(Photo courtesy of Associated Press)
For the Dallas Cowboy fans who are getting excited about the possibility that the Cowboys could take part in Super Bowl XLV next year, the mayor of Irving has something to say that fans won’t appreciate.
Herbert Gears, the mayor of Irving, is openly rooting against the beloved Dallas Cowboys, because he believes that two out-of-town teams will bring in more money to hotels and restaurants in the area. If rooting against the Cowboys is not controversial enough, Gears also said he would welcome Philadelphia in the big game. “I don’t want the Dallas Cowboys in the Super Bowl; I need somebody from Philadelphia, who will stay in a hotel in Irving,” said Gears. The Philadelphia Eagles are the fiercest rivals of the Dallas Cowboys in the eastern division of the National Football Conference.
If the Dallas Cowboys made it to the big game, it would be the first home Super Bowl in history. Gears said he is an avid Cowboy supporter, but his comments may not ring true to Dallas fans. Alison Cline,18, of Dallas said that, “Money has become a priority over tradition and pride. It makes a huge fan like me devastated to see that our leaders have lost sight of what should be more important.”
Dallas Cowboy fans are not the only ones upset by Gears’ comments. Emily Seeds, 20, of Dallas, does not consider herself a Cowboys fan, but was not pleased with Gears comments. “If the Cowboys were in the Super Bowl, it would bring the city of Dallas together. Whatever the outcome, the city would be united for the game,” said Seeds. She continued to say that if the Cowboys were in the big game the environment around the city would experience great improvements, and that is something that even the non-sports fans would appreciate for a lifetime. The fact that the mayor of Irving would rather have money than a sense of unity is disheartening to Seeds.
Gears’ point in making his comments was that hotels and restaurants would make more money from two out-of-town teams. Not so fast, say his detractors. According to The Dallas Cowboy Fan club the Cowboys have set an NFL attendance record dating back to 1990. The team played 160 games at home and on the road in front of sold-out stadiums.
The Cowboys do not have a problem drawing a crowd. An out-of-town team would probably not draw a larger number of people than the Cowboys.
Each team in the Super Bowl is allotted only 17.5 percent of the tickets. Given the national fan base of the Cowboys, travel revenues would be down less than Gears anticipates. Furthermore, corporations are big Super Bowl spenders, and Dallas would likely have more corporate, as well as individual, big spenders than teams from many NFL markets.
J. R. Page, Director of Sales and Merchandizing for the Crowne Plaza Hotel, agrees that out-of-town teams would not be any better for business. Prior to the opening of the Cowboys’ Stadium, the Crowne Plaza Hotel, which is 2.3 miles away from the stadium, was only 15 percent booked on key holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s day. But since the stadium opened it has been a different story. The entire hotel is booked on Sundays for Cowboys’ home games. Mr. Page said that if the Cowboys were indeed in the Super Bowl the hotel would still be sold out, and it would make no difference at all in revenue.
D Magazine, KDFW and dozens of blogger’s have criticized Gears’ comments. Gears has been called “politically agile” by the New York Times, and is working to defuse the situation by prioritizing other issues over the city of Irving.
