This rodeo loss for Las Vegas could be a $100 million win for Fort Worth, Arlington
Fort Worth and Arlington are betting that a brief loss for Las Vegas will be a major win for the North Texas economy.
The Wrangler National Finals Rodeo, typically hosted in Las Vegas at the Thomas & Mack Center, will bring tens of thousands of rodeo fans to Globe Life Field Dec. 3-12. Coronavirus restrictions forced the move from the rodeo’s home since 1985, and Fort Worth-area leaders are heralding it as a blessing for the region’s economy that may help heal revenue declines seen during the pandemic.
“This won’t solve all our COVID problems, but for the time it’s here it will put people back to work and create a lot of activity,” said Bob Jameson, CEO of Visit Fort Worth.
It’s unclear how many people will come for the National Finals Rodeo, but the full 10 days could bring more than 100,000.
The event typically has 17,000 people in attendance at each performance for a total of 170,000, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. According to the paper, the rodeo has an economic impact of about $200 million each year in Vegas. Globe Life Field has a normal capacity of just over 40,000 but can safely host about 15,000 with coronavirus occupancy restrictions.
Ron Price, Arlington Convention and Visitors Bureau President and CEO, estimated the impact could be at least $100 million for Fort Worth and Arlington. There was little to no mention of Dallas during Wednesday’s announcement at Globe Life Field.
“Only this type of venue can host this type of event in DFW,” Price said of the Globe Life Field. “To bring an event like the National Finals Rodeo, which is the biggest event in the PRCA, to Arlington and Fort Worth is a major accomplishment.”
The event will return to Las Vegas in 2021.
Though the rodeo events are in Arlington, Fort Worth, and specifically the Stockyards district, is the obvious choice for fans to congregate. Cowtown Coliseum promoters lay claim to the first indoor rodeo in March, 1918, but the honor likely belongs to Oklahoma cowgirl Lucille Mulhall a year earlier at the coliseum. (Wichita, Kansas, also claims to have hosted the first indoor rodeo in January of 1918.)
Jameson said the city will host most of the minor events that surround the National Finals Rodeo. The Fort Worth Convention Center is poised to host vendor exhibits or the convention that typically accompanies the rodeo, he said, though details have not been finalized. Dickies Arena and the Will Rogers center may also be needed.
A team from the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association will visit Fort Worth in the coming weeks to chose sites for the smaller events, he said.
Beyond visitors to Cowtown, Jameson said the rodeo offers a national spotlight on the area that could woo future events. National Finals Rodeo is committed to Vegas for the next few years, but he said he’s hopeful successfully hosting the event might convince the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association to rotate the mega event or host other competitions in Fort Worth.
It also exposes Fort Worth to fans who will be watching on television.
“We are speaking to the people that follow the rodeo,” Jameson said. “They’re all across the country and they’re getting an opportunity to see what Fort Worth and Arlington represent.”
Craig Cavileer, executive vice president of Majestic Realty Co. and Stockyards Heritage Development Co., which manages Mule Alley and the Cowtown Coliseum, said he expects at least 100,000 people to visit the Stockyards over the 10 days.
Mule Alley and the surrounding area will be home to a “Christmas in Cowtown” festival that Cavileer boasted would be unlike any event the Stockyards has seen. The coliseum could have up to 2,200 for a massive watch party and up to 1,200 for Gold Buckle presentations.
“This is a loss of Las Vegas, but Vegas will recover,” Cavileer said. “This is a major, major win for Texas.”
Majestic Realty is a part owner of the Silverton Casino Hotel in Las Vegas, which has hosted elements of the National Finals Rodeo in the past.
With the large number of people expected, Cavileer said the Stockyards has an obligation to ensure social distancing, mask mandates and crowd limits are followed.
During the announcement Wednesday morning, Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price welcomed the rodeo saying it belonged in Texas. Dallas first hosted the National Finals Rodeo in 1959 before it moved to Oklahoma City and then Las Vegas.
“Not everything that happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,” she said.
Price said she would leave discussion of the coronavirus pandemic up to public health officials and touted previous professional sporting events in Fort Worth as evidence the city could safely host mass gatherings during an outbreak.
In May the Colonial Country Club hosted the Charles Schwab Challenge without fans. Texas Motor Speedway hosted about 20,000 fans for NASCAR in July and Dickies Arena hosted the Professional Bull Riders in late August.
Price said it was crucial Texas and Fort Worth begin reopening the economy.
“What a better way to bring it back than on horseback,” Price said of the economy. “I just love it.”
This story was originally published September 9, 2020 at 1:35 PM.
