By Chandler Harris, Assistant Sports Editor
The new Cowboys Stadium is taking the future of sports’ venues to the next level, but at a hefty price. I recently toured the new palace of a stadium that is under construction in Arlington, and words do not do justice to how massive it is.
The new facility, which cost $1.1 billion, boasts some of the world’s largest structures, including the longest single-span roof structure and the largest LED screen, which is backed by 10 levels of catwalks. My tour guide was Brett Daniels, director of corporate communications for the Dallas Cowboys, and he said the brunt of the stadium’s price tag would be passed along to its patrons rather than Arlington’s taxpayers, who already have footed $325 million of the bill.
With some single-game tickets as high as $349 and parking priced at $75-$90 per car, many middle-to-lower class Cowboys’ fans will not experience the new stadium due to the harsh economic times.
Daniels said Jerry Jones, the Cowboys’ owner, and his family modeled the new stadium after others in Japan, China, Australia and London, including Wimbley Stadium. It is evident the Jones’ are targeting a wealthier audience for the new stadium as they installed five levels of suites, including the first ever, on-field suite.
This stadium, however, is more than just a football stadium. The Jones family has marketed its palace as venue for any and all events big enough to fill the 100,000-seat capacity.
It will all begin in June with the first ever event, a George Strait concert, which sold out in fewer than 30 minutes. This is to be followed by concerts by U2 and the Jonas Brothers, not to mention a soccer game between Chelsea FC and Club America. The Cowboys will play their first game against the NY Giants on Sept. 20.
This game, which was announced Tuesday, already has presented a scheduling conflict with the Cowboys’ neighboring sports franchise, the Texas Rangers. The Rangers also will play a game Sept. 20, and because the teams share parking lots, two games happening in one day is logistically impossible. Of course the Cowboys take precedent, and the Rangers are planning to move their matchup with the Angels.
No matter how expensive this stadium or a ticket inside may be, the new Cowboys Stadium will turn heads this summer when it opens its gates for the first time.
