Dallas is an extremely interesting sports city. The Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex has also built a reputation for being one of the most passionate sports locales there is.
It also is an interesting city in terms of where its professional sports teams play. For example, three of its professional sports teams in the Texas Rangers, Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Wings all currently play its home games in the Arlington-Fort Worth area. That is Tarrant County to be exact.
Even its professional soccer team – FC Dallas – actually plays its home games in Frisco – also in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs.
Then there is the matter of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks and the NHL’s Dallas Stars which both currently stage its home games at the American Airlines Center in downtown Dallas. Both the Mavs and Stars have been in the news recently for plans to move to new venues outside of the downtown Dallas area.
In the case of the Stars, the plan is to move to a new arena and entertainment district in Plano – another suburban area which is not only outside Dallas, but also Dallas County. This, somewhat, makes sense from an NHL perspective considering its fanbase is more suburban than anything else.
Residents in the metroplex have also been closely following the developments surrounding the Mavericks. After a bit of intrigue about the Mavs possibly moving to Dallas’ City Hall site, the team then announced its intent to build at a site north of downtown at the old Valley View Mall site.
And we thought that the Luka Dončić trade to the Los Angeles Lakers was controversial.
That site is at the intersection of Preston Road and Interstate 635 – and is also a planned mixed-use entertainment district. Interestingly enough, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), the primary transit network that serves the metroplex, does not have a light rail station at this location. One wonders if that will change considering the Mavs are technically staying in the Dallas city limits which was an aim of the organization’s find for a new stadium site.
The concept of sports teams building “stadium districts” or “ballpark villages” has been popularized over the last decade following the success that MLB’s Atlanta Braves had with The Battery – a mixed-use entertainment district surrounding Truist Park in suburban Cobb County. The NFL’s New England Patriots also have an entertainment district surrounding Gillette Stadium called Patriot Place in Foxborough, Massachusetts which is being rebranded as “Boston Stadium” for the upcoming FIFA World Cup.
As far as the Wings of our WNBA are concerned, this is set to be the final year where the Wings will play at College Park Center on the campus of the University of Texas at Arlington before moving to Dallas proper. Much of the news surrounding a Wings move has pertained to a relocation to the Dallas Memorial Auditorium. The city is looking to give a fresh coat of paint to the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Convention Center which the auditorium is part.
Interestingly enough, Wings coach Jose Fernandez let it slip at a press conference that the Wings plan to stage its home games for the 2027 season at American Airlines Center. The organization later clarified that an agreement had yet to be finalized, but Fernandez spilling the beans about American Airlines Center suggest either a change of plans on the part of the Wings or the auditorium project possibly hitting another snag.
The American Airlines Center is a City of Dallas-owned venue. Interestingly enough, both the Stars and Mavericks’ leases there run through 2031. Both the NBA and NHL teams are looking to have their new ballpark districts completed by that year.
One has to wonder if the Mavs news could change the mindset of either the Wings or the City of Dallas in regards to either Dallas Memorial Auditorium or American Airlines Center. After all, the latter venue will now be in search of a primary tenant and the WNBA has never been more of a financially lucrative product than it is now.
Regardless of if the Dallas Memorial Auditorium or the American Airlines Center are in the Wings’ future plans, this appears to be a golden opportunity to claim downtown Dallas all for themselves with the Mavericks and Stars planning to relocate.
And this relocation for the Wings to the city that bears its namesake could not be taking place at a more opportune time for the organization.
While some teams move during occasions where they are undergoing rebuilds on the court, Dallas is establishing itself as a team of the future. As of this writing, the Wings are 7-3 and would be the second seed in the WNBA playoffs if said postseason were to commence today. Only the Minnesota Lynx at 8-2 are ahead of the Wings in the standings.
Dallas also already has won both of its Commissioner’s Cup contests as well. The first was at home when the Wings earned a 79-56 victory over the Seattle Storm. The second occurred on the road at the Los Angeles Sparks when Dallas picked up the 104-96 win at Crypto.com Arena.
Instrumental in that Wings victory were 30 points scored by Arike Ogunbowale who also helped her team with six rebounds and six assists. Jessica Shepard has placed herself firmly in the Most Improved Player Award conversation. Shepard logged nearly 38 minutes of court time with a double-double of 22 points and 15 rebounds plus five assists and two steals.
Last year’s Rookie of the Year, Paige Bueckers, also contributed a double-double to Dallas’ efforts. She would score 18 points as well as dish out 14 assists plus hauled in three rebounds and collected a steal. The Wings also benefitted from the 16 points, four rebounds and four steals that they got from Maddy Siegrist. Azzi Fudd aided the Dallas cause with 11 points and two steals in nearly 35 minutes of court time.
Also, just as Shepard is a strong candidate for Most Improved Player of the Year (and deserves All-Star consideration when voting opens), Fernandez has placed himself in the Coach of the Year conversation given what he has done with Dallas in his first season at the helm.
This team is set to relocate to downtown Dallas and it is playing like a team that belongs in downtown Dallas where it is more easily accessible than in the western realms of the metroplex. Bueckers and Fudd are set to be part of the WNBA’s nucleus for the next 15 or so years and Ogunbowale is an established veteran star who has already played in a semifinals.
The Wings are set to relocate downtown while on a clear upward trajectory. Ready to Volt Up, downtown Dallas?
