Businesses in Arlington and across North Texas are bracing for a busy few days with the start of the NFL season and other sporting events scheduled this weekend.
The Texas Rangers return to Globe Life Field Friday, Sept. 9, for a five-game homestand against the Toronto Blue Jays and Oakland Athletics, followed by the Dallas Cowboys hosting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday evening.
At Texas Live!, Chief Operating Officer Jim Watry said the building serves as a “fan fest."
“That’s whether it’s a big game at one of the stadiums or a big watch party or anything that draws groups of fans together,” Watry said. “We always get amped whether it’s a concert at Globe Life Field or a soccer game at Choctaw Stadium.”
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Texas Live! holds 11,000 people with the live arena near the big screen television holding more than 2,000.
“What we’ve found is, being our fourth year…a lot of people will come pregame but then a lot of people cycle in to watch the game, whether they have tickets or not to the event,” Watry said. “Can’t wait to show off the building, see the fans, and really get rocking this weekend.”
The Dallas Cowboys remain StubHub’s best-selling NFL team for the sixth time, according to overall ticket sales. StubHub reports, the upcoming game Sunday night is seeing nearly double the ticket demand of the Bills-Rams game on Sept. 8. Data from StubHub also shows, demand for the Cowboys has nearly doubled since 2021 with ticket sales increasing by 90% in comparison to last season.
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Monica Paul, executive director of the Dallas Sports Commission, said the Dallas Cowboys brand has put North Texas on the world stage.
“What happens on the field is very, very important but also the business behind it. The philanthropic activities the organization does for the entire community,” Paul said.
While the game on Sunday will be played at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Paul said fans traveling for the game will likely stay at various cities across North Texas.
“It really bodes well for the restaurants and additional tax revenue for all of the cities involved from Arlington, Dallas, to Fort Worth,” she said. “The importance of economic impact and kind of what goes into that from Cowboys games and professional teams is really revolving the hotel impact. The more people coming in, even if it is for the opposing team coming…I think is important.”
The game is scheduled for 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.
