13 replies to this topic

[Austin55]

Unfortunately the NFR event is being overshadowed by the current pandemic (which forced it out of it's home in Vegas), but this is a massive event for the city. While the rodeo itself is occurring in Arlington, Fort Worth is hosting major events in the Stockyards, Downtown and at Will Rogers/Dickies .

 

https://www.nbcdfw.c...-rodeo/2494945/

Travel down to the Stockyards area and you can get an idea of how much is going on. 

[Stadtplan]

I drove by the ballpark yesterday and saw some of the temporary holding pens set-up. 

[johnfwd]

This is a great joint effort by the cities of Fort Worth and Arlington.  Largely ignored is Dallas (no sympathy from me on that score), which has always been in the limelight in big-league sports.  And Dallas would very much like to steal Arlington away from Fort Worth by adopting it as a suburb.  NBC Channel 5, which identifies itself as a "Dallas-Fort Worth" TV station, seems to offer Dallasites some consolation by adding that the rodeo events are good for "North Texas."

[Stadtplan]

Don't forget, "Where the West Begins" technically occurs as you are heading west out of Arlington right before you get to the Whataburger on I-30 / Eastchase Parkway after you cross over Village Creek.  Right about here to be precise:

[Austin55]

This is a great joint effort by the cities of Fort Worth and Arlington.  Largely ignored is Dallas (no sympathy from me on that score), which has always been in the limelight in big-league sports.  And Dallas would very much like to steal Arlington away from Fort Worth by adopting it as a suburb.  NBC Channel 5, which identifies itself as a "Dallas-Fort Worth" TV station, seems to offer Dallasites some consolation by adding that the rodeo events are good for "North Texas."

For sure. Although rodeo doesn't get nearly the publicity that the Super Bowl does, this is probably the biggest event that has come to town since the SB did in 2011. Fort Worth is a great fit for the event to co-host with Arlington.

[johnfwd]

 

This is a great joint effort by the cities of Fort Worth and Arlington.  Largely ignored is Dallas (no sympathy from me on that score), which has always been in the limelight in big-league sports.  And Dallas would very much like to steal Arlington away from Fort Worth by adopting it as a suburb.  NBC Channel 5, which identifies itself as a "Dallas-Fort Worth" TV station, seems to offer Dallasites some consolation by adding that the rodeo events are good for "North Texas."

For sure. Although rodeo doesn't get nearly the publicity that the Super Bowl does, this is probably the biggest event that has come to town since the SB did in 2011. Fort Worth is a great fit for the event to co-host with Arlington.

 

When Wrangler National Finals Rodeo was first announced to be in Arlington, I was disappointed that Fort Worth didn't get it.  After all, Fort Worth is host to many rodeo and cowboy events (as we know), particularly the great stock show at Will Rogers in February.  Is this a case of Arlington moving faster than us?  Or is it because the Wrangler promoters preferred Arlington's Globe Life Park and/or AT&T Stadium forums as opposed to Fort Worth's smaller-capacity Dickie's Arena?

[JBB]

They went with Globe Life because the higher capacity allows for more attendance with social distancing.  At 50% capacity in a 40k seat stadium, they are duplicating the full attendance they would have in a full arena in Las Vegas.

 

I'm assuming they did not go with AT&T Stadium because it is scheduled to have 5 straight days of high school, college, and NFL football starting on the 16th and 2 days would not have been enough time to turn it around.

[johnfwd]

They went with Globe Life because the higher capacity allows for more attendance with social distancing.  At 50% capacity in a 40k seat stadium, they are duplicating the full attendance they would have in a full arena in Las Vegas.

 

I'm assuming they did not go with AT&T Stadium because it is scheduled to have 5 straight days of high school, college, and NFL football starting on the 16th and 2 days would not have been enough time to turn it around.

Would I be correct in implying from your observation that arena capacity was the deciding factor in choosing where to re-locate the finals from Las Vegas?

 

If that's the case, do you think they might have seriously considered Dickie's Arena if that facility had sufficient capacity?  Dickie's Arena is a fine-looking facility.  But some of us here were concerned early-on that it's limited seating capacity might cause it to be disqualified by large event promoters.

[JBB]

I believe capacity was a big factor.  If social distancing had not been an issue, that might have made Dickies a better choice, especially since the layout is better suited for a rodeo than a ballpark.

 

Dickies Arena has sufficient capacity to satisfy their home tenant: the FWSS&R.  It was built with that in mind.  Even if it had a capacity to match the AAC in Dallas, it would still miss out on some events due to the size.  There is a market for facilities of its size and it was well on its way to being of much better use than its predecessor at the WR complex and the convention center arena.  The only thing holding it back right now is the pandemic and the economic effects of that.

 

Edit: I re-read you question and felt like I didn't understand it the first time.  I believe they relocated from Vegas to this area because there were fewer restrictions regarding public events in this area.  I don't know that the arena capacity in Las Vegas had anything to do with the decision.

[Doohickie]

I rode up to Marine Creek Lake yesterday, skirting around the Stockyards along the way. It was PACKED. The good news was that a lot of people wore masks, even outside.

[John T Roberts]

Doohickie, it has been fairly crowded for quite some time.  I have been up there a few times taking pictures of the new projects (which I have posted elsewhere on the forum).  There were enough people walking on the sidewalks that I decided to wear my mask at all times when I was there outside.  I noticed that on the days that I was there, more people were wearing masks that were not, but there were quite a few that didn't wear them.

[Stadtplan]

At some point it seems easier to keep it on rather than taking it off, finding a place to keep it and remembering to put it back on later, especially when enjoying some sightseeing or shopping around a crowd of people.

[John T Roberts]

Yes, it is easier to keep it on when outdoors, with somewhat crowded conditions, than to take it off, then put it back on constantly.

[Austin55]

The city even went as far as to paint all the light poles around the Stockyards to prepare.