AT&T Stadium, Globe Life Field and Choctaw Stadium fill the landscape in nearby Arlington.getty images
No. 1: Dallas
Score: 100.0
Everyone’s moving to Dallas! Texas is the No. 1 destination for California transplants, and Dallas is a primary destination for many people looking for lower taxes, lower cost of living and a business-friendly regulatory environment. The same holds true for sports:
■ The PGA of America moved its headquarters from Florida and just opened in 2022 the $33.5 million new home as part of its $550 million campus development in nearby Frisco.
■ In 2022, the PBR moved its World Finals to Fort Worth (Dickies Arena) after three decades in Las Vegas.
■ The ATP moved the New York Open to Dallas in 2021.
Several sports companies and sponsors have relocated their headquarters to Dallas in recent years, including: American Athletic Conference (from Providence, R.I.); Active Network (San Diego); AECOM (L.A.); McLaren USA (from New York City); Nolan Partners (L.A.); Oracle (Bay Area); Perfect Game (Cedar Rapids, Iowa); Smoothie King (New Orleans); Sunoco (Philadelphia); Toyota (L.A.); Warstic Bat Co. (Detroit); and Topgolf (Chicago).
31.8M
Fans who attended Dallas-area major/minor league and Division I college sporting events over the past five years.
Fans pack American Airlines Center for the Mavericks in downtown Dallas.dallas sports commission
Sports properties (26): Dallas is home to properties in each of the major league team sports, several college bowl games, recent FIFA qualifiers and rates highly in most attendance metrics. Dallas was awarded 15 championships during the NCAA’s most recent round of bidding, substantially more than any other major city.
Sponsor footprint (64): Dallas is home to 64 brands that have at least four sports sponsorships, a naming-rights deal and/or a major league jersey patch deal. Only New York (129) and Los Angeles (73) have more.
Facilities: Led by the Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium, Dallas topped all markets in venue score. The market has a new MLB ballpark (and retrofitted the old one into a soccer stadium), a new minor league ballpark, new esports arena and recently renovated its college football stadium. The country’s first pro cricket stadium is under construction here as well.
7,800
Maximum capacity for Grand Prairie Stadium, the new cricket stadium in the Dallas area that will be the premier such facility in the U.S.
Convenience: Sports business executives mentioned that the region’s often criticized mass transit system can make it difficult to navigate the decentralized market.
Business Friendly: Just 4.7% of workers in Dallas are union members — only North Carolina, South Carolina and Arkansas have a lower rate than Texas. The city approved $600 million in loans and other enticements to build the Rangers’ new stadium, and the Cowboys’ Star complex in Frisco receives special tax subsidies from the local government.
Did you know … : Dallas has more hotels under construction — 173 projects and 20,707 rooms — than any market in the world.
What they’re saying: “We relocated our business specifically because: 1) significant number of major events including owner and league meetings; 2) exceptional talent pool at a more affordable cost; 3) business-friendly state; 4) quality of life for our team (most can afford to buy homes here); 5) geographically central with a big airport.” — D.M.
The Dallas Cowboys host an NFL Draft party at The Star in Frisco.courtesy of the dallas cowboys
