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David Moore wrote:Sources: Dallas Mavericks, Cowboys team up to court 2010 NBA All-Star Game


09:20 AM CDT on Wednesday, May 28, 2008
By DAVID MOORE / The Dallas Morning News
dmoore@dallasnews.com

The Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Cowboys have joined forces in an effort to bring the NBA All-Star Game to the new Cowboys stadium in Arlington as early as 2010, multiple sources said Tuesday.

No bid has been submitted and executives stress all that has been done at this stage is to explore options. But the unusual alliance has piqued the interest of NBA officials and satisfies divergent goals for the local franchises.

The Cowboys have aggressively pursued a wide range of sporting and entertainment events for their new $1.1 billion facility in Arlington, which opens in 2009. Staging an NBA All-Star Game at the stadium is consistent with that approach and addresses one of Mark Cuban's biggest concerns.

The Mavericks owner has been reluctant to host the game at American Airlines Center because the league's corporate obligations would kick season ticket-holders out of their seats. Moving the game to Arlington removes that obstacle.

"It's important to me to find a venue that can support all of our season ticket-holders and all of the visitors who would come to Dallas for the game," Cuban said by e-mail. "We are exploring all of our options."

Principals in this process were hesitant to provide details. But one option would be hold the game at the Cowboys stadium and the lead-up events at AAC. Officials with the NBA recently conducted a site survey of the Cowboys stadium to get a feel for the facility.

A Cowboys spokesperson referred all questions about this collaborative effort to the Mavericks. The NBA office only acknowledges clubs or groups that have submitted bids.

"We have received no formal bid," said Michael Bass, the NBA's senior vice president for marketing communication. "I couldn't comment on bids we haven't received."

Phoenix will host the 2009 All-Star Game. No other game has been awarded.

That makes 2010 the first potential date. If the Mavericks and Cowboys are unable to pull that off, it's unlikely an NBA All-Star Game would return to North Texas before 2012.

The reason: Super Bowl XLV will be held at the Cowboys' new stadium in February 2011. The NBA All-Star Game is later that same month. It doesn't make strategic, logistical or marketing sense to schedule two major sporting events that close to each other at the same site.

The last football stadium to host the NBA All-Star Game was the Alamodome in 1996. Reunion Arena was the last North Texas facility to host an NBA All-Star Game in 1986.


FILLING UP FAST
Here are the events already confirmed for the new Dallas Cowboys stadium in Arlington after it opens in 2009:
Date Event
Sept. 2009 Cowboys' first home game
Oct. 3, 2009 Texas A&M vs. Arkansas
Dec. 2009 Big 12 football championship
Jan. 2, 2010 AT&T Cotton Bowl
Feb. 6, 2011 Super Bowl XLV
Oct. 5, 2013 Notre Dame vs. Arizona State