The arena is getting old.
The arena game is now on in Dallas as the CEO of the National Basketball Association’s Dallas Mavericks franchise, Rick Welts, has thrown down the gauntlet and has told the world that the city of Dallas better get ready to help build the business an arena in town. If the answer is no, Welts will cross that bridge at that time. “Our commitment is to find a home in Dallas. That’s where we want to be. That’s where the city wants us to be and we’re going to pursue every single possible option to make that happen. We’re very much hoping to be able to invest significantly in the remaining time we are there (at the present arena). We need to be in a new arena for the 2031-2032 season. We’re on the clock,”
The problem with the Dallas 24-year-old arena is simple. There are not enough revenue generating tools available for the business. Once upon a time, people went to a game to watch a game, today there is a so-called fan experience program and the arena does not offer the amenities that Welts said “fans expect in 2025.”The Irving City Council has approved some zoning amendments that could pave the way for the construction of a Mavericks arena-village on property that the Mavericks ownership possesses. The zoning changes would allow “an arena with a minimum of 15,000 seats and/or an indoor theater with a minimum of 4,000 seats” on the property. Additionally, there could be one or more luxury hotels, spas, pools and “may include Casino Gaming if authorized by the Constitution and laws of the state of Texas” within the property. Las Vegas could be in the mix as well although Mavericks ownership has attempted to knock down that rumor. Mavericks ownership wants someone to come up with public money for an arena.
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