Texas Stadium was built around 1972 and was the home of the Dallas Cowboys until Jerry Jones built what is now called AT&T Stadium. AT&T Stadium is located in Arlington, Texas, about half way between Dallas and Ft. Worth. Texas Stadium was built-in the Dallas suburb of Irving which, at the time, was dry! Because of the unusual Texas ABC regulations, the private suites at Texas Stadium could serve drinks as they were considered private clubs. In the late 1990s, Irving had a wet/dry election and went wet, enabling the fans to finally have the opportunity to drink beer.
In 1974, as District Manager for N. Texas with Lone Star Brewing Co., I got a call from the general manager of Texas Stadium. As it turned out, the stadium held many other events in addition to pro football, including concerts, motorcycle races, monster car events, and even large seminars which attracted the likes of Billy Graham. The general manager gave me a tour to show me how their state of the art draft beer system operated. Of course, we also visited the many large coolers, strategically place throughout the stadium. I was amazed at the complexity and technology of the system.
In the early 1990s, shortly after Jerry Jones bought the Cowboys, along with Texas Stadium, he negotiated a deal with Miller Brewing Co. as the official beer for Texas Stadium. The NFL had a sponsorship with AB, but Jerry had Texas Stadium separate from the Dallas Cowboys, thus enabling him to sell the stadium’s beer rights. Miller has since kept those pouring rights all these years!
In the early 2000s, the Big 12 Championship game at Texas Stadium was between Texas and Colorado. Beer sales were so strong that the stadium shut down sales near the end of the third quarter because the college students were buying as much beer as they could and stuffing it in their pockets. It was an interesting evening.
Jerry Jones’s new stadium is a wonderland of giant screens and dancing girls in the cages around the stands. There is no public transportation to games whatsoever. That means you’re either taking a cab or paying $75 for parking, well over the $31 league average. Want a program? That’s $10, more than double the league average of $4. Jones is aware that the Cowboys have not won a Super Bowl since 1995, have only won one playoff game since 1997, and have not made the playoffs since 2009. Jones has not raised a single price since last season.
The Dallas Cowboys, or better yet, Jerry Jones, now have the highest beer prices of all NFL teams. The price of a 16 0unce draft is $8.50 or 53 cents per ounce! NFL beer prices came down from last year’s highs of 55 to 58 cents per ounce. That left the Cowboys with the dubious distinction of serving the most expensive beer in the league despite not raising beer prices. Remember the first college national championship game will be played at AT&T Stadium.
Both New Orleans and Miami have the least expensive beers in the NFL, both at 35 cents per ounce! Let’s see, New Orleans and Miami have winning teams, Dallas does not. Cheap beer and a winning football team sounds like a nice combination, maybe Jerry should take note. It is obvious that Jones, however, believes that the price of anything is what someone is willing to pay for it!
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