Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson made waves recently when he made a case for Dallas to play host to a second NFL team, but is the idea really that outlandish?
At first, it may appear so. But there are some undeniable facts that say Dallas could be the perfect landing spot for a new team or a current team relocating.
Only two cities host two NFL teams: Los Angeles and New York. Here’s how the Big D stacks up against them based on the criteria that good NFL host cities are judged upon:
Los Angeles: Rams and Chargers
It was a great year to be a football fan in LA as the Rams were Super Bowl champions and the Chargers narrowly missed the playoffs after losing the final regular season game. Even still, the Chargers made strides behind quarterback Justin Herbert who promises to lead many winning seasons for the team.
Both teams share newly-built SoFi Stadium, which just opened in 2020. Having updated in-arena amenities certainly helped draw fans as the Chargers finished 10th and the Rams 8th in home attendance last season.
It helps that LA is the second-largest U.S. city by population.
All things considered, LA is definitely worthy of being home to two NFL teams based on the 2021 season.
New York: Jets and Giants
The Big Apple’s pro football scene shares many similarities to Los Angeles’. New York’s teams also share a field in MetLife Stadium, New York is the U.S.’s largest city by population and the Giants ranked 4th in attendance while the Jets ranked 7th.
As for differences, a glaring one is the lack of success in N.Y. Both teams finished dead last in their divisions with matching 4-13 records. Another distinction is MetLife Stadium was built in 2010, so it’s no longer going to attract fans as a state-of-the-art stadium like SoFi will.
Despite the old stadium and poor quality of football, New York fans were loyal to their teams in 2021. Both are storied franchises with deeply rooted fanbases, so it’s not surprising that even in a down year New York also successfully hosted two NFL teams.
Can Dallas replicate New York and Los Angeles?
Dallas is the ninth-largest U.S. city, so you can check the box for a major city.
The state of Texas has also earned the reputation of having football-crazed citizens, with some high school stadiums looking nicer than G5 NCAA division one school stadiums.
Cowboys fans showed up for their team last season, ranking first in attendance to a tune of 93,421 fans per game.The Green Bay Packers ranked second in attendance and still trailed by over 15,000 fans per game.
AT&T Stadium opened in 2009, but in recent years it underwent renovations making it the fifth most expensive stadium in the NFL. Since its opening season, Dallas has led the league in attendance every year.
However, Mayor Johnson did allude to a new Dallas-area team playing in Southern Dallas. But all things considered, it would certainly be feasible for Dallas to have another NFL team call it home.
The biggest issue is that Cowboys fans have earned the reputation of being fiercely loyal. It’s hard to imagine many would jump ship to cheer for a new team. There could be some early growing pains, but young fans could gravitate toward a fresh team in town.
Jerry Jones Holds Trump Card
The Cowboys’ general manager and owner has the final say on whether a new team can enter the Dallas regional market. But if a new Dallas-area team would rake in significant revenue for the league, Jones would surely be fielding calls from commissioner Roger Goodell and other league owners swaying him to allow it.
