All-Star Game At Cowboys Stadium Doesn't Signal Return To Domes

Stern Sees All-Star Game At Cowboys Stadium As "One-Shot Deal"

While NBA Commissioner David Stern said a return to Cowboys Stadium for future NBA All-Star Games is "possible," he "sees this visit to the world's newest, grandest sports playpen as a one-shot deal," according to Eddie Sefko of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. Stern: "Right now, we're viewing it as a place where we're going to set and retire the record for the most people ever to have attended not just an NBA game but a basketball game. I think Cowboys Stadium -- which we'll lovingly refer to as Jerry-world -- is a wonder of the world. And we're holding it there for that reason. [Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones] has been generous in welcoming us. [Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban] is keen to represent North Texas in the proper way with Jerry, and so this seemed like a good idea at the time. So we're doing it. That's the way we do things. And I think for some period of time, this will be unique." But he added, "This is not a return to domes." Stern said "as many tickets as have been released have been sold" for Sunday's All-Star Game, but there is "some pressure to open up more sections." Stern: "We'll see how that goes. We could live and hold our heads high with 85,000 to 90,000 people. There are some among us -- and I don't want to reveal Mark and Jerry's identities -- who say, what the hell, let's go for 100,000-plus" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 2/10).

LONG TIME COMING: ESPN DALLAS' Jeff Caplan noted this year's All-Star Game is the first in North Texas since '86, and he wrote it "shouldn't take 24 years for the league's showcase event to return" to Cowboys Stadium. Cuban: "The NBA is certainly making more money doing it this way. So it's something I'll certainly push. It'll certainly be great for the area." Caplan noted that is a "new tune Cuban's singing," as in the past, he has "insistently told the NBA's All-Star Game to take a hike." But Cuban said, "We just had to wait for the right way to do it." At Cowboys Stadium, the NBA "can take care of its business interests and Cuban can take care of his customers' interests." The Mavericks were able to make tickets available to "all of their season-ticket account holders, and they weren't relegated to nosebleed sections or obstructed-view seats." The team "offered every season-ticket holder options in every price range." Cuban: "We have one of the largest season-ticket holder bases in the league. We've been able to take care of everybody and then some. There are all kinds of different scenarios, but everybody got access to pretty much all they needed" (ESPNDALLAS.com, 2/10).

Jones (l) and Cuban (r) Touting Crowd Of 100,000, But NBA Using Cautious Tone

CROWDED HOUSE: ESPN DALLAS' Caplan noted both Jones and Cuban "have touted the possibility of drawing a crowd of 100,000," but the NBA "has taken a more cautious approach, careful not to upset the city of Arlington fire marshal and other officials concerned with overcrowding, as was the case when more than 105,000 jammed the stadium for the Cowboys' home opener last September." But ticket sales "have already blown by initial league estimates of 85,000." Meanwhile, the court at Cowboys Stadium "will sit on a platform above the Cowboys' blue star on the 50-yard line," and temporary seating "surrounds the court, rising up until it meets the lower bowl." The setup "renders some seats obsolete and others with obstructed views," which is why NBA Exec VP/Events & Attractions Ski Austin "spent days trekking around the stadium to determine which seats can't be sold and to figure out ways to add others." Cuban "isn't as concerned with sight lines," as he said that the All-Star Game is "more about the action going on around the court." Cuban: "It's not like there are just good seats and bad seats. ... It's more about the scene and the event than it is the game" (ESPNDALLAS.com, 2/10). USA TODAY's Jeff Miller notes the size of Cowboys Stadium and the "splitting of All-Star weekend activities between Arlington and the Mavericks' home American Airlines Center 20 miles away have created challenges for the league." But it is "all in the plan of ... Cuban to make this a more memorable sports scene than even last week's Super Bowl run-up." Austin: "That just reminds us we've set the bar high" (USA TODAY, 2/11).

SETTING RECORDS: Stern said of Sunday's game, "We're going to have a lot of fun. I think we'll have the Guinness Book of Records ready to make an entry for us, and that is only the All-Star game. ... That is what All-Star has become for us, a celebration of our sport to bring in everyone from around the world." Meanwhile, Stern said of Cuban, "We have a good relationship, and he is a very solid contributor to the league. ... I don't want to ruin his reputation by suggesting that he might be mellowing. But, he is still full of ideas, and he is happy to share those and his insights, and I think we're stronger because of him" ("Mike & Mike In The Morning," ESPN2, 2/9).