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From the archives: The stadium

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Sept. 28, 2009. The following is an excerpt from SportsBusiness Journal’s coverage of the opening of AT&T Stadium, then known as Cowboys Stadium.

Some people think of Cowboys Stadium like a next-generation cell phone, modern design paired with cutting-edge technology, says Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. If that’s the case, say hello to the baddest PDA on the planet.

In leaping ahead of the curve, Jones and his family have developed a building on par with new Yankee Stadium in terms of its expansiveness, sleek finishes and premium amenities. It’s no coincidence the Cowboys and Yankees joined forces on food and retail concessions: These two organizations are serious about maximizing revenue from their respective billion-dollar venues.

Stadium architect HKS designed a 3 million-square-foot venue that looms over the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and provides a striking contrast to the Rangers’ traditional brick ballpark up the street. Cowboys Stadium features the world’s largest retractable roof and retractable end zone doors, plus two quarter-mile-long arches.

To put its sprawling dimensions in perspective, Cowboys Stadium — for those who have also gone through unfinished New Meadowlands Stadium — makes the future 2 million-square-foot home of the Jets and Giants feel tiny by comparison.

On the exterior, the building’s tilted, wraparound glass facade has tiny slits creating changes in color from a cloudy white to faint blue (akin to the Cowboys’ colors, according to Jones), depending on the light of day.

The spacious outdoor plazas on the east and west sides, where the revenue started flowing for the Cowboys hours before kickoff with libations and live music, give fans a greater sense of the building’s massive scale as they walk across the expanse of concrete to enter the facility.

Inside, off the main concourse, two identical premium areas on the north and south sides called the Cowboys Club comprise some of the biggest hospitality spaces in sports. Their bars, concession stands and flat-screen TVs serve as oases in the midst of a vast open space.

Cowboys Stadium, and its massive video board, changed the dynamic for NFL stadiums when it opened in 2009.
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES

One floor below, on the Hall of Fame level, the look turns chic and ultra-contemporary in the Legends Club. The room’s oval shapes, from the recessed floor to a work of art on the ceiling, speak to the sport in an abstract fashion.

The high-end clubs and the rest of the stadium’s wonders have taken a back seat to the celebrity status of Mitsubishi’s 60-yard-long, center-hung video board since a punter hit the bottom of the structure during a preseason game. The biggest high-def TV in America continues to evoke a strong reaction: The crowd responded for every punt during the Cowboys’ regular-season home opener against the Giants on Sept. 20.

For those sitting in the upper deck, where the center-hung unit is at eye level, its sheer size can be a distraction.

You’re focusing on the field below, then suddenly you realize that this huge piece of complicated electronics hovers above the action, the first high-tech tool of its kind to help fans follow the game from the cheap seats, the Cowboys’ attempt to compete against home theater.

No cell phone can match that view.

— Don Muret

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