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History 104
4/6/2011
Palestinian Declaration of Independence
1) After a half century of bitter warfare between Palestinians and Israelis can the Palestinian declaration of independence be reconciled with the state of Israel’s concern about national security ? can the two people ever find way to live in peace?
The main problem with a Palestinian declaration of independence is the fact that the Palestinians still suffering from suffered of oppressed, constrained. Bother of Jewish and Muslim still keep feeling of feud for each other, they teach their children history and religion how each one became enemy for each other. Palestinian people feel as some one who took their home and land and started to control them as people came from another country. This issue still one of complex issues challenge the destiny of Palestinian and Jewish people. If the Palestinians unilaterally declare independence then the danger to them is that Israel could recognize it without recognizing their borders and every Palestinian attack could be rightly considered an act of war. This is why both Gaza and the PA claim there is an occupation since claiming that and having that claim supported by the world restrains Israel from acting like they are in a state of war even if Israelis think they are in a state of war.
2) In declaration of independence, the Palestinian national council “ calls upon the united nations to bear special responsibility for the Palestinian Arab people and it’s homeland “ do you believe that the UN should “ bear a special responsibility “ for ensuring the security of a Palestinian state? How should the UN exercise this responsibility ?
Yes I do, I believe that US plays important role toward this issue. United Nations can bear special responsibility for the Palestinian Arab people and its homeland. U.S plays important roles to assist it in the attainment of its objectives, to provide it with security, to alleviate the tragedy of its people, and to help to terminate Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories.
Declaration of Israel’s Independence
1) Can the historic and religious ties of the Jewish people to Israel accommodate the fact that for nearly two thousand years Israel was also the dwelling place of Arabs and other non-Jewish population?
In fact, Jews today try justify their occupation of Palestine on the basis of religious and historical allegations and seek to persuade the world by these allegations. They claim that the god –Allaah- promised them that this is your land and point to their historical connection with it by virtue of their rule over it for a period of time, their presence in the area, their psychological and spiritual attachment to it, and its sacredness to them. We believe that the Jews have their religious freedom, and no one has the right to force them to change their beliefs; however, they have no right to oblige others to accept their belief. Besides, they are not entitled to displace a people from their homes or seize their land, property and sacred sites on the pretext of their religious claims. The history and religious play important role for giving and defined the identity of nations around the world. But that not enough to prove people right or give them a green sight for occupation like what happens right now in Plantain as country .
2) how dose Israel proclamation of the independence suggest the influence of European and American history in this area ?
On November 29, 1947, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted a Resolution for the establishment of an independent Jewish State in Palestine, and called upon the inhabitants of the country to take such steps as may be necessary on their part to put the plan into effect.
Summary (Israel and Palestine and sugar production- book- Strayer, Robert)
It was a big victory for Jewish people when Israel announced about establishment of the independent state of in 1948. Definitely it was The most historically significant achievement for Jewish people to return to their ancient biblical homeland after suffering of homeless around the world for long time . Jews had lived in diaspora in the Middle East, North Africa, or Europe, with smaller numbers of a Jewish presence in what was then called Palestine. establishing a home for the Jewish people in Palestine formally started in Europe in 1897 with the goal of creating a home for the Jewish people in Palestine. during the 1920s and 1930s a growing number of Jewish started to emigration to their ancient homeland, especially after several years following World War II. During that war around 6 million Jews died in Nazi death camps when Hitler wanted to rid Europe of a Jewish presence. Many of those could escaped from the Holocaust to refuge and security in a land of their own. And that was one of the majority reason force Jewish to find and make their own land. At the same time, the Arabs of Palestine found themself homeless . and their national identity became the camp. most of them had lost their land and had lived for several generations as refugees in overcrowded camps in neighboring countries or territories where they were dependent on services provided by the United Nations. Palestinians people suffered of oppressed, constrained, or discriminated against by Israeli authorities.
20
Olaudah Equiano, The Life of Olaudah Equiano, or Gustavo Vassa, The African
1) What does this memoir tell us about the organization and extent of slavery in the eighteenth-century Atlantic world?
· Equiano’s memories show in much extent the level of organization that the slavery business as a profitable as it was had during the 18th century. Religious excuses such as the fact that the Africans were away from God or cursed were also used to excuse all the horrors done to them by the Europeans.
2) What does this selection indicate about Equilano’s African home and African culture?
· The selection shows that Equiano’s African home and culture were not underdeveloped or primitive as the white European considered them to be. However differences indeed existed and a clear evidence of that was the fact that the first time Equiano’s saw a horse was when he arrived at his final destiny. It also shows the differences between African slaves had initially belonged to different parts of Africa, since the other Africans had already seen men riding horses while Equiano’s hadn’t.
· Mr. Strayer shows in his book how the African commerce of slave was during almost 2 centuries one of the main business for the European people. He also stresses the fact that the slavery was only successful due to the cooperation of other Africans that were willing to capture and sell one of its own people, as it was any other merchandise. This fact was corroborated by the memories of Equiano’s that was captured by another African.
22
Thomas Nelson, Slavery and the Slave Trade of Brazil
1) What diseases did Nelson describe as being most prevalent among the Africans who survived the Atlantic crossing? Roughly what proportion of slaves arrived in Brazil compared to those who left African ports?
· While working on board of the H.M.S Crescent Thomas Nelson faced closely the miserable conditions that the Africans slaves were put through during their trip from África to Brazil.The most commons diseases that the slaves had were: smallpox, virulent ophtalmia , extreme emaciation, exhaustion. In the bigger part of cases out of 400 negros that were send in the cross only 300 used to make until the Brazilian coast, due to the extremely conditions of scarce water, food ant etc…
2) Compare Nelson’s account of conditions aboard slave ships with Equiano’s personal memoir?
· Both Equiano’s personal memories of the time he spend inside a slave ship and Nelson in the time he spend been a doctor inside a British ship responsible for intercepting slave ships corroborate the fact that the slaves their Atlantic cross were put under inhuman conditions, such as the lack of space, ventilation, water, food and anything someone needs to live. Equiano’s memories show how nasty and tenebrous was the life of slave that had been captured and lost their freedom to one their own African brother because of greed. Nelson details with perfection in medical terms how awful the Atlantic cross was for the slaves health and ended up been sick or dead when they got near the Brazilian coast.
· One thing that Strayers stresses in his analysis over the African commerce is the final destination of the bigger part of the Africans were the Caribbean countries and Brazil that were the major market for slave buying, corroborating to the stories of Nelson that took place almost all the time on the Brazilian coast.
FarmingdaleState College
Department of Business Management
SMT 3
1
0 – Intro to Sports Management – 92221 – Fall 2011
Graded Assignment 3 – Dallas Cowboys Stadium
We covered in class both Facility and Event Management. These two fast growing areas of the sports business industry now provide great opportunity for teams, leagues, events, sponsors, etc. to further their respective profit and marketing goals. However, these areas are not without challenges. To get an idea of the process one may need to go through to develop a major facility and then operate it in a way to consistently drive awareness and revenue, you are going to focus on one of the world’s great new facilities, Dallas Cowboys Stadium. Please answer the following questions:
1. What were the challenges the Cowboys faced in getting the stadium built? Financing? Regulatory? Other?
2. What were the positives the Cowboys were telling (selling/promoting) to those in the area, its fans, and business partners?
3. What are some of the ways the franchise was planning to make money to pay for the stadium? Any others that you would suggest?
4. What about the design of the stadium impresses you the most?
Main articles to read are copied below, in reverse chronological order. You are certainly free to do additional research. You may also want to watch the following videos:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-total-access/09000d5d80879871/NFLTA-Cowboys-new-stadium-tour
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_w_oNrZ-5hc
Requirements: 2-3 pages in length (11 pt font, Times New Roman, 1.5 line spacing, 1” margins).
Due: Nov. 30. Please submit in the Dropbox you will find in Week 14 Learning Modules folder.
Dallas Cowboys
Table of Contents
3
Timeline: Key dates in construction of the Dallas Cowboys stadium
5
Staking its reputation – Arlington’s play for the Cowboys
8
Dallas Cowboys new stadium on track to meet green goal
10
Cowboys’ new stadium will employ up to 4,000
12
Impact of marquee events at Cowboys stadium questioned
16
High ticket prices not slowing stadium sales
Friday, March 6, 2009
Cowboys
Timeline: Key dates in construction of the Dallas Cowboys stadium
Dallas Cowboys timeline
Dallas Business Journal
http://dallas.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2009/03/09/focus4.html?b=1236571200^1790321&ana=e_vert
July 2004 – City of Arlington officials begin discussions with the Dallas Cowboys about building a new stadium
August 2004 – The city and the team agree to proceed with stadium planning
November 2004 – Arlington Stadium referendum passes
December 2004 – City issues RFQs for third-party plan review and inspection
April 2005 – Bureau Veritas and the Lopez Garcia Group selected as third-party inspector
May 2005 – City begins land acquisition around the site, Preliminary schematic designs submitted
June 2005 – City and Cowboys close on deal
July 2005 – Financing is arranged
September 2005 – City issues first bonds
November 2005 – Tarrant County begins destruction of structures on site
January 2006 – Manhattan Construction Co. chosen as general contractor, along with Rayco Construction and 3i Construction
September 2006 – Excavation of the stadium bowl complete. Construction begins on main structure
October 2006 – HKS Architects completes 2,100-page construction plan
April 2007 – First precast concrete unit set in main concourse level
July 2007 – First section of steel arch installed
August 2007 – Stadium construction 50% complete
November 2007 – First arch finished, second started
January 2008 – Glass installation begins
February 2008 – Final keystone placed in second arch
June 2008 – Parking lot paving begins
September 2008 – Installation of 48,000 reserved seats begins
October 2008 – Exterior glass installation finished
December 2008 – Center-hung scoreboard hoisted and installed
May 2009 – (projected) Substantially complete and event-ready
June 2009 – Concert with George Strait and Reba McEntire
September 2009 – Brigham Young vs. Oklahoma
September 2009 – First Dallas Cowboys home game
October 2009 – Texas A&M University vs. Arkansas football
FUTURE
January 2010 – AT&T Cotton Bowl
February 2010 –
NBA All-Star Game
Feb. 6, 2011 –
Super Bowl
XLV
October 2013 – Notre Dame vs. Arizona State
2014 – NCAA Men’s Final Four
SOURCE: Dallas Cowboys, City of Arlington
|
Dallas Business Journal – March 9, 2009 /dallas/stories/2009/03/09/focus1.html?b=1236571200%5E1790265 |
HYPERLINK “http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/bzj.dallas/article_page;beh=;pos=print_728x90;vs=sports_business;sz=3×3;kw=dallas;ord=1236946467.355640.8988?” \t “_blank”
Friday, March 6, 2009
Staking its reputation – Arlington’s play for the Cowboys
Why the City of Arlington bet on the “Boys
Media
Some call it a shrine to the legacy of the Dallas Cowboys. Others say it’s the best thing the City of Dallas ever let slip away. And still others are doubters not yet sold on the draw of the new $1.1 billion Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, which is set to open in June.
But those leading the team that has planned and built the new facility — unprecedented in its size and function — believe it will prove to be an iconic structure that will transcend the team’s already established national allure.
The impact of the new stadium, opening at a time when the economy and the promise of America’s Team are on shaky ground, will shine through the gloom, stadium supporters say, and open the door to more revenue and sports clout for North Texas.
In 2000, as the clock was ticking on the Cowboys’ lease at Texas Stadium in Irving, team ownership began brainstorming about the best location for a new stadium.
“At that time, a lot of NFL teams were starting to move into new buildings,” said Stephen Jones, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the
Dallas Cowboys Football Club
. “We started the process of determining where our new building could be.”
Jones said it took several years, and several rounds of tug-of-war with Dallas and Irving, trying to work out a public-private financing deal.
“Dallas really didn’t want to make the deal with us that we felt was needed,” Jones said.
And the City of Arlington jumped on a major opportunity.
“At the time, Arlington was a little bit stagnant and needed some reinvigoration as far as economy and spirit,” said Mayor Robert Cluck. “When talks fell through at Fair Park in Dallas, I fairly quickly went over and talked to Jerry (Jones, owner, president and general manager of the Dallas Cowboys) and Stephen. We put together the basic framework of the deal in a very short period of time.”
In November 2004, the City of Arlington passed a referendum allowing the city to build and provide funding for the stadium through taxes on sales, motor vehicles, tickets and parking.
“It certainly wasn’t a layup in terms of getting that passed,” Stephen Jones said, calling the referendum the biggest challenge in the stadium process, and the most satisfying moment for him.
The city committed $325 million to construction, which at the time was half of the overall budget. But through add-ons and design tweaks, the cost has soared to more than $1.1 billion.
“We have obligated all of our funds,” said Trey Yelverton, Arlington’s deputy city manager. “As the project went in the ground, we both put a dollar in until the paycheck hit $650 million.” After that point, the team is picking up the tab, Yelverton said.
It was a struggle to make the dream stadium a reality. Now that it is just months from opening, what will it mean? The latest study done on the economic impact of the stadium was in August 2004, when the City of Arlington hired California-based Economics Research Association.
According to that report, Arlington can expect to see an annual economic impact of $238 million with the creation of 807 jobs, and Tarrant County could see an annual economic impact of $416 million with the creation of 1,940 jobs.
Over 30 years, it was projected that the stadium could bring in between $12.5 billion and $27.7 billion to Tarrant County. But the ERA study was done based on the assumption that the stadium would cost only $620 million, and it was conducted before the economy went into a recession.
“Until you actually see the building operate for a full year, it’ll be tough to put a number on it,” Jones said. “We think it’ll be a big number.”
Jones said despite the economic downturn, sales have continued on suites and seats. While no multimillion-dollar naming rights sponsorship has been hammered out, sponsorships have been forged with
American Airlines
, Miller Lite, Ford,
Dr Pepper
and Pepsi, among other A-list corporate clients.
“The challenge now is finishing selling the building in this type of environment,” Jones said. “If we’d have known all the details, maybe we wouldn’t have jumped in as quick as we did.” That said, the stadium has already been tapped as the venue for the 2010 NBA All Star Game, the AT&T Cotton Bowl starting in January, Super Bowl XLV in 2011 and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four in 2014.
“The venue will exceed the expectations,” said Bill Lively, president of the North Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee. “We are encumbered by what we know. We know what it looks like and dimensions, but we haven’t been in it and seen how exciting its going to be. We’re not immune to the economic downturn, but there is such excitement about the first ever Super Bowl in this region that companies and individuals are rallying around this event. The response to sponsorships and involvement has just been extraordinary.”
FIRST AND LARGEST
• Cowboys Stadium is the largest enclosed NFL stadium — when the hole in the roof is closed — at 104 million cubic feet of volume
• The stadium will have the longest single-span roof structure in the world, with each arch nearly a quarter mile long
• The retractable roof is the largest of its kind, measuring 661,000 square feet
• The roof is also the first of its kind, featuring a rack-and-pinion drive system consisting of 128 electric motors, designed by Uni-Systems
• The largest retractable end-zone doors in the world
• First center-hung video board in an NFL stadium
Source: Dallas Cowboys and HKS Architects
kcromerbrock@bizjournals.com | 214-706-7112
All contents of this site © American City Business Journals Inc. All rights reserved.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Dallas Cowboys new stadium on track to meet green goal
The new Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington looks to have a large impact on North Texas, except in one arena — the environment.
Dallas Business Journal
http://dallas.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2009/03/09/focus3.html?b=1236571200^1790309&ana=e_vert
In October, the team and the City of Arlington announced their intention to apply for admission into the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
’s National Environmental Performance Track Program.
If accepted, the stadium would be the first in the
National Football League
to enter the program, said Craig Weeks,
EPA
’s Performance Track Coordinator for Region 6.
The team’s goals during building have been to recycle most of the construction waste, and long-term goals are to reduce solid waste, energy use and water consumption.
“A lot of the things we had done during the design, and from the planning phase, were good ecologically, like the retractable roof and end-zone doors,” said Jack Hill, stadium general manager. The stadium’s reflective roof and the translucent covering of the hole in the roof were designed to cut down on heating and lighting costs.
Surrounding the stadium, attempts have been made to salvage trees and plant new ones where practical. Buffers have been maintained with surrounding creeks, and parking lots are made of a “permeable pavement” that will help storm water runoff soak into the ground, Hill said.
During the building process, steel, concrete and paper have been recycled.
“It’s actually been pretty easy to do,” Hill said. And the green efforts haven’t “appreciably” raised the price tag of the $1.1 billion stadium. “In the long run, it makes sense.”
Performance Track is designed to create a long-term commitment to being environmentally responsible, said Weeks, who added that the stadium cannot be officially accepted into the program until it is open and running.
Performance Track has more than 500 members in 49 states and Puerto Rico. There are 61 participating facilities in EPA’s Region 6, which includes Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. A few local participants are the City of Dallas; Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport; Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control-Dallas;
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co.
in Fort Worth; and
Coca-Cola
North America-Dallas Syrup Plant.
Although many facilities measure environmental impact by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED rating system, Weeks said the EPA program is more effective at measuring long-term impact. Performance Track participants must develop a measurable environmental management system that is monitored for several years.
“They set their own goals, and then they measure progress toward achieving those goals,” Weeks said. “Each year they’re required to report it.”
Weeks said early conversations with stadium management have indicated a desire to cut energy use by 20% over what a similar stadium would use, and to increase recycling of waste generated during events by 25% over what was recycled at Texas Stadium in Irving. That would mean recycling cardboard, plastic cups and cans, and composting food waste. Stadium employees, vendors and contractors would have to be educated about the goals at the stadium, and language outlining procedures would have to be written into contracts, Weeks said.
“It all boils down to how well-supported is it from the top management,” Weeks said. “Is it really a priority for them?”
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has indicated that it is a priority.
“We are committed to maximizing the impact of the world’s most recognizable sports franchise and use those forces as a powerful means to enhance our local communities and the world around us,” he said. “We believe we have a strong obligation to transfer that championship tradition and the magic that it creates toward the bigger purpose of making a difference.”
BY THE NUMBERS
· 12 minutes to close the retractable roof
· 18 minutes to close the end-zone doors
· 63,000 square feet: the area of each of the two mechanized roof panels
· 3,255 tons: Weight of each roof arch
· 50,000 bolts used in the steel arches
· 102 minority and women-owned firms with contracts on the projects, to date
· 52 concession stands
· 1,700 toilets and urinals
· 25,000 square feet of display area on the center-hung video board
· 1.2 million pounds: Weight of the center-hung video board
· 30,000 parking spaces
Source: Dallas Cowboys
Cowboys’ new stadium will employ up to 4,000
Dallas Business Journal
Friday, March 6, 2009
http://dallas.bizjournals.com/dallas/stories/2009/03/09/story12.html?b=1236571200^1790153&ana=e_vert
The new Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington is months from being finished, but the hunt is already on for full- and part-time employees to staff the $1.1 billion facility.
Stadium general manager Jack Hill said the Dallas Cowboys department heads are still calculating exactly how many people will need to be hired. Hill estimated 3,000 to 4,000 people will be working at the stadium, about 1.5 times the number of employees at Texas Stadium in Irving. By comparison, the stadium manager at the Indianapolis Colts’ Lucas Oil Stadium, which opened at the beginning of the 2008 season, said about 2,800 workers are employed there.
The job board at the Web site for the National Football League listed 13 open full- and part-time positions at the new Cowboys stadium, including a full-time maintenance technician and a full-time kitchen manager. The list also included postings in part-time/seasonal job categories, such as security staff and parking attendants.
“We are bringing a lot of folks over from Texas Stadium,” Hill said. “And this month, we’re really focusing on getting our temporary staff on board for upcoming events.”
Employees are already making the transition to the new stadium. Stadium operations employees moved in January and February. The ticket office will move over in the next few weeks, and food and beverage employees will follow, said Brett Daniels, Dallas Cowboys spokesman.
The stadium’s inaugural event will be a George Strait concert in June.
Trey Yelverton, deputy city manager for the City of Arlington, said he’s heard estimates that staffing levels could be double or even triple what they were at Texas Stadium, but hasn’t gotten definitive numbers yet. It makes sense, he said, since the new stadium is about three times the size of the old one. Regardless, he said, the infusion of jobs into the Arlington economy will be a boost in a deepening recession.
“It provides folks with an opportunity,” he said. “And clearly right now, opportunities are welcome. And at the end of it, what we hope is that it’s the first in a series of employee leverage that we see with the stadium.”
A spokesperson for the NFL said it does not monitor staffing at individual stadiums.
The Cowboys’ Daniels said North Texas stands to benefit more from the new stadium than Texas Stadium because the new facility will be more of a year-round center. In addition to football games in the fall, the new stadium will host additional sporting events, concerts and other special events, Daniels said.
“There will be an increase in employment just because of the increase in the point of sales in our concession areas, the number of mobile carts and the food service outside of the building,” Daniels said. “We’ll also have additional people in parking. And one of the big things going into this new building is an emphasis on our customer service.”
Hill said job fairs will be scheduled in the coming weeks to provide more information to potential employees.
Posted on Sat, Nov. 08, 2008
Impact of marquee events at Cowboys stadium questioned
http://www.star-telegram.com/business/story/1027146.html
By ANDREA AHLES
aahles@star-telegram.com
When basketball fans pour into the new Dallas Cowboys stadium for the NBA All-Star Game in 2010, they could bring as much as $20 million in spending along with them.
They’ll spend nights in hotels, eat meals at local restaurants and purchase drinks at nearby bars, pumping out-of-town dollars into the North Texas economy.
An
NCAA Final Four
at the new stadium, which could be announced as early as next week, could generate nearly $5 million in economic benefit for the region, according to some estimates.
Such mega-sporting events are part of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ plans for the $1 billion stadium, in addition to the Super Bowl in 2011 and the Cotton Bowl game every January starting in 2010, which have already been announced. He’s also hoping for World Cup soccer matches and is lining up several college football games.
But it remains to be seen how many millions of dollars these mega-sporting events could bring to Arlington and North Texas. Some events, in fact, could actually cost Arlington money by scaring away regular visitors.
Sports economists say that some events have a bigger impact than others and stress that sports leagues and event promoters often overstate the economic impact. However, city leaders are pleased that several marquee events are already lined up for the stadium.
“It’s almost as if they have an obligation to go after these events because of the fixed costs they incurred to build this stadium,” said Craig Depken, an economics professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. “The more people you can invite into the city to spend money, the better.”
Mega-impact
The NFL estimates that the 2004 Super Bowl brought more than $300 million to the Houston area.
Economists, however, say that economic activity there probably increased by only $65 million during the weeks surrounding the big game.
A study co-authored by Depken examined the sales taxes in Houston’s Harris County in January and February in 2004 and found that the city earned about $5.4 million from hosting the Super Bowl. This figure did not include any expenses the city incurred, such as the cost of adding more fire and police personnel shifts during the event.
After looking at 4,500 sporting events across Texas, the study also found that not all mega-events have a positive impact on a local economy.
For example, a college bowl game typically reduces sales-tax revenue by $1 million and an
NFL playoff game
costs the city about $425,000 in sales taxes. This negative effect could be because fans spend their leisure money at the game instead of eating out or shopping, where they could have spent more.
“The lesson seems to be that not all mega-events are the same and might not be the economic windfall proponents claim,” the study says.
The impact may also be less than some professional leagues predict because mega-events may dissuade regular leisure or business visitors.
A January article in the Southern Economic Journal found that although a city’s hotels may be full of Super Bowl fans, if the hotels would have usually had visitors, the Super Bowl simply displaces that economic activity without adding significantly to it.
“The economic impact of a mega-event may be large in a gross sense, but the net impact may be small,” the article says.
What is on the calendar
Last year, the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic announced that it would move 15 miles to the west, holding its first game in the new stadium in 2010.
Then, the NFL awarded the new Dallas Cowboys stadium Super Bowl XLV in 2011.
And last week, the NBA and the Dallas Mavericks said the 2010 NBA All-Star game would be played at the Arlington venue.
“We are now starting to see the fruits of our labor and the vision the mayor had when the city of Arlington stepped up to build a venue like this to host events that would have never come to our region before,” Dallas Cowboys spokesman Brett Daniels said.
As part of its lease agreement with the city, the team manages the stadium and is responsible for booking events, concerts and meetings.
Daniels said the organization is scheduled to give a final presentation Wednesday to the NCAA on hosting the Final Four. The NCAA is expected to choose sites for the 2012-2016 Final Fours this month.
The Cowboys have also mentioned being part of the U.S. Soccer Federation’s bid for the 2018 World Cup.
Realistic expectations
Economists say they cannot measure the financial benefit of the visibility a city gets when a mega-event is televised to millions of viewers across the country.
“We would never be able to truly measure the value of the civic pride or the benefits Arlingtonians would be able to have going to a mega-event five miles down the road,” Depken said.
But while Arlington will host these mega-events, city leaders don’t expect all the fans to spend all their money within the city limits.
“I think we will get more than our share of the economic impact, but certainly Dallas, Fort Worth and other cities in the area will also benefit,” Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck said.
What is important to Cluck is to fill up the city’s hotels and restaurants and show visitors a good time as they pay the sales tax and hotel-occupancy tax that will help pay off the stadium bonds.
Cluck said he is confident that the NCAA will award Arlington a Final Four and hopes that the stadium might host a political convention.
Patrick Rishe, director of Sportsimpacts and an economics professor at Webster University in St. Louis, said these events yield economic value to the community, but that value is typically much smaller than the hundreds of millions of dollars that is sometimes stated.
“Organizations that estimate the economic impact usually overestimate it,” Rishe said. “The benefits that do exist are usually just going to targeted segments of the local economy such as hotels, restaurants and shops.”
What’s coming
Super Bowl XLV — 2011
NBA All-Star game — 2010
Cotton Bowl — every January starting in 2010
Big 12 Conference championship game — 2009, 2010
On the wish list
NCAA Final Four (may be decided next week)
Bowl Championship Series game (the current college football bowl format remains the same until 2014)
Maybe someday
World Cup soccer
National political convention
Texas-OU game
Mega-sports, mega-dollars?
Sports economists Dennis Coates and Craig Depken examined more than 4,500 sporting events held in Texas between 1990-2007 to find out the effect on sales tax and other economic activity from these events. The study did not look at hotel-occupancy taxes that might be collected from out-of-town visitors. It found that some mega-events actually cost the cities because the fans displaced other visitors who may have spent more outside the stadium walls.
|
Event |
net sales tax benefit |
net economic activity |
|
NCAA bowl game |
-$1,237,416 |
-$16,136,923 |
| NCAA Final Four |
$400,198 |
$4,619,945 |
|
NFL reg. season game |
-$416,311 |
-$6,036,884 |
| NFL playoff game |
-$386,198 |
-$5,583,036 |
| Super Bowl |
$2,762,050 |
$33,034,183 |
| NBA All-Star Game |
$873,546 |
$19,809,489 |
Source: “Mega-Events: Is the Texas-Baylor game to Waco what the Super Bowl is to Houston?” by Dennis Coates and Craig Depken
http://www.star-telegram.com/business/columnists/mitchell_schnurman/story/456493.html
Wednesday, Feb 6, 2008
Posted on Wed, Feb. 06, 2008
High ticket prices not slowing stadium sales
By MITCHELL SCHNURMAN
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
Is the Cowboys’ new stadium in trouble?
That was the theme of two breathless TV news reports last week. In Thursday’s lead story on WFAA/Channel 8, investigative reporter Brett Shipp said that owner Jerry Jones may be “paying a price” for announcing sky-high tickets and alienating fans.
The Cowboys, he said, weren’t selling many club seats at $16,000 to $150,000 each, a price that doesn’t even include game tickets.
But the next night, after having promoted his story on talk radio, Shipp did some backpedaling. Just before his five-minute segment ended, he corrected the sales totals — the Cowboys had actually sold four times more club seats than he’d said the day before. And he added a kicker
“Twelve of those seats, I have to report, Gloria and John, have been sold to our sales department,” Shipp said.
“To do what?” he added, pointing his finger at the anchors. “Entertain clients.”
This isn’t exactly a news flash, but it’s telling all the same. People may be whipping up all kinds of populist anger over the Cowboys’ high-dollar pricing, but the business establishment is quietly getting on board and voting with its pocketbook.
Channel 8’s parent company, Belo, also bought some club seats. And the Star-Telegram’s new publisher attended a stadium presentation last week and is seriously weighing whether to sign on.
These customers are notable, because media companies aren’t flush these days. Their stock prices have been socked; Belo properties have had several rounds of layoffs; and the Star-Telegram has been cutting costs through attrition and other means.
But take a pass on the Cowboys and the billion-dollar stadium? A line has to be drawn somewhere, and in North Texas, this is it.
The stadium is projected to open for the 2009 season, still a year-and-a-half away. The team started selling club seats and suites in late November, and so far, about 7,500 of 15,000 club seats have been sold, says Greg McElroy, senior vice president of sales and marketing.
In addition, more than two-thirds of the suites have been taken, too, he says. Suites cost $100,000 to $500,000 for each year, and McElroy says the most- and least-expensive suites are already sold out.
The Cowboys have also started a waiting list for season tickets, and 10,000 people put up $100 deposits to get on it.
Does this sound like a glass that’s half empty?
If kickoff were a few months away, maybe. But consider that the team has so far limited its sales pitch to season-ticket holders between the goal lines and in the lower bowl — about 5,000 account-holders with 15,000 seats.
Their exclusive buying period ends soon; this week, the team says it will start letting other season-ticket holders have a shot at the premier club seats.
The Cowboys use some not-so-subtle pressure in their sales center. Decline the club seats now, and you don’t automatically get a cheaper seat in the deck above; people holding those tickets at Texas Stadium have first dibs on the corresponding seats at the new place.
And every other season-ticket holder has a chance to upgrade to club seats, too.
So pass once, and you may not get another chance at the club seats for 30 years. For average folks, that’s not much of a sacrifice, especially at these prices; for corporate players who have to be part of the scene, it’s a real risk.
The club seats and more expensive suites represent the stadium’s prime real estate — its version of waterfront property. In addition to bigger chairs, the club-level area calls for 200,000 square feet of upscale concessions, lounging areas, video screens, even shorter restroom lines.
In short, it’s an ideal environment for schmoozing important customers, especially for smaller companies that don’t want the expense of a larger suite.
McElroy says that many early club-seat buyers are die-hard Cowboys fans, who want to keep the game a part of their family tradition. Others are bowled over by the scale of the new stadium — the wow factor. And plenty, including some who believe that the price is too rich, worry about missing out on something special.
“It’s really quite a special venue, and I want to be part of it,” says Ken Reiser, owner of Meletio Lighting and Electric in Dallas.
Reiser and his family have two season tickets at Texas Stadium, which they’ve held for 35 years. This time, he bought four club seats, because he wants to take clients to the game, too.
He’s heard from friends who are angry about the prices and don’t plan to pony up. But he also saw others jump at the chance; during his tour of the stadium, he saw a group commit to buying 50 club seats.
The Channel 8 report harped on “little guys” being pushed around by corporate buyers, but the Cowboys haven’t announced prices for general-admission tickets yet. And there will be about 58,000 of those.
I expect that many fans won’t attend because of the high price. That’s true already, even in outdated Texas Stadium.
But Arlington leaders didn’t bring in the Cowboys –and agree to pay $325 million of the costs — to provide discount entertainment for the city’s residents. The whole point was to attract outside money to Arlington.
The stadium is far from complete, but hundreds of millions of dollars of new construction is already in the works.
Shipp was right when he said Friday, “They say it ain’t about football anymore. …”
But it’s been a lot bigger than that for a long time, and no one knows that better than Jerry Jones.
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