In April 1989, Rangers owner Eddie Chiles sold the team to an investment group headed by George W. Bush.[8] The aging Arlington Stadium was outdated and did not have amenities that helped make other baseball franchises more profitable. As a result, the team could not compete with other big-city teams for good players. In an effort to fund the project through public money instead of private financing, the Rangers threatened to leave Arlington. The city of Arlington spent $150,000 on an advertising campaign to persuade voters to approve the funding through a referendum by printing brochures, placing telemarketing calls, and planning a "Hands Around Arlington Day."[9] On January 19, 1991, over 65% of voters approved the deal, allowing the city government to cover 71% of the costs ($135 million out of $191 million) of building the new ballpark. The deal called for the city to raise the sales tax by half a cent to go toward construction. Both houses of the Texas Legislature unanimously approved the public purpose of the ballpark, and Texas GovernorAnn Richards signed it all into law.[10]
As part of the deal, the city created a separate corporation, the Arlington Sports Facilities Development Authority (ASFDA), to manage construction. Using authority granted to it by the city, the ASFDA seized several tracts of land around the stadium site using eminent domain for parking and future development.[11]
Construction on the stadium, which was dubbed The Ballpark in Arlington, began on April 2, 1992, a short distance away from Arlington Stadium, the stadium it would replace, and the new Ballpark in Arlington opened on April 1, 1994, in an exhibition contest between the Rangers and the New York Mets. The first official game was on April 11 against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Ameriquest bought the naming rights to the ballpark on May 7, 2004, and renamed it Ameriquest Field in Arlington. The Rangers severed their relationship with Ameriquest on March 19, 2007, and announced the park would be renamed Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.
The largest crowd to watch a Rangers baseball game was on October 30, 2010, when 52,419 fans watched Game 3 of the 2010 World Series against the San Francisco Giants.[12]
On May 20, 2016, the Rangers announced that they intended to move from Globe Life Park to the new Globe Life Field, beginning with the 2020 season.[15] The new air conditioned stadium was slated to feature a retractable roof,[16] which many argued could increase stadium revenue from those who would otherwise not want to sit in the heat during games as the season progresses throughout the hot Texas summer, in particular those that occur in the afternoon. Voting for the new ballpark began on November 8 (the same day as the 2016 presidential election) for residents in the city limits of Arlington.[17] The ballpark was passed with a 60% favorable vote.[18] The stadium opened in the 2020 season.[18]
Choctaw Stadium, then Globe Life Park, in 2018
The new stadium was built south of Globe Life Park, on the site of a surface parking lot between Randol Mill Road and Cowboys Way. Space between the new stadium and Globe Life Park was constructed into an entertainment complex called Texas Live!, developed by The Cordish Companies, which, when finished, is slated to include sports bars, restaurants, and a 300-room hotel to be developed in three phases.[19] The first phase, dubbed "Rangers Republic", is a two-level venue with multiple restaurants and providing interactive games and authentic memorabilia; the second phase is the Live! Arena, a multi-level venue providing restaurants, a performance stage for concerts, and an outdoor beer garden; Arlington Backyard, the third venue to anchor the entertainment district calls for a large, covered venue that could host concerts, charitable functions, and community events.[20]
Unlike Arlington Stadium, Choctaw Stadium was not demolished. Originally, city officials announced that they would redevelop the structure as part of the Texas Live! complex. The redevelopment would have retained the ballpark's outfield office complex and facade, and most of the concourse would have been re-purposed. Potential uses included redeveloping the concourse for condos and retail, as well as turning the current field into an amphitheater.[21] On December 5, 2018, city officials announced that the stadium would become the home of the Dallas Renegades of the new XFL,[22] beginning with the league's debut in 2020. North Texas SC, a USL League 1 team also announced they would play at the renovated stadium. Many of the park's lower sections, mostly on the third base side, were removed to make room for the rectangular field which sits horizontally when viewed from behind the home plate. New seats were then added to where the ballpark's outfield once lay.[23]
On September 29, 2019, after the Rangers' last home game against the New York Yankees, home plate was removed and transferred to the new park. The renovation project of the stadium from a baseball facility into a football and soccer facility began in October. In December 2019, Six Flags Entertainment Corp. announced the company would move its corporate headquarters the following year to the Centerfield Office Building formerly occupied by the Rangers.[24]
Features
Design
Park by the home plate entrance at Choctaw Stadium
The stadium was designed by the Driehaus Prize winner and New Classical architect David M. Schwarz of Washington, D.C. The Rangers chose to build a retro-style ballpark (Retro-classic, or Retro-modern), incorporating many features of baseball's Jewel Box parks. A roofed home run porch in right field is reminiscent of Tiger Stadium, while the white steel frieze that surrounds the upper deck was copied from the pre-1973 Yankee Stadium. The out-of-town scoreboard (removed in 2009 and replaced with a state-of-the-art video board) was built into the left-field wall—a nod to Fenway Park. The numerous nooks and crannies in the outfield fence are a reminder of Ebbets Field.[25] The arched windows are a reminder of Comiskey Park.
However, it has a few distinct features of its own. Several traditional Texas-style stone carvings are visible throughout. A four-story office building encloses center field with a white steel multilevel facade similar to the facade on the roof.
As the stadium was built on one of the former Arlington Stadium parking lots, the irregular dimensions of the outfield were planned independently, rather than being forced by neighboring structures. The home plate, foul poles (replaced prior to the 2016 season), and bleachers were originally at Arlington Stadium. The Home Plate was inserted into place by Richard Greene (then Mayor of Arlington), Elzie Odom (Head of Arlington Home Run Committee and later Mayor of Arlington), and George W. Bush (former part Rangers owner, later Texas Governor and President of the United States).
The stadium's 810-foot (250m)-long facades are made of brick and Texas Sunset Red granite. Bas-relief friezes depict significant scenes from the history of both Texas and baseball. The calculus of seating arrangements represented a new economic model for the sport: a critical mass of high-dollar seats close to the infield boost ticket revenue. The stadium has three basic seating tiers: lower, club and upper deck. Two levels of luxury suites occupy spaces behind sliding glass doors above and below the club tier.[26]
The stadium has a large number of obstructed-view seats. In some cases, the view is cut off by an overhang or underhang, and others are directly in front of support poles. Also, the design of the upper deck left it one of the highest in baseball. The view from the grandstand reserved sections in left is particularly obstructed.
Prior to the 2012 season, the visitor bullpen was reconfigured to be parallel to the field after the previous visitor bullpen configuration had an excessive amount of heat during hot weather games. To allow construction, a few rows of bleacher sections were removed.
Greene's Hill
Greene's Hill in the ballpark's center field in 2006
Greene's Hill is a sloped section of turf located beyond the former center field fence. The Hill served as a batter's eye, providing a contrasting background behind the pitchers which enabled hitters to more easily see the baseball after the pitcher's release. It was originally designed as a picnic area for fans but the Rangers never initiated that policy. It was named after former Arlington mayor Richard Greene in November 1997. For a couple of years in the 2000s, the Rangers had the "T" from the Texas Rangers logo mowed into the grass. In 2010, the Rangers started a tradition where they had four girls run around on it with giant Texas state flags when the Rangers scored, similar to what many football teams do when their teams score. Unlike most batter's eyes, fans were allowed to run onto the hill to catch a home run.
During the stadium's existence as a baseball park, it was one of baseball's most notoriously hitter-friendly parks, due to the high temperatures, relatively short fences, and the design of the stadium which allowed the area's high winds to swirl and lift balls that would not normally make it out. In truth, the park would have given up even more home runs if not for the office building in center and the field being 22 feet (6.7m) below street level.[28]
With a combination of the park's design and the many good hitters who played for the Rangers during the team's tenure in the park, the Rangers recorded fairly high home run totals. In 1996, the Rangers hit 221 home runs. They eclipsed 200 again in 1998 (201), 1999 (230), 2001 (241), 2002 (230), 2003 (239), 2004 (227), and 2005 (260, four short of the all-time record of 264 by the 1997 Seattle Mariners). Many of the Rangers' already-skilled hitters took advantage of this, some even racking up multiple 30+ home run seasons, such as Ian Kinsler, Adrián Beltré, and Josh Hamilton.[29] The longest home run recorded was 505 feet to right field by Rangers RF Nomar Mazara on June 21, 2019.[30]
Despite being hailed as a wonderful venue in its infant years, articles in The Dallas Morning News began to suggest that the ballpark would have been better served by having a dome or retractable roof – much like Minute Maid Park, the home of the Houston Astros – due to the often oppressive heat that settles over Texas in summer during baseball season, with temperatures on the field being in excess of 110°F (43°C). Many argue that the intense heat was a liability in attracting players, particularly starting pitchers.[32]
When the Arlington ballpark was built in the early 1990s, the only Major League Baseball stadium with a retractable roof was Toronto's SkyDome (now Rogers Centre), which opened in 1989. (Also, Montreal's Olympic Stadium was still in use as a ballpark at the time; in 1987, a retractable roof was installed which never worked correctly and was rarely if ever retracted.) The other modern retractable-roof ballparks like Chase Field, T-Mobile Park, Minute Maid Park, LoanDepot Park, and American Family Field were built in ensuing years.
Renovations
On December 3, 2010, the Rangers announced that extensive renovations to the stadium would be made and ready for the 2011 season.[33] These renovations included:
New Daktronics HD video displays in right field (atop the Home Run Porch) and center field (on top of the office building).
The out-of-town scoreboard on the left field wall (which had been replaced prior to the 2009 season) also was updated with HD technology.
The audio system throughout the stadium was completely overhauled, with new speakers and production equipment.
A new "Show Control System" which can display networked data such as videos, scores, and point-of-sale information anywhere in the stadium.
An IPTV system that can display live television content on ten HDTV channels to any display in the stadium.
Panorama of Choctaw Stadium, then Globe Life Park, in 2016
It was announced on December 5, 2018, that the stadium's lower stands would undergo extensive renovations once the Renegades moved into the stadium in 2020.[22] The conversion to Choctaw Stadium from Globe Life Park was designed by SBL Architecture, Inc.[34] When renovations for the football layout began, the Texas Rangers sold 6,000 souvenir seats in pairs. A broadcast booth and two booths for football coaches were built in the renovated lower suites and two new auxiliary locker rooms were built on the service level. The Rangers' clubhouse became the Renegades' locker room and coaches offices. Lockers were added to the visiting locker room to accommodate Renegades opponents.[35]
Accidents
1994
On April 11, 1994, the first game at the ballpark, Hollye Minter, who was posing for a picture while intoxicated, fell 35 feet (11m) over a railing in right field, fracturing several bones and causing the team to raise the height of the railings.[36]
2010
On July 6, 2010, firefighter Tyler Morris, leaning over the rail to catch a Nelson Cruz foul ball, fell 30 feet (9.1m) onto the section below him, causing a head injury and a severely sprained ankle to himself and minor injuries to fans he landed on.[37] The game was stopped for 15 minutes while paramedics treated him.[38]
2011
On July 7, 2011, firefighter Shannon Stone, from Brownwood, Texas, was attending the Rangers game against the Oakland Athletics with his six-year-old son, Cooper, when outfielder Josh Hamilton threw him a ball, as he had asked.[36] Reaching for it, Shannon flipped over the railing and fell 20 feet (6.1m), head-first, onto the concrete behind the out-of-town scoreboard in left field.[36] He was conscious and talking as paramedics tended to him, but he died en route to the hospital.[39] The cause of death was identified as blunt force trauma.[40] This was the fourth fall in the stadium's 17 years of history.[41] A moment of silence was held for him prior to the next day's game, both the Rangers and Athletics wore black ribbons on their uniforms, and the flags at the stadium were flown at half-staff in memory of him.[40] The Rangers Foundation set up a memorial fund for Stone's family.[42]
A tarp was placed over the opening through which Stone fell.[40] Rangers team president Nolan Ryan said the height of the railings exceeds the requirement of the building codes but said the team would do "whatever it takes" to ensure the safety of the fans;[43] on July 20, 2011, the Rangers announced they would raise all railings in the front of seating sections to 42 inches (110cm).[44] On August 10, 2011, the team announced it would erect a statue memorializing Stone.[45] Cooper helped unveil the statue on April 5, 2012. It depicts him and his father wearing baseball caps. They are holding hands and looking at each other as if they were talking. The inscription on the statue reads "In memory of Shannon Stone and dedicated to all fans who love the game".
The ballpark hosted the 1995 MLB All-Star Game. The first MLB regular-season interleague game was played there on June 12, 1997, when the Rangers played the San Francisco Giants. There were four interleague games on the schedule that night, but the other three were played on the West Coast, so the Giants–Rangers matchup started earlier than the others.
On September 18, 1999, Jim Morris made his major league debut there at age 35, ten years after he had retired from baseball following four arm surgeries. Morris became the oldest player to debut in the big leagues since Minnie Mendoza in 1970.[48][49]
The first postseason game won by the Rangers there would come in game 2 of the 2010 ALCS, by a score of 7–2 over the Yankees on October 16, 2010. Six days later, the Rangers clinched their first ever American League pennant there after a 6–1 victory over the New York Yankees in game 6 of the ALCS, getting the third out in the ninth from former Ranger Alex Rodriguez.
Two world series have been played in The Ballpark In Arlington. The Rangers hosted games 3, 4 and 5 of the 2010 World Series; the San Francisco Giants won the final two games to win the series in five. Games 3, 4 and 5 of the 2011 World Series were also played there, with the Rangers winning 2 of 3 home games, but losing games 6 and 7 to the Cardinals in St. Louis. This was one of three sporting championships to take place in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in the same year, along with Super Bowl XLV and the 2011 NBA Finals.
Prior to the XFL's shutdown after five weeks in 2020, the Dallas Renegades had played three games in the stadium. They lost all three beginning with a 15–9 defeat in the season opener against the St. Louis BattleHawks.[58] After the Houston Roughnecks defeated the Renegades 27–20 in Week 4, their last game at Globe Life Park was a 30–12 loss to the New York Guardians.[59][60] The Dallas Renegades will continue play in the stadium starting with the 2023 season, with the stadium serving as a hub for all eight teams during the regular season and the seven other teams flying to their home stadiums each week.[61] In 2024, the XFL—ahead of an upcoming merger with the United States Football League—indicated that the stadium would again serve as the hub for the merged league.[62]
The stadium has been the home of the Dallas Jackals of Major League Rugby since their inaugural season in 2022 until the club ceased operations in September 2024.[65]
It was the venue for the Dallas/Fort Worth MDA Muscle Walk event that took place on September 20, 2014.[67] This was previously held at AT&T Stadium (formerly Cowboys Stadium) from 2010 to 2013.
On June 17, 2019, a tornado with estimated strength of EF-1 touched down in Arlington near Choctaw Stadium. Officials said the storm damaged windscreens in left field and caused damage to a small portion of the left field roof. Further, the Chick-fil-A signage on the foul pole in left field was damaged.[68]
The Texas Rangers are an American professional baseball team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Rangers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. They are one of two major league clubs based in Texas, alongside the Houston Astros of the same league. The team was founded as the Washington Senators in 1961, an expansion team awarded to Washington, D.C., after its previous team became the Minnesota Twins. The new Senators relocated to Arlington, Texas after the 1971 season and debuted as the Rangers the following spring. In 2020, the Rangers moved to the new Globe Life Field after having played at Globe Life Park from 1994 to 2019. The team's name is derived from a historic law enforcement agency.
Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal city of the metropolis and region. The city had a population of 394,266 in 2020, making it the second-largest city in the county after Fort Worth and the third-largest city in the metropolitan area, after Dallas and Fort Worth. Arlington is the 50th-most populous city in the United States, the seventh-most populous city in the state of Texas, and the largest city in the state that is not a county seat.
Arlington Stadium was a baseball stadium located in Arlington, Texas, United States, located between Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. It served as the home for the Texas Rangers (MLB) from 1972 until 1993, after which the team moved into The Ballpark in Arlington.
Oriole Park at Camden Yards, commonly known as Camden Yards, is a baseball stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the ballpark of Major League Baseball's Baltimore Orioles, and the first of the "retro" major league ballparks constructed during the 1990s and early 2000s. It was completed in 1992 to replace Memorial Stadium. The stadium is in downtown Baltimore, a few blocks west of the Inner Harbor in the Camden Yards Sports Complex.
Oracle Park is a ballpark in the SoMa district of San Francisco, California. Since 2000, it has been the home of the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). The stadium stands along San Francisco Bay; the section of the bay beyond Oracle Park's right field wall is unofficially known as McCovey Cove, in honor of former Giants player Willie McCovey. Previously named Pacific Bell Park, SBC Park, and AT&T Park, the stadium's current name was purchased by the Oracle Corporation in 2019.
Adrián Beltré Pérez is a Dominican former professional baseball third baseman. During his career, Beltré played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, and Texas Rangers in Major League Baseball (MLB). He is regarded as one of the greatest third basemen of all time.
Cashman Field is a stadium in Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It is primarily used for soccer as the home field of Las Vegas Lights FC of the USL Championship. Originally built as a baseball stadium, it was the home of the Triple-A Las Vegas Stars/51s Minor League Baseball from 1983 to 2018, and home to the Vegas Vipers of the XFL in 2023. The stadium is connected to Cashman Center, an exhibit hall and theater operated by the City of Las Vegas. The complex, built on the site of a former stadium of the same name, is named for James "Big Jim" Cashman and his family, who have been Las Vegas entrepreneurs for several generations.
The Lone Star Series is a Major League Baseball (MLB) rivalry featuring Texas' two major league franchises, the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers. It is an outgrowth of the "natural rivalry" established by MLB as part of interleague play as the Rangers are a member of the American League (AL) and the Astros were a member of the National League (NL) until 2012. During interleague play, the winner of the six-game series was awarded the Silver Boot, a 30-inch (760 mm) tall display of a size 15 cowboy boot cast in silver, complete with a custom, handmade spur. If each team had won three games each for a tie, the declared winner was the team that scored the most runs over the course of the series. In 2013, the Astros joined the American League West with the Rangers and changed their rivalry from an interleague to an intradivision contest. The rivalry, which was once dormant, has become far more heated in recent seasons. From 2013 to 2022, 19 games were played each season. Beginning in 2023, the teams play each other 13 times a year.
Burnett Field, in Dallas, Texas, was home to several minor league baseball clubs from 1924 to 1964. The ballpark sat 10,500 fans. It was located at 1500 East Jefferson Boulevard, Brazos Street ; Colorado Boulevard ; and the Trinity River.
Texas is home of several national sports league franchises among other professional sports, being the second most populated U.S. state. Since the state is located in the South Central United States, most teams are part of the Central / South or West league divisions, with the notable exception of the NFL Dallas Cowboys, which is an NFC East franchise.
Clay Gould Ballpark, the home field of the UT Arlington Mavericks, is located on the campus of The University of Texas at Arlington. The stadium has a seat capacity of 1,600. Clay Gould Ballpark is located at the intersection of West Park Row Drive and Fielder Road.
The Texas Rangers Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise was established in 1961 as the second incarnation of the Washington Senators, an expansion team awarded to Washington, D.C., after the old Washington Senators team of the American League moved to Minnesota and became the Twins. The new Senators remained in Washington through 1971 playing at Griffith Stadium in their first season and at RFK Stadium for the next 10 years. In 1972, the team moved to Arlington, Texas, where it became the Texas Rangers. The Rangers played at Arlington Stadium from 1972 to 1993. Arlington Stadium was demolished, and the new Ballpark at Arlington was built, opening in 1994. The Ballpark at Arlington was renamed Globe Life Park in Arlington in 2014.
The city of Dallas and the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area are home to teams in six major sports: the Dallas Cowboys, Dallas Mavericks, Texas Rangers, Dallas Stars, FC Dallas, and Dallas Wings.
Globe Life Field is a retractable roof stadium in Arlington, Texas, United States. It is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Texas Rangers. It is located just south of the Rangers' former home ballpark, Globe Life Park.
North Texas Soccer Club is a professional soccer club playing in the MLS Next Pro, a third division league of American soccer. The team is owned by, and operates as the reserve team of the Major League Soccer club FC Dallas. While the senior club is based, and plays, in Toyota Stadium located in Frisco, Texas, and even though they played at the stadium in the 2019 USL League One season, North Texas SC as of 2024 plays their games at Choctaw Stadium, located in Arlington, Texas. The team was announced as a founder member of League One on November 2, 2018.
The Arlington Renegades are a professional American football team based in Arlington, Texas. The Renegades compete in the United Football League (UFL). The team was founded as the Dallas Renegades by Vince McMahon's Alpha Entertainment and are owned-and-operated by Dwayne Johnson's Alpha Acquico and Fox Corporation. The Renegades play their home games at Choctaw Stadium. In 2023, The Renegades had a regular season record of 4-6 and were 2-0 in the playoffs, and were crowned XFL Champions. They were a part of the UFL merger in 2024, and started the 2024 season against the USFL Champion Birmingham Stallions.
The 2020 Dallas Renegades season was the first season for the Dallas Renegades as a professional American football franchise. They played as charter members of the XFL, one of eight teams to compete in the league for the 2020 season. The Renegades played their home games at the Globe Life Park in Arlington and were led by head coach Bob Stoops.
The 2023 Arlington Renegades season is the second season for the Arlington Renegades as a professional American football franchise. They are charter members of the XFL, one of eight teams to compete in the league for the 2023 season. The Renegades play their home games at the Choctaw Stadium and are led by head coach Bob Stoops.
↑ Hummel, Rick (October 31, 2010). "Texas Rangers hit their stride in game 3". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved October 13, 2020. A three-run homer by rookie Mitch Moreland and Josh Hamilton's long drive with no one on, provided enough offense for the Rangers to win their first home World Series game in their 39-season history, 4–2, before a record home crowd of 52,419 paying fans
↑ Larsen, James (December 29, 2023). #XFL players received an email (retrieved by@UnitedFBPlayers) with some information regarding their contracts, and info about the merged league. Training camp date confirmed for February 23rd. #USFL #UFL Pro Football Newsroom via X. Retrieved December 30, 2023.
↑ "Home". Arlington Showdown. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
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