 5-10 in December and January and that has to change if the Cowboys want to make the playoffs. Unfortunately for Romo, he still may not have a true No. 1 wideout to throw to this season unless Roy Williams really steps up his play.
However, if the stars align, you just never know – Tony Romo could have a secondary receiving option in Jesse Holley, winner of Michael Irvin’s reality TV show 4th and Long. He’s a huge offshore sportsbook underdog to make the team but he’s big, reasonably fast and has Irvin’s confidence. To quote No. 88 on Holley: “Outside of Roy Williams, I’m not looking at a guy that is head and shoulders above Jesse.”
Not much happened for the Mavs in the last week, but hoops betting fans should keep an eye on second-round pick Ahmad Nivins. He’s impressing in the summer league with his rebounding ability and strength. While his speed and athleticism leave a bit to be desired, he’s thought to have an NBA-ready build already, so he could see more than a few minutes for the Mavs this season.
The quiet, deer-in-the-headlights offseason continues in Dallas and the Stars are tough to forecast for next year. The bad news: it looks more likely every day that longtime defensive workhorse and power-play quarterback Sergei Zubov is leaving for greener pastures. He’s 39 years old but can still help a team’s offense when healthy. The good news: Dallas finally has a backup for Marty Turco in net, as they brought in Alex Auld. Auld is a capable backup who can handle starting duties for stretches too. However, with no major acquisitions yet, you have to wonder if the Stars can ice a team worth the ticket price per head in 2009.
Dallas Cowboys 2009 Training Camp Schedule
July 22, 2009 by Cody Dunlap · 1 Comment
One week. That’s all the time left until the 2009 season for the Dallas Cowboys begins with the first practice of training camp.
A lot of intriguing positional battles for the Dallas Cowboys to look into at training camp this year, especially in the secondary and along the offensive line.
So when will all of those battles play out? Find out for yourself right here with the schedule for the Dallas Cowboys training camp in 2009.
