Countdown To The North Texas $uper Bowl

The countdown to the first ever Super Bowl in North Texas has begun and the excitement is beginning to build.   I’m not referring to enthusiastic fans who all feel their teams will take the field on that historic day.  The excitement I’m talking about surrounds what will happen off the field and the economic boost this game will provide for North Texas.

According to a study produced by San Diego based Marketing Information Masters Inc.,  Super Bowl XLV is expected to have an economic impact of $612 million on North Texas.   Please take note that the study did not limit the economic impact to Arlington and Ft. Worth, but references North Texas which I believe includes the city of Dallas.

When the decision was made to build Cowboys Stadium aka Jerry’s World aka The Death Star in Arlington,  many people in Dallas were outraged and couldn’t believe we let this cash cow get away.   The mayor at the time, Laura Miller, was criticized mercilessly for turning her back on the millions and millions of dollars that would fall from the sky by the mere presence of the stadium in the Dallas city limits.  The Super Bowl will be the litmus test for how good or bad that decision was. It will be interesting to see how much of  the Super Bowl XLV windfall will flow through Dallas businesses.  I’m no economist, but I’m guessing Dallas’ share of the pot will be substantial.

If you were traveling from out of town to Super Bowl XLV what city would be your first choice to stay in?  Dallas, Ft. Worth or Arlington?  I think it would be Dallas hands down.  When people see Cowboys stadium on TV what city do they associate it with?  Again, I think the answer is Dallas.  Where are the nicest hotels and restaurants in North Texas located?  Arguably in Dallas.

So at the end of the day what did Dallas lose by not building Cowboys stadium?  I don’t think Dallas lost very much.  Look at it this way.  If your neighbor bought a new car and assumed all of the responsibilities for maintaining that car but allowed you to drive the car 50% of the time with no financial obligation who is getting the better deal?

Arlington got the stadium and along with it the expense of  helping to  build it and improve/ maintain  the roads around it.   What did Dallas get?  Free money every time a major event comes to  Cowboys Stadium.  That sounds like a pretty good deal to me.