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“I don’t know what it feels like to be on a rocket ship, but this has got to be as close as what it feels like.”
The comment, made from a stage at Arlington Hall, came from Dallas Wings COO Amber Cox at a panel discussion hosted by the Dallas Friday Group in late June. While the phrase was in reference to the rise of Dallas’ WNBA team, it could easily have been attributed to the larger story of women’s sports, and especially women’s sports in North Texas.
When she first came on board with the Wings in 2022, Cox said, there was no way she could have forecasted what all would happen in the field of women’s sports, and specifically for the Wings. “But we saw the interest,” she said. “There was a ton of interest in the Wings, and the building was filling up consistently, and I just knew that we were on the cusp of something really, really special.”
The discussion一moderated by Monica Paul, executive director of the Dallas Sports Commission一focused on the future of professional women’s sports in DFW and featured commentary from Cox and from Dori Neil Araiza, founder and principal with Dallas’ newly announced women’s soccer team, Dallas Trinity FC.
Dallas has celebrated a number of recent key wins in the arena of women’s sports. In early May, WNBA phenom Caitlin Clark made her pro debut in a preseason game against the Dallas Wings in Arlington. In 2023, the American Airlines Center hosted the 2023 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Final Four—the championship game boasted a record 9.9 million viewers. Dallas will host the event again in 2031.
In April, the city of Dallas and the Wings reached a 15-year, $19 million agreement that will bring the team to the Dallas Memorial Auditorium by 2026. The team currently plays at College Park Center at UTA. “Our partners in Arlington, the College Park Center, have been phenomenal to us. It is a wonderful venue,” Cox said. “But the reality is, we’re busting at the seams. We’re selling out consistently now. We need more space.”
Also in April, the team celebrated a sellout of season ticket sales for the first time in history. At the time, the Wings were also up by 222 percent in total ticket revenue and up 1,221 percent on individual ticket sales.
“As you look at the growth of women’s sports and you look at the growth of the WNBA, one thing that’s shifted rapidly is facilities,” Cox said. “When the league started, everyone was sharing facilities with colleges, with YMCAs. Now, you’re seeing more and more teams having their own buildings, their own places to practice. These women deserve that.”
In April, Wings President and CEO Greg Bibb told D CEO that the move is expected to bring about $1.5 million in additional ticket revenue annually. Redevelopment of the stadium—originally constructed in 1957 and last renovated in 2002—is underway. “We get to be a part of the conversations as we go through the renovations to really make it a world-class entertainment experience for our fans,” Cox said. “And again, it’s truly what our athletes deserve.”
It’s not the only Dallas facility getting an upgrade ahead of welcoming a women’s pro sports team. Dallas Trinity FC will play its first home game at the Cotton Bowl against DC Power FC on Sept. 7, marking the inaugural season home opener for the team whose name, team colors, and leadership were formally announced in May. The team is one of eight to launch as part of the USL Super League, which was approved for Division 1 status in February.
The move comes as Dallas pursues a two-year, $140 million project to upgrade the Cotton Bowl, the largest financial investment in Fair Park in its 137-year history. The project一which includes adding escalators, expanding concourses, and adding art deco artwork一broke ground in March.
When the Neil family began workshopping a Dallas women’s soccer team about two years ago, they considered a number of venues before landing on the historic Fair Park icon. Dori Neil Araiza, founder and principal, noted that when they floated the idea of a women’s professional soccer team in Dallas, they’d usually get the same immediate reaction: “But are you in Dallas?”
“Because people that are in Dallas and from Dallas, that matters to them, so it matters to us too,” she said, “and it’s something that was sort of integral and vital to us being able to be a team for Dallas, in Dallas, accessible right off the Dart rail, and bring to life this amazing venue that’s currently partly under construction, but we’ll be able to showcase that in a way that’s amazing for these soccer players.”
For Paul, the team’s establishment一combined with Dallas’ nine 2026 World Cup matches一spell massive opportunity for a few years down the road.
“If you don’t know me, I’m very competitive. I like to win,” said Paul, who is credited with being the mastermind behind DFW’s 2026 FIFA World Cup bid. For her, the region’s next big event target is the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup. “I think having a professional women’s soccer team here, along with the support of our other professional teams, men and women across the board, it gives us a really good runway to put our arms around the teams一Dallas Trinity FC, for sure一and really help to elevate and lift and properly position Dallas for being named a host city for 2031 as our next opportunity,” Paul said.
The teams see the potential for a local impact, too. Cox noted that the Wings have been ramping up staffing in the youth basketball sector and that programming for clinics and camps has been built up. She also highlighted the team’s partnership with the Dallas Mavericks through the Girls Empowered by Mavericks (GEM) initiative.
“It was the first of its kind, there had never been an NBA team under a different ownership come aboard as a major sponsor of a WNBA team,” Cox said. “They saw the value; they saw where women’s basketball is going and really wanted to authenticate that GEM programming with our athletes and with our coaches.”
Dallas Trinity FC also sees the potential—the team website says the Dallas area has more girls soccer players than anywhere else in the country, citing the U.S. Youth Soccer Association. “When we look at the youth, it’s certainly an integral part of what we are going to be a part of,” Araiza said. “And obviously being new, we’re trying to figure out what is the best way to navigate that. Who are our best partners to bring in and do that? But I will say it’s certainly something that gives these youth players to aspire to be, and we’re in their backyard.”
The discussion served as a snapshot look at what is proving to be a game-changing era for women’s sports. A Deloitte report shared in November 2023 predicts that revenue generated this year by women’s elite sports will surpass $1 billion. As Cox puts it, the key to sustaining that energy for the Wings starts with the right people. “There’s been an incredible investment by our ownership group in our front office staff to grow that group, to invest in experienced sports professionals, specifically women and men who have experience in the women’s sports space,” Cox said, “and that has allowed us to grow very, very quickly and do a lot more.”
“I think even though we’re growing rapidly, there are tried and true processes that we need to stick to,” Cox added. “We have to keep the foot on the gas, and we need to keep using this momentum to our advantage as we grow our fan base and continue to get more people into the pipeline and interested and talking about all of our sports and women’s sports.”
Araiza sums it up: “Women’s sports aren’t a trend. It’s here to stay, and it’s only going to grow.”
Don Stone, a Dallas civic leader and strong supporter of the arts, died on Sunday. He was 96.
Angela Stone, Don’s youngest child, said her father was one of a kind, a rare mix of sweet and tough.
“He was just the most wonderful man I ever knew, just generous to a fault, smart, charming. He influenced so many people,” she said.
Stone gave widely across North Texas, including $500,000 to endow college scholarships for musically gifted Dallas ISD students. Stone also held leadership positions at several North Texas arts organizations, including the Dallas Public Library, Voices of Change, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Fine Arts Chamber Players, Orchestra of New Spain, the Greater Dallas Youth Orchestra, Shakespeare Dallas and Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.
“He just believed that all of our lives would be so much poorer without music, art and theater. He said in our country we have the freedom to support whatever we want and that we needed to support the arts so that they would continue to exist,” Stone said.
Stone, a businessman who lived in Turtle Creek, worked for Sanger Harris, which later became Macy’s. He was a 2018 TACA Silver Cup Award honoree for his arts and culture advocacy in North Texas.
Maura Sheffler, president and executive director of The Arts Community Alliance (TACA), said in a statement that Stone’s legacy will continue to inspire the local arts community.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Don Stone, a devoted champion of the arts whose leadership and generosity,” she wrote.
Stone’s wife of over 72 years, Norma, died in June. She was the one who first got her husband involved in the arts, according to their daughter Angela.
Michelle Miller Burns, the DSO’s president and CEO, said the Stones had a profound impact on the DSO.
“It is with such a heavy heart that I received news of Don Stone’s passing earlier this week. Don was a devoted patron, a donor and a board member of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and his leadership and generosity really have helped shape the Dallas symphony across five decades,” she said.
In 1980, Stone served as DSO’s chairman of the Board of Governors and helped launch efforts to raise $80 million for Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center and secure architect I.M. Pei.
In 1997, the Stones launched the Norma and Don Stone New Music Fund and committed $1 million to continuously support new works. Some of the works supported through the fund include this year’s world premiere of Angélica Negrón’s requiem For Everything You Keep Losing. The fund also supported a Grammy award-winning violin concerto by Aaron Jay Kernis co-commissioned with the Seattle Symphony, Toronto Symphony and Melbourne Symphony.
“I think it is rare for a couple who so firmly believes in the future of classical music and creating opportunities for new musical voices to be heard to really put support behind that in a meaningful way to fuel that process, to ensure that it can come to fruition,” Burns said.
She said the DSO will continue the Stones’ legacy by commissioning new works through the Norma and Don Stone New Music Fund.
Stone is survived by his children Michael, Lisa and Angela, six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. The family will have a private funeral.
Arts Access is an arts journalism collaboration powered by The Dallas Morning News and KERA.
This community-funded journalism initiative is funded by the Better Together Fund, Carol & Don Glendenning, City of Dallas OAC, Communities Foundation of Texas, The University of Texas at Dallas, The Dallas Foundation, Eugene McDermott Foundation, James & Gayle Halperin Foundation, Jennifer & Peter Altabef and The Meadows Foundation. The News and KERA retain full editorial control of Arts Access’ journalism.
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Following the Pistons’ big win over the Boston Celtics, Omari and Bryce break down the improvements they’ve seen from the franchise star player.
DALLAS — A late comeback attempt fell short for the Detroit Pistons.
They fell to the Dallas Mavericks in overtime, 116-114, after recovering from a third-period 18-point deficit. A dunk by Anthony Davis gave the Mavericks the lead for good with 1:32 to play in overtime.
Cade Cunningham (29 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists) missed a short jumper with 7 seconds left that would’ve tied the game at 116, and Jalen Duren (17 points, 13 rebounds) couldn’t convert two offensive rebounds into a tip-in basket. Davis corralled the rebound with 0.9 seconds left, and the Mavericks called timeout.
The Pistons fouled Davis after the inbounds pass with a foul to give. Daniss Jenkins, who scored 11 points after halftime, stole the second inbounds pass with 0.6 seconds left but didn’t have enough time to get a shot off.
The Pistons trailed by 18 points with five minutes to play in the third quarter. Their bench unit was instrumental during a 31-11 run that gave the Pistons the lead again, 99-97, midway through the fourth quarter. They held Dallas to 38.5% shooting and forced nine turnovers in the second half.
No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg gave his Mavericks the lead, 110-109, with under 20 seconds to play with a midrange jumper. Isaiah Stewart was fouled by Davis on the other end with 3.4 seconds left, and he split the trip to the line to tie the game at 110. Klay Thompson missed a floater at the buzzer, sending the game into overtime.
Down 86-68 with 4:57 to play in the third quarter, coach J.B. Bickerstaff looked to the end of his bench for a spark. Jenkins, Marcus Sasser and Paul Reed checked into the game for the first time in consecutive order, joining Ron Holland and Javonte Green. The Pistons have a Dallas-centric roster — Holland, Sasser and Jenkins are all from the city, and Cunningham is from nearby Arlington.
They led an 11-3 run to cut the deficit to 10, tallying four steals during the stretch — two for Green and one each for Jenkins and Reed. Cunningham checked in for Green to open the fourth quarter, and the run continued. A 3-pointer from Jenkins, coast-to-coast layup by Holland and midrange jumper from Jenkins extended the run to 21-7, cutting the deficit to 93-89 with under 10 minutes to play.
As he has done several times this season, Jenkins rose to the moment in the final period. An entry pass from Jenkins to Holland created an open layup to slash Dallas’ lead to two, and Jenkins made a layup over three Mavericks defenders to tie the game at 95 with 7:46 remaining and push the Pistons’ run to 27-9.
With 59 seconds left in the fourth, a pair of free throws from Jenkins extended the Pistons’ lead to 3, 109-106. He played 11 minutes and 32 seconds in the final period, second only to Cunningham, and overtime.
The Pistons lost Thompson — their primary defender on Flagg — midway through the second period after an exchange with an official.
With 5:09 remaining before halftime, Thompson tied up Mavericks guard Ryan Nembhard under the rim and was whistled for a foul. Thompson didn’t like the call and got in the ref’s face, and was instantly ejected. NBA rules make it an auto-ejection when a player makes physical contact with an official.
It was a strong start for Thompson prior to the ejection, as he had eight points, two assists, two rebounds and a steal in nine minutes of play. Stewart entered for him in the second quarter.
In all, it was a rough night for the Pistons regarding the officials. Cunningham was whistled for a tech late in the second quarter after disagreeing with a call, and Bickerstaff was whistled for a tech during halftime after arguing with an official.
With 11:08 to play in the third quarter, Robinson suffered a knee-to-knee collision with Mavericks wing Naji Marshall. Robinson limped off of the floor and was initially ruled “questionable” to return until he was downgraded to “out” in the final period.
Robinson finished with two points and two rebounds, shooting 1-for-7 overall and 0-for-5 from 3. He missed two games in early December with a right ankle sprain.
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PHILADELPHIA – It was evident in July and August that Dallas Goedert was going to be a big part of the Eagles’ offense in the red zone. It felt that way most summers, but this time, with first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo in place, the Eagles are dialing up plays for the tight end.
“I think when I get a ball in my hand down there, I’m tough to tackle, I can find my way in, fight my way in,” said Goedert. “It’s just that our red-zone philosophy has changed a bit. We used to run a lot, a lot of quarterback sneaks, things like that down there. We’ve tried to find ways to get me the ball, which is really cool, and I’m gonna keep trying to make them work.”
So far, Goedert has nine touchdown catches. According to NFL Research, five of his touchdowns were thrown behind the line of scrimmage this season, the most by a non-running back in the Next Gen era.
“He’s such a physical guy,” said Patullo. “His determination to just get yards and have an impact on anything, whether it’s in the pass game, whether it’s gadgets, whatever it may be. He’s really dynamic with the ball in his hands. So anytime you can get the ball in his hands, obviously, that’s what we’re going to try to do.”
However, the touchdown math didn’t add up for Goedert. He thought eight was the magic number to break the record for most TD catches by a tight end in franchise history, owned by Pete Retzlaff, but Retzlaff had 10 in 1965, meaning Goedert needs one more to break that dusty, 60-year-old mark.
“I thought it was eight, but I was wrong, so I thought I already had it,” he said.
Reminded that he would have had it already had he not dropped a wide-open throw to him in the end zone on Sunday, which would have given him a career-high three in one game, he winced, then answered.
“Yeah, scars right there,” he said. “That one hurts.”
With three games left, and with his heavy involvement in the red zone, it is reasonable to expect that the record will at least be tied, perhaps even broken.
“It’s pretty cool,” he said. “Anytime you can break a record, obviously things are going well for you. Obviously, winning is the most important thing and I want to do whatever I can to help win. If they’re giving me the ball down there, I’m gonna try to score. It would be a cool thing to have.”
Goedert’s production in the low red zone is a reason the Eagles lead the NFL in red-zone success, converting close to 70 percent of their trips (25-for-36) inside the 20 into touchdowns. The tight end has nine of those 25 red-zone TDs.
“We’ve had different things for me in the red zone throughout my career here, a lot of them just haven’t got called,” said Goedert. “Once they started calling them, I tried to make sure they worked so they could keep designing and calling other ones. Any time you go in the huddle and hear that play, knowing you have the opportunity to get in the end zone, it gets you kind of excited, for sure.”
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