In Dallas, Candace Carlisle reported the Cowboys yesterday opened an "exclusive club and full-service dining venue" at Dallas/Ft. Worth Int'l Airport. The Dallas Cowboys Club, which is operated by HMSHost, can seat "up to 80 guests and features a to-go area for travelers on a schedule." It includes a "prominent football theme with large televisions hanging over the stadium-shaped bar." The team already has three Pro Shop stores "in various terminals at the airport and a major merchandising warehouse" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 7/21).
THE SON ALSO RISES: In Boston, Dan Shaughnessy writes he believes the Patriots "are where they are in this Deflategate mess" because of team President Jonathan Kraft, considered to be the "power behind the throne in Foxborough." Kraft's personality -- "smart, defiant, angry -- is totally consistent with the Patriots' response" to the NFL investigation. Shaughnessy: "Who else would urge Bob Kraft to demand an apology when arriving at the Super Bowl? Who else would commission The Wells Report in Context? Who else would plant stories and provide leaks to the Patriots' formidable media cartel." Jonathan Kraft's "fingerprints are all over this thing and it's the reason the entire mess has gotten so out of hand" (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/22).
SIM CITY: ESPN.com's Pat Yasinskas reported the Buccaneers this season will use a new "virtual-reality teaching tool," the Sidekiq football-simulator software developed by EON Sports VR, for rookie QB Jameis Winston. The system uses computer-generated graphics "to simulate game conditions and allows the user to custom-tailor a virtual game scenario from the same perspective they would see on the field during a game or practice session." The Cowboys also have "invested in a virtual-reality system that gives players a three-dimensional look at live action from practice" (ESPN.com, 7/20).
