Super Bowl 2011 / Cowboys Stadium

About that free city suite at Cowboys Stadium ....

Reporters Tony Spangler and Susan Schrock have spent months analyzing records to determine how the city of Arlington is using its free suite at Cowboys Stadium.

Their story in today's Star-Telegram raises some interesting questions about the entanglement between politicians and city officials and the big-money businessmen who -- let's be honest here -- pretty much get what they want in today's America.

It may be impossible in our current political and economic climate for the government to persuade the public that these arrangements are beneficial for the little guy who is struggling to find a job.

But it's important that the hard questions continue to be asked, and answered.

The worst thing that could happen is for deals to happen quietly, behind the scenes.

All that would do is exacerbate the climate of mistrust.

-- Kathy Vetter, editor

Good weather not the only factor for Super Bowl cities

With the NFL in sunny South Florida for a 10th Super Bowl this week, it seems like a good time to question whether the unpredictable February weather in North Texas could doom the region's desire to host future games after 2011.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell had a few interesting comments about weather and facilities during an interview with Sarah Talalay, a sports business reporter at the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel.

We don't really have the first going for us.

(National Weather Service historical data says the high could be anywhere from 83 to 25 on Feb. 6, the date of next year's game. In Miami, the normal high for the date is 77.)

But we definitely have the second, thanks in large part to Arlington voters.

Here is the key part of the transcript. The emphasis is mine:

Q. We keep hearing the NFL likes to come to South Florida for Super Bowls, so why are stadium renovations to [Sun Life] Stadium so crucial?

A. Well, it's the competition of making sure we put on a terrific event and having great communities throughout the country that want to host the Super Bowl. Miami and South Florida are great communities for the Super Bowl, and we would love to continue to be back there, but we also have some other great communities that would love to host Super Bowls, and some of them have made some significant improvements to their facilities, which is important for us because it is our stage to make sure it adds to the improvement of the event and the overall experience for our fans. And we think that's something that's important for us, it's been an initiative of the league, and it's reflected in our Super Bowls also.

Q. Was weather - the rain in 2007 - the main reason South Florida won't get another Super Bowl without some sort of roof covering?

A. No, I wouldn't say that's the main reason. I'm not sure there is a main reason, since we haven't decided not to come back to South Florida.

Q. The weather obviously was a concern?

A. I think the weather is a concern, but one of the alternative cities for the next Super Bowl bid [2014] will be an open-air stadium in the New York region. So I think weather is obviously a factor, but you balance that with a number of issues. As you know, the Marlins Get your Marlins Tickets now! will be leaving the stadium between now and the next Super Bowl. That's a great opportunity to be able to make improvements to the stadium, to make it a great football stadium. There are things that need to be improved there. As we've mentioned, the lighting is one example. We have to supplement the lighting for any prime-time game, much less the Super Bowl. There are things that can be improved in the facility that I think are probably necessary. But again, it's been a great community for us, and we hope to continue the relationship.

Q. You mentioned the Meadowlands, it could be freezing and/or snowing, but the NFL decided it was OK to invite them to bid [for the 2014 Super Bowl]?

A. Yes, they have the right to bid.

-- Kathy Vetter, editor

(Photo of Goodell, in foreground, by AP)

Is it worth it to host a Super Bowl?

No one knows better than the Super Bowl Host Committee the challenges of trying to put on an over-the-top event like the Super Bowl during a recession.

Most Americans don't need the headlines to tell them that unemployment is ridiculous -- about 10 percent -- and that government spending is a bit out of control.

In that atmosphere, it can be a bit -- tricky? -- to justify a tourism event.

Bill Lively, the man in charge of raising money to cover the committee's grand ambitions, had expected to be in the counting phase by now.

Instead, he's still on the stump, trying to gin up the $30 million in sponsorship dollars that the North Texas region promised the NFL in its bid.

Lively recently told our Ray Buck that he's at $17 million. That's a lot more than previous Host Committees, but the North Texas folks want to make a big splash in their debut. That's takes lots of cash, or at least lots of in-kind donations.

Some sponsors are ready to put up the money, but aren't yet comfortable going public, for fear of angering already squeezed employees. 

And as the Host Committee and various city officials prepare for a third Super Bowl trip next week, they have stressed that nothing is being paid by general funds, which are basically funded by our property taxes.

All that to say that the economic development studies of the game's impact on the region will be very important in the coming months.

The South Florida region, host to Super Bowl XLIV, has just received the results of one of those studies, by the consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.

The verdict, according to the Miami Herald: "The Super Bowl will add about $153 million to South Florida's economy this year, about a 25 percent drop from the last time the big game was in town." (2007)

That's less than the South Florida Host Committee had claimed, but it's still seen as good news considering the economic situation in the country.

David DuBois, president and CEO of the Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau, told Fort Worth Magazine that the impact on North Texas has been estimated at $350 million to $400 milliion.

In a month or so, North Texas should receive more information on the potential economic impact of Super Bowl XLV in 2011.

It's probably safe to say that, from a public relations standpoint at least, they are hoping for some big numbers.

-- Kathy Vetter, editor

(Photo by AP)

Arlington, lot owner headed to showdown over stadium parking

An Arlington city judge on Thursday levied the maximum fine — $15,500 — against a property owner who provided unauthorized parking on his land for Cowboys Stadium events.

A six-person Municipal Court jury took 40 minutes to find Michael Anthony Caldwell guilty of 31 misdemeanor counts of violating city permit requirements. The rules were adopted last year to regulate pay-for-parking operations in the entertainment district.

After the trial, Caldwell said he still plans to offer parking on his 1-acre lot, at 210 E. Randol Mill Road, for the NBA All-Star Game at the stadium Feb. 14.

He said he will appeal the verdict and fines and then will likely sue the city, challenging the ordinance as an unfair restriction on business.

Read Robert Cadwallader's full story.

Super Bowl Host Committee to Irving's mayor: You're wrong about the Cowboys

CHANGING GEARS…

Irving Mayor Herbert Gears’ recent comment that -- for economic reasons -- he doesn’t care to see the Cowboys in Super Bowl XLV doesn’t exactly fly with the North Texas Super Bowl Host Committee.

“I don’t agree with the mayor on that,” said Bill Lively, Host Committee president. "It’s never happened (that a host city has a team in the Super Bowl), but it’s about time it did.” 

During last week’s Irving “State of the City” address, Gears said:  “We do not want the Dallas Cowboys to be playing in the Super Bowl next year. As much as I love ‘em. … I need somebody driving from Philly or somewhere else, staying in a hotel, paying some taxes in Irving.”

But here's the truth: The NFL takes over the Super Bowl, and the fans of the two qualifying teams do their watching on television.

Although ticket allotments for the two participating teams (and their sponsors) is greater than the other 30 teams in the league, it’s not a local ticket at all.

“That’s right,” Lively said. “There will be a tremendous demand on these (Super Bowl XLV) tickets, even more so than if the Cowboys weren’t in it.

"Because the Dallas Cowboys are more of a national brand than a regional brand, and they have been for a long, long time.

“I think with the attraction of Cowboys Stadium, if we could be lucky enough to be the first in the history of the Super Bowl to have the home team in the game, it would not diminish in any way the traffic that would come to the region.”

-- Ray Buck

Police chief says Arlington ready for NBA All-Star crowds

Arlington is sending 16 city employees, including Police Chief Theron Bowman, to the Super Bowl in south Florida next week, as preparations continue for Super Bowl XLV next February at Cowboys Stadium.

But we won't have to wait until next year to determine how those preparations are coming.

The week after the Super Bowl, as many as 200,000 basketball fans could descend on North Texas for the NBA All-Star Game, which will be held at the stadium in Arlington on Valentine's Day.

If that's true -- and Mayor Robert Cluck said the estimate came from the NBA -- it would be, by far, the largest crowd attracted by the stadium since it opened last summer.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has said he would like to see 100,000 inside the stadium for the game. 

On Wednesday, Mavericks president Terdema Ussery said more than 85,000 tickets have already been sold.

It's not clear what the other 100,000 people might be doing on game day -- I'm pretty sure they won't all fit inside Bobby V's. 

(Many will be partying with Mavs owner Mark Cuban.)

Almost all the major NBA All-Star events other than the game are in Dallas.

But either way, Bowman knows he has a challenge on his hands.

"I think it's going to be a big, big test," he said Wednesday.

"We’ve had several big tests. The season-opening game with the New York Giants was a big test, and by all measures, we passed with flying colors.

"The college football games were big tests, and I believe were very successful tests.

"The NBA All-Star Game ... certainly will be another challenge."

Bowman stressed the regional nature of securing the stadium, pointing out that the city calls on help from law enforcement agencies at the state and local level for every major event.

The All-Star Game will be no different, he said.

"Sure, we expect that within the region there will be tens of thousands of people more than what we would see on a sellout Dallas Cowboys football game day," he said.

"But because we anticipate it, we're preparing, and I really think that we'll be able to host that game and the events All-Star week in a way that's seamless and to the public appears that the normal levels of safety are here.

"I'm convinced that we're prepared to do that, and I expect no less."

-- Kathy Vetter, editor

Arlington mayor wants a convention center hotel

Arlington Mayor Robert Club has expanded upon his earlier comments to the Cowboys Stadium blog about the city's hotel situation.

Here's what he told our business writers in today's Star-Telegram:

Whatever is eventually developed on the property around Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Mayor Robert Cluck hopes that it includes a hotel.

Arlington has enough retail, Cluck said, and he believes the area between the ballpark and Cowboys Stadium would be perfect for restaurants, bars, a movie theater and other entertainment venues. "That’s a place for people to have fun," Cluck said.

And even though four hotels have recently been built in Arlington, Cluck said the city still needs another major hotel in the entertainment district.

Right now, he said, the city doesn’t have a hotel large enough to host one of the football teams during the 2011 Super Bowl, which will be played at Cowboys Stadium. The teams will stay at Omni hotels in Fort Worth and Las Colinas.

Arlington had been considering a public-private partnership with the Sheraton to double that hotel’s rooms and expand the Arlington Convention Center, but that deal fell through last year, Cluck said.

"We’re still in the hunt for somebody that wants to go in with us on a convention center hotel. We need some more hotel space," he said.

A planned shopping, hotel and entertainment district near the venues, known as Glorypark, never materialized. While Cluck was disappointed that Glorypark fizzled, he’s thankful that it happened before construction began: "Had we started that, it would either remain incomplete or it would be empty because of the economy."

North Texas mayors suiting up for one last Super Bowl push

So, everyone’s excited that the Saints finally made it to the Super Bowl.

Well, almost everyone. Brett Favre is pretty bummed.

But here’s a bizarre thought: For North Texans, the real stars of next weekend’s game might be named Leppert, Moncrief and Cluck rather than Brees, Manning and Bush.

OK, maybe that’s a bit too bizarre, even for a long-suffering (yes, long-suffering) Cowboys fan. Still, bear with me for a moment.

Once again, a bunch of North Texans are heading to a Super Bowl. But this trip, to South Florida, will be different in a couple of ways from previous excursions to Arizona and Tampa Bay.

First, it’s the last time. After Feb. 7, the spotlight swings to Texas. And the scrutiny promises to be intense, thanks to the size and scale of JerryWorld and the fact that this is our first time.

Second, there is undoubtedly much to be learned from Miami, the king of Super Bowl hosts. Saints-Colts will be Miami’s 10th Super Bowl.

Roger Staubach, Bill Lively and those aforementioned mayors – (from left in photo above) Mike Moncrief of Fort Worth, Tom Leppert of Dallas and Robert Cluck of Arlington – aren’t shy about their intentions: They want Cowboys Stadium to land a spot in the Super Bowl rotation.

“Miami is where we want to be,” Leppert said Tuesday.

Or, to put it another way, Miami is the Colts. Arlington, the Saints.

This will be Leppert’s fourth Super Bowl. He said he is looking for ways to “put us on a different level” from other Super Bowl host cities.

(Except now, we have to say “host regions.” This has all gotten too big for one city.)

The mayors are scheduled to arrive in Florida via private jet on Thursday, Feb. 4. The VIP agenda, which is funded by the North Texas Host Committee, includes a little partying – think South Beach -- and a little business.

The North Texans are eager to make a good first impression next February. (Cross your fingers on that February weather forecast.)

Leppert said he is on the hunt for “extra bells and whistles” to ensure that Super Bowl XLV “truly is something that stands out.”

His city is scheduled to host the huge NFL Experience and has the media hotel (the Sheraton Dallas), among other things. There won’t be an NFL Experience in South Florida, but Leppert believes he has seen enough in his previous trips – to Arizona, Tampa Bay and Houston.

“I hope we do a good job of it,” he said, pointing out that the “Experience” is for the little people, better known as those who can’t afford a ticket to the big game.

Super Bowl hosts have to cater to “a lot of different constituencies,” said Leppert, who certainly knows a thing or two about that particular skill.

The list is long and includes players, teams, NFL owners, corporate sponsors, national and international media, local residents, and so on.

Next week, the Host Committee gets one last chance to observe. In less than two weeks, it’s our turn.

-- Kathy Vetter, editor

Did Irving's mayor really diss the Cowboys?

Fox 4 had a breathless report at the top of last night's newscast about remarks by the Irving mayor at last week's State of the City address.

Herbert Gears told the assembled crowd that he hopes the Cowboys don't make it to Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington. Fox 4 took that and ran with it.

(I'd post a link to the Fox 4 report but I can't find it on their Web site.)

Of course, in terms of economic development, Gears is probably right, that two out-of-town opponents will be better for the hotel and tourism industry. His role as an elected official is to do what's best for his city. So, it seems kind of silly that anyone would make a big deal out of his comments.

Does anybody but Fox 4 think this is a big deal?

-- Kathy Vetter, editor

Super Bowl brings together diverse cast of workers, volunteers

Bill Lively, head of the Super Bowl Host Committee, wrote a nice "call for volunteers" opinion piece for the Star-Telegram.

It's almost our turn.

When nations are awarded the Olympics, they immediately begin to address an array of responsibilities ranging from infrastructure development, venue preparation, public safety and transportation to financial underwriting and volunteer recruitment and management.

On a smaller scale, the responsibilities of a Super Bowl Host Committee are similar. For example, the North Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee is supported by 17 standing committees, called action teams, composed of regional volunteers with appropriate experience and expertise in the areas for which the teams are responsible.

Read the entire piece at star-telegram.com. 

If you're interested in information on volunteering, go to the Host Committee's Web site and click on "Get Involved."

Read Lively's piece in the Dallas Morning News here.

(Even Ed Bass is getting into the act. Bass helped with the kickoff of "Century in the Making" fan voting at the Stock Show last week. That's Bill Lively in the background. Photo by Paul Moseley/Star-Telegram)