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PHIvs.DAL-Sept.15,2008
StadiumTour- July 9, 2007

One word to describe Cowboys Stadium in Arlington? Incredible. Truly Incredible. From everything I read, the impetus behind the construction of Cowboys Stadium, besides erecting the most profitable structure in the National Football League, was to present the fan with an experience unlike what they might get at home. After my visit to Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, I’m more than pleased to report that “Jerry World” or “The Palace in Dallas” and it’s become known through the mainstream media does more than deliver. More than just a football game in an arena, for eight weekends throughout the regular season Jerry Jones strives to create a pro football fan experience that transcends even the product down on the field. From the larger than life, Guinness Book of World Record holding, high definition video screen to multilevel party pass common areas to the Rhythm and Blues Dancers and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, gameday has become a circus … a celebration to the larger than life Dallas Cowboys franchise. It’s fantastic, it’s a spectacle, it’s an awe inspiring celebration of the game I love, and I enjoyed every breath-taking minute of my experience in the new home of the Dallas Cowboys. Love him or hate him, Jerry Jones has to be respected as the best owner in professional sports. Here’s a guy that year after year does everything it takes to put a winner on the field in Dallas … and now this. Don’t’ get me wrong, with its $50,000 personal seating licenses (PSL’s), inflated ticket prices and $75.00 parking fee, this $1.15 billion facility, is designed to take every dollar you have, but what you get in return is well worth the price of admission.

Walking through the door an hour and a half before game time, which is very uncharacteristic for a guy who loves tailgating as much as I do, my jaw dropped when I saw how massive the scoreboard was. That thing is seventy feet tall and spans from twenty-five yard line to twenty-five yard line. It was actually certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the World's Largest High-Definition Video Display before the game began, and in my opinion, it’s worth every cent that Jerry Jones sunk into it. Throughout the game, stadium personnel bring you camera angles and video that you wouldn’t normally get during a typical broadcast. From player entry in the morning to the behind the scenes locker room feeds, Cowboy huddles and play calling at the line of scrimmage, fans are treated to a spectacle in HD. I guess Jerry recognizes our society’s fascination with voyeurism and reality TV and he’s found a way to bring it to NFL game day. The Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders never looked as alluring as they do in HD and their Rhythm and Blues Dancers, perched on top of mezzanines overlooking the party pass areas bring a club-like atmosphere to the game. Throughout the day, you find yourself trying to fight the temptation to watch the scoreboard rather than watch the live action as it plays out down on the field … it’s really just that captivating. The only complaint I would have is with the high pitch audio. If a whistle down on the field is broadcast through the state of the art sound system that supports the video board, the high pitched shrill can be deafening.

As for Cowboy concessions, the standard items appear on the menu, but they do have a couple of items that standout. I would highly recommend the Chopped Beef BBQ Sandwich ($8.50), a massive chopped beef sandwich with peppers and onions. It’s fantastic!  There are plenty of concessions stands with a multitude of options from Nathan’s hotdogs to Papa John’s Pizza and lots of beer. The concourses are wide and spacious, and the bathroom facilities are the largest I’ve ever seen. In this stadium your beer rental and return is processed as efficiently as anywhere else in the National Football League. I’ve never seen so many urinals in one place! It should also be noted that the entire facility is meticulously cleaned and maintained throughout the game. I actually heard a fan say, that he felt bad about making a mess after dropping part of his sandwich on the floor. He promptly picked it up and grabbed some extra napkins to wipe up the excess spillage (wonder how long that will last).

The Party Pass is easily the best deal going. For thirty dollars, you have the run of the place. You can mingle on one of the many party plaza common areas, hit up one the giant bars, or set up shop at the circular staircases that ascend to the multilevel concourses and overlook the field. The only issue is that you’re standing for the full four quarters, but I’m sure most don’t mind.

Stadium security is also more than impressive. A couple of women got into an altercation with a fairly cantankerous gentleman behind us and security was on the spot within minutes to diffuse the situation. It appeared that they not only used radios and visual cues to locate belligerants but the closed circuit camera operators were also guiding them the exact row and seat of the fan responsible for the lodged complaint.

The roof was closed on this particular night, so unfortunately God was unable to watch His team, but on cooler evenings the roof retracts and the windows in the two endzones can be opened up to allow a natural breeze to flow through the stadium.

As reported by the Dallas Morning News earlier this season, tailgating has really been limited in the parking lot, which I really think is a mistake. On the periphery of the lot, there are grass plots reserved for tailgating, but you have to arrive early to get one and there really just aren’t enough to go around. I think it’s a shame that in such an amazing facility with a centralized focus on the fan experience that Jerry Jones has decided to restrict gameday tailgating in this way. As for my tailgate, we hooked up with Felix Chavez from DallasTailgate.com who showed us the ropes at the old Texas Stadium and was happy to do the same for the new one. DallasTailgate is the premiere Cowboys tailgating group in Arlington and Felix had setup an impressive tailgate location working with the local CiCi’s Pizza. This particular CiCi’s location is situated within striking distance of the front door of the stadium and they have parking available for $70.00. Felix invited some additional groups to the Monday Night Football Tailgate. We had fellas from El Paso, a group of Canadians from British Columbia, and Dano and Patrick brought the fellas from PatherFanz.net to represent the visiting Carolina Panthers.

Game time was the culmination of shock and awe that has come to be synonymous with the enigma that is the Dallas Cowboys franchise. After a very lackluster first half that had the Carolina Panthers ahead 7-0, the Cowboys offense began moving the ball and the defense came up big limiting the Panthers vaunted ground game and intercepting Jake Delhomme twice. The second interception resulted in a defensive touchdown to close out the Panthers 21-7. Although there were some mistakes made on the both sides of the ball, the hometown Cowboys prevailed and I left the state of Texas with a 1-1 home team record. All in all, I have to say I was more than impressed with the new home of America’s Team and I look forward to another return trip.


For more information on the city of Dallas Texas, check out my other reviews by clicking on the links below:
     NFL: September 15, 2008 - Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys
     NFL: July 9, 2007 - Texas Stadium Tour
 

 
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