The mayor of Dallas is forming a city council committee to draw professional sports franchises to the city. The "Ad Hoc Committee on Professional Sports Recruitment and Retention" follows Mayor Eric Johnson's tweet last week saying North Texas was about to pass Chicago as the nation's third-largest metro area and become the largest without two NFL franchises.
"Dallas is the best sports city in the country right now. But for too long, Dallas has been too passive when it comes to attracting and retaining professional sports franchises. Dallas is a big-league city, and this new committee will help us compete at the highest level," Johnson wrote in a statement.
Johnson says the Dallas Stars' and Mavericks' leases at the American Airlines Center end in 2031, and the city should start discussions soon on how to retain them. In a memo to the city council, he says the committee will also look at the possibility of attracting both expansion teams and relocations.
"The *Dallas* Cowboys are based in the City of Frisco and play in the City of Arlington. FC Dallas plays in the City of Frisco," Johnson wrote. "The Texas Rangers play in the City of Arlington in a brand-new stadium that should have been built in Downtown Dallas. The *Dallas* Wings also play in the City of Arlington. The Professional Golfers’ Association of America no longer hosts any tournaments in the City of Dallas, as the AT&T Byron Nelson is now played in the City of McKinney."
Johnson also cites a report by the real estate firm, Newmark Group, which says DFW has become the top property investment market in the country. The company says $13 billion in property changed hands in the first three months of 2022, ahead of New York and Los Angeles.
"The NFL is aware of this, I am sure," Johnson tweeted. "If they aren't, they will be soon."
The committee will look at the potential economic impact and develop a strategy to attract a team. A complete list of items Johnson says the committee will consider:
- Assessing the economic, fiscal, and social impacts of existing professional sports franchises on the City of Dallas, including the Dallas Mavericks and the Dallas Stars.
- Assessing the economic, fiscal, and social impacts of professional sports franchises — including the Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers, FC Dallas, and the Dallas Wings — on other North Texas cities, such as the City of Arlington, the City of Frisco, and the City of McKinney.
- Developing a strategy to retain existing professional sports franchises in the City of Dallas.
- Analyzing our city’s competitive advantages for — as well as potential barriers to — attracting and retaining professional sports franchises and major sporting events.
- Assessing the costs and benefits to the City of Dallas for hosting new professional sports franchises, such as a National Football League franchise, a Major League Baseball franchise, and a Women’s National Basketball Association franchise.
- Developing a strategy for attracting a new professional sports franchise — such as a National Football League franchise, a Major League Baseball franchise, a Major League Soccer franchise, and a Women’s National Basketball Association franchise — to the city, if the benefits outweigh the potential costs. Potential considerations include:
• The renovation of historic Cotton Bowl Stadium to National Football League standards and the Fair Park Coliseum to Women’s National Basketball Association standards, including through the use of funds available following an affirmative vote in the November 2022 “Brimer Bill” election;
• The development of Hensley Field into a professional sports stadium site, a world headquarters, and/or a practice facility akin to The Star in Frisco;
• Potential public ownership models — akin to the model employed by the Green Bay Packers — for a new professional sports franchise in the City of Dallas; and
• Strategies to facilitate and encourage the participation of historically underrepresented groups — such as African Americans, Latinos, and women — in equity ownership of any new professional sports franchises.
Johnson will chair the committee; Councilmembers Tennell Atkins, Adam Bazaldua, Paula Blackmon, and Casey Thomas will serve on the committee as well.
Johnson says he is also dissolving the Ad Hoc Committee on COVID-19 Recovery and Assistance.
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