Green Over Team in Dallas?
Is it me or is has the green become more important than the team in Big D these days?
When I heard about the deal Mr. Jones struck with corporate giant AT&T for the naming rights to Cowboys Stadium, I was disgusted and sad. I know all you modern NFL fans out there think us traditionalists are just too sentimental and should suck it up and move on. It’s just not that easy. For those of us who have been bleeding blue since birth, have been to the hallowed ground known as Texas Stadium (may She rest in peace) and have yet to fully embrace the Cowboys shiny new home, this last cut is the deepest. To take the name of arguably the most recognizable franchise in all of sports off of its stadium for the sake of progress and profit is incomprehensible…free wifi or not!
The other team that comes to mind in terms of global appeal is the New York Yankees. Both franchises have a galvanizing effect where fans are concerned. They either love them or they despise them…there is rarely a middle ground. Oddly enough, the two franchises share a partnership in the area of food concessions. That, my friends, is where the similarities end…
The Yankees have embraced their past and a visit to their home field makes that unmistakably clear. When fans go to a home game, it’s held at Yankees Stadium, which, albeit new, has Monument Park and a free museum in the stadium where fans can get up close and personal with the team’s history and tradition. At the stadium formerly known as Cowboys Stadium, we have a Victoria’s Secret and a billion dollar art collection. Not that there is anything wrong with underwear and art, but they just don’t scream football.
On one of my first visits to the stadium formerly known as Cowboys Stadium, my friend made her customary first quarter nacho run and, upon her return, she had a puzzled look on her face. When I inquired as to her befuddlement, she said, “I thought I paid for a souvenir cup but this thing doesn’t have the Cowboys on it. It isn’t even blue…” When I took a look at said cup, the source of her dilemma became clear. “This has a picture of one of the pieces of art on it,” I explained. Her response…”Hummm.”
Hummmm indeed…
The stadium formerly known as Cowboys Stadium has yet to really feel like home, or provide a home field advantage for our ‘Boys. One reason has to be that Dallas hasn’t made any lasting memories in the place. As a result of that, it hasn’t developed the mystique that prevailed at the old Texas Stadium. Part of it could also be due to the fact that the fans who would probably be making the most noise…the beer and peanut crowd… have been banished to the upper decks because of ticket prices. That is, unless they want to stand in the end zones with the masses of humanity in one of the party pass spots. When you are in the nosebleeds and have a giant flat screen in front of you, it’s harder to get worked up about the action waaay down on the field.
Perhaps the most confusing part of the stadium formerly known as Cowboys Stadium for me has to be that, although everything else is humongous, the scoreboard and Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor are relatively small and not immediately noticeable. What’s up with that?
June 11, 2013; Irving, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones talks during a press conference after minicamp at Dallas Cowboys Headquarters. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
All my grips and grumbles aside, at least the monolithic monument to Mr. Jones ego formerly known as Cowboys Stadium was home to the Dallas Cowboys, even if it was in name only…now we don’t even have that. I doubt that AT&T Stadium is going to strike fear in the hearts of Dallas’ opponents anytime soon.
Like the firing of Tom Landry, the imploding of Texas Stadium and the uppity aura of the stadium formerly known as Cowboys Stadium, I suppose I will have to find a way to put everything aside and just root for the Cowboys. If they decide to mess with the Star at midfield, though, my head might explode.