Behind the Banner: February 2024

BEHIND THE BAN B NER

Dallas & March madness:

a match made in hoops heaven

By Mac Engel

Texas has the well-earned reputation that it offers three rather than four seasons: summer, football, and spring football. That's more myth than reality, but the distance between the truth from the legend is the length of a 2-point conversion.

Football has been, and will always be, the priority from the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge in Dallas to San Antonio's river walk, to Houston's energy corridor, to Austin's sixth street, to Fort Worth's stockyards, all the way out to Big Bend National Park.

That basketball has figured out a way to have a place on the scoreboard all over the state is the completion of Hail Mary pass.

Since about 1980-ish Dallas has become a perfect destination for America's biggest basketball games. NBA playoffs. NBA Finals. NBA All-Star games. NCAA Tournaments. NCAA Final Fours. NCAA Women's Final Fours.

Since then, if you can think of a great

basketball player, they've played in Dallas. There will be a few more when Dallas hosts the NCAA men's basketball tournament south regional in March, at the American Airlines Center.

This all starts with the odd reality that basketball is a "winter" sport, and, barring the 1,000-year weather event, the definition of cold here makes a northerner spit out their Starbucks.

Before the NCAA Tournament blew up into the stop down on the sports calendar that it became in the late '80s, Dallas was a contributor to the growth of this event. Long before it became "the field of 64," SMU's Moody Coliseum was a site for NCAA Tourney games, when the regionals were held on campus. Those were in 1962, '64 and '79. When Reunion Arena opened in 1980, it gave

Dallas a home not only for the Mavericks NBA franchise, but the opportunity to join the rotation of cities that want to be a part of the NCAA Tournament.

Dallas' Reunion Arena was a first round site in 1982, and hosted Houston's Phi Slama Jama; that team featured future Basketball Hall of Famers Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon.

As basketball grew, Dallas grew right along with it. The skyline began to expand, and the surrounding areas started to develop with plenty of tourist-type opportunities far beyond a visit to the Sixth Floor Museum. In 1986, Dallas hosted its first ever NBA All-Star game, which included Magic, Bird, Kareem and Michael Jordan. The entire weekend was stolen, however, by Dallas native Spudd Webb, all 5-foot-7 of him. He

won the NBA's dunk competition, over, among others, Atlanta Hawks All-Star Dominique Wilkins.

Less than two months a er hosting the NBA All-Star game, the city hosted its first ever NCAA Final Four. The 1986 NCAA Tournament was the second time the field featured 64 teams; it was around this point the event started to look more like what it is today, a tourist destination, and a must-have ticket.

The city had more than demonstrated it could host the biggest of events, but luring the Final Four back to town would require something much bigger than the American Airlines Center. By the time that venue was built, in 2001, the NCAA Final Four had become a dome event.

When the city of Arlington, Texas and the Dallas Cowboys partnered to build AT&T Stadium, in 2009, the region had the necessary

The '86 title game remains memorable as Louisville freshman "Never Nervous" Pervis Ellison led Louisville to an upset win over Duke.

Dallas hosted the NCAA Tournament again in 1996, and by the time the city hosted another regional, in 2002, it had all changed again. Reunion Arena's days were over, as it was replaced by the sleek American Airlines Center, a pricey project which served as a beacon of development in a previously dormant area of downtown Dallas.

"house" to host a Final Four. The event came back, in 2014, with UConn upse ing Kentucky in front of nearly 80,000.

More than 40 years have passed since the NCAA first recognized the value, and the potential, of Dallas as a destination to complement its premier event. An event that now also comes to Arlington and Fort Worth. In doing so, it has all solidified basketball's space in a state that prioritizes football above air and water.

Photo Credits:Dallas Morning News

DFW shines on the global stage

with 9 FIFA World cup 26™ matches

By Randy Jennings

The first time the FIFA Men’s World Cup™ came to Dallas 30 years ago, it led to growth in soccer that still resonates today.

The impact could be even greater with FIFA World Cup 26™. Dallas will host nine matches, most of any host city. That number includes a highly sought-a er Semifinal.

“We have a rich soccer history in Dallas/Fort Worth,’’ said Dan Hunt, FC Dallas president and Dallas FIFA World Cup 26™ chairman, “and this historic announcement not only underscores the world-class nature of our region but also cements our place on the global landscape.’’

Millions of dollars hang in the balance with every placement of a World Cup match.

“From the beginning we were very open that we wanted to be considered for a Final or

Semifinal,’’ said Dallas Sports Commission executive director Monica Paul, “and to think seven years later a er the United Bid Commi ee submi ed the bid and North America won, we finally know that we have nine matches plus a potential four different base camps here in the D/FW region.’’

Five group-stage matches are set for June 14, 17, 22, 25 and 27. A pair of round-of-32 matches will follow on June 30 and July 3 then a round-of-16 match on July 6. With the final group match coming on the last day of qualifying, there is possibility five of the nine Dallas matches will be win-or-go-home.

The awarding of the World Cup to the U.S. in 1994 was seen by some as FIFA’s a empt to heighten interest in an event that had captured the imagination of sports fans world-wide, except in the U.S. Not for 44 years had there been significant American

success in the World Cup.

In retrospect, there are signs the plan succeeded. As a host nation, the U.S. team automatically qualified in ‘94 and did well enough to advance to the round of 16 where it was eliminated by Brazil, but only by a 1-0 final score.

Dallas as a host city in ‘94 was the site of six matches at Co on Bowl Stadium™, which had undergone a faceli to accommodate wider dimensions of a soccer pitch.

The matches sparked curiosity locally and drew an average of 58,000 fans despite very warm late-a ernoon starting times to accommodate television in the home countries of the competitors. Summer heat will not be an issue in climate-controlled AT&T Stadium, site of the FIFA World Cup 26™ Semifinal and all other local matches.

Two years a er the ’94 World Cup experience came the formation of the Dallas Burn owned by Hunt Sports Group as a charter member of Major League Soccer. The team’s name changed to FC Dallas in 2004 and a year later moved its home from Co on Bowl to Frisco’s Toyota Stadium, a 20,000-seat venue specifically designed for soccer.

When the host city selection process began, there were bids from 38 venues in 34 U.S. cities. By April of 2022 that number had been pared down to 24 cities and two months later it was announced Dallas had been selected as one of 11 candidates in the U.S., joined by Atlanta, Boston, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Sea le.

FIFA World Cup 26™ will be bigger than any of its predecessors with three host counties, 48 qualifying teams and 104 total matches.

The impact of the event goes beyond soccer. Dallas organizers anticipate having 20 commi ees working in areas and subject ma ers necessary to host a successful event.

“Topics such as grassroots, sustainability and human rights are all areas where FIFA has a dedicated focus on being able to utilize the World Cup to leave a lasting legacy for our cities, regions and programs well into the future a er the World Cup has gone,’’ Paul explained.

Now that the match schedule has been determined, work is under way on pu ing together an updated projection for the economic impact the World Cup will have on the Dallas area.

Paul points out that while there is work to be done over the next two years, Dallas will be ready for 2026. “We have hosted many major events in the past while each time ge ing be er, stronger and engaging the community along the way.’’

Homegrown FC Dallas midfielder Paxton Pomykal, already chosen three times to play for the U.S. National team, reacted to the awarding of the Semifinal to Dallas by saying his dream is to play in that match, but if not, he wants to be a part of the moment as a spectator.

“Growing up in Dallas,’’ said Pomykal, “how cool is it we’re hosting a Semifinal of the biggest event in the world.’’

Cool enough to perhaps spur soccer to another rebirth in North Texas.

PC: Bob Daemmrich

the pros at home in MARCH

upcoming events

NCA ALL-STAR Nationals

MArch 1-3

Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas

DPL SUMMIT 2024

March 7-10

Money Gram Soccer Park

Finals & Play In March 21-24

AT&T Stadium/Toyota Stadium

Dallas Cup 2024

March 23-31

Multiple Venues

Concacaf Nations League

ATA Spring nationals

March 27-30

Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas

NCAA DI Men’s Basketball Regional MARCH 29 & 31

American Airlines Center

UPCOMING VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:

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FEBRUARY 2024

CATCH UP ON MIC DROP DALLAS, THE OFFICIAL PODAST OF THE DALLAS SPORTS COMMISSION.

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Athletes Unlimited

Pro Hoops 2024

Athletes Unlimited Pro Basketball in Dallas is here! Join us at Fair Park Coliseum to celebrate opening week! Limited courtside seats are still available. Get them while you can!

Tickets start as low as $20 or get a front row seat right up in the action with courtside seats starting at $35.

Henry Perez

ChAMpIoNs COMmUNITY

Empowering Athletes Through advocacy Achieve with Acheil:

By Cecilia Ramirez

“I wish I had the type of mentorship that I provide now when I was going through my high school and college experience” says Acheil Tac, a recipient of the 2023 NCAA Women’s Final Four Legends and Legacy Community Award.

Acheil Tac is an under-30 rising star, who uses her experiences to mentor and educate athletes in the Dallas area and nationally through her digital media platform The Athlete’s Advocate.

Acheil was born in South Sudan before moving to Egypt with her family in 1998. Later, in 2003, she and her family relocated to the United States where she says she was immersed in

the American sports culture. In her freshman year at Sachse High School, Acheil tipped off her basketball career.

“Most athletes start at a young age and grow up playing the sport, I didn’t do that. I was figuring out everything as I went through the process.”

In 2012, Acheil received a scholarship to play college basketball at the University of North Texas. She went on to graduate in 2016 with a degree in business marketing. However, soon a er graduating she decided to put her marketing career on hold and pursue her basketball career. Acheil traveled to Europe to play professional basketball in Greece, Czech

Republic, Turkey, and Switzerland. A er a successful first season, Acheil suffered an injury that took her out of the game for almost two whole seasons. Later, she went on to travel back to the United States where she was forced to decide what was next – continue her basketball career or fulfill her newfound purpose she discovered while recovering from her injury.

“It’s like everything clicked. A er going through graduating and ge ing recruited, I was like ‘Okay, now that I know everything I know now, I can help somebody else navigate during that same process.’”

In 2019, Acheil published a book called “The Reality Behind the Glamour of College Athletics” in hopes of helping young athletes understand how to go through the system of college athletics.

From this idea of wanting to help young athletes – The Athlete’s Advocate was born.

The Athlete’s Advocate is a startup founded by Acheil in 2023 that specializes in sports media, brand management, and job opportunities for athletes in the Dallas area and nationally.

Through her platform, Acheil is able to help the sports community in Dallas by offering mentoring and support as she advocates for young athletes making their way through the system or athletes who have retired from their sport.

Along with running her own business and podcast, Acheil also makes time to speak at schools and colleges around the Dallas area about the importance of education and coming back to help your community.

“I think in order to leave an impact on the world – It starts with your community. You can’t say ‘Oh I want to help the world!’ But leave out the people next door to you. It starts there.”

Acheil has partnered up with SO Elite Women to help young female athletes break their way into the world of college basketball within the Dallas Chapter. This organization helps students from neighboring Dallas schools and universities find and connect with resources to

prepare them for the college basketball recruitment process. Through financial, educational, and even mental health counseling, many young women have been able to navigate their way through college athletics.

“One of my favorite things I’ve done is partnering up with SMU to create a 3-day basketball tournament with a combination of high school girls and college girls from all over the country. Being able to bring them all together to mentor them and help them develop their skills physically in basketball and establish a sisterhood through it was an amazing opportunity to do with my team at SO Elite Women and ROSS Leaders.”

Acheil plans to continue to develop and grow The Athlete’s Advocate and her partnership with SO Elite Women to bring more athletes onboard and take it to an international level. She’s excited to continue to be a mentor for young women in Dallas and to represent her national team, South Sudan, in the FIBA 2025 AfroBasket Qualifiers.

“I want to continue to do the work I’m doing. The most enriching process of this has been able to help athletes and see the results happen in real time.” To learn more about Acheil and the work she does, visit: theathletesadvocate.com.