Behind the Banner August 2023

BEHIND THE BANNER

CHAMPIONS OF FOOD SPORT TO BE CROWNED IN DALLAS THIS FALL

By Stephen Evans

Foodies unite! It’s that time of year again. It’s time for the World Food Championships to take over Fair Park, and this year organizers are upping the stakes. More than $400,000 will be awarded at this year’s event, which now features 11 main categories of food and a new category for cocktails.

Each of the champions from the food categories will earn $10,000 for their victory, while the newly established cocktail champion will take home an industry-leading $5,000. In addition to the title and bragging rights, the

food champions will be invited to compete one more time at WFC’s Final Table, where a grand prize of $150,000 will be featured.

So what are the World Food Championships? It’s just the largest competition in Food Sport, where culinary competitors convene for a chance at winning the ultimate food crown and a share of hundreds of thousands of dollars in prize money. The World Food Championships is also the springboard for many up and coming culinary stars and home cooks as they seek TV fame through many well-known food shows and acting opportunities.

The 11th annual championship will be help from November 8-12, with competitions in the following categories:

World Barbecue Championship

World Cocktail Championship

World Rice And Noodle Championship

World Vegetarian Championship

World Soup Championship

World Seafood Championship

World Chef Championship

World Dessert Championship

Bacon World Championship

World Sandwich Championship

World Burger Championship

World Live Fire Championship

Described as the cooking version of March Madness, WFC annually tracks more than 15,000 cooks in more than 800 cooking competitions to qualify for the championships. This year 300 official teams are invited to compete across 12 food categories over five days of intense Food Sport. The 12 category winners then compete at a customized Final Table for a $300,000 prize purse and to become the next World Food Champion.

Since its debut in 2012, WFC has amassed a large worldwide following, providing a one-of-a-kind culinary experience at its events, as well as numerous live and made-for-TV shows. This year’s qualifiers have seen a 25% increase in international participation.

In addition to popularizing competitive cooking, the WFC platform has had an undeniable impact on the food industry, facilitating the creation of more than 10,000 new dishes and supporting communities via partnerships with various local non-profits and charities, such as North Texas Foodbank and Dallas College.

North Texas foodies have many ways in which they can attend and participate in the World Food Championships. Tickets to the biggest week in Food Sport go on sale Thursday, August 24. Each day there will be a full schedule of classes and demonstrations. Attendees will also get to sample championship-caliber dishes.

Other ways to eat, compete, and enjoy the World Food Championships include becoming a Judge or a Volunteer. The World Food Championships offer classes (in person and online) that train foodies in its very own E.A.T.™ methodology, the scoring system that allows any WFC entry to be judged consistently using three key criteria: Execution, Appearance, and Taste.

You now have your chance to put your taste buds to the test and become an E.A.T.™ certified judge. At the conclusion of the E.AT.™ Methodology Training, attendees will actually judge dishes from a LIVE competition to simulate real-world scenarios. By purchasing a ticket to this class, you will receive class instruction, complimentary drinks and snacks, and also witness a Sandwich Showdown, where you will help determine who will win a Golden Ticket to WFC 2023.

This class will held on Sunday, September 10 in Fairview and attendees will be taught by a WFC associate or professional chef and will be interactive and fun for attendees! Only judges who become E.A.T.™ certified will be eligible to enjoy judging privileges at WFC.

Tickets go on Sale Thursday August 24, for more information on the World Food Championships or to purchase your tickets to the event, visit worldfoodchampionships.com

AT&T Stadium Set to serve as THE FALL Launch point for MexTour

By Steve Davis

So much has changed around the Mexican National Team over the 20 years of the ongoing MexTour, the popular yearly series of El Tri matches held inside the United States.

Legions of Tricolor heroes have worn the familiar red, green and white, later moving on and entrusting the proud tradition to the next young stars coming through. No fewer than 14 managers have stood careful watch over the Selección in that time. Supporters have seen the young people around them grow into the next generation of the faithful El Tri entourage.

But one important element has not changed since that initial MexTour run: For 20 years these matches have

helped provide the critical connective tissue for the national team’s passionate U.S. supporter base, the pathways for those fans to interact at a closer level with their beloved El Tri.

Mexico’s Men’s National Team makes its latest DFW stop on Saturday, Sept. 9, when the recently crowned 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup champions play the first of four MexTour matches in the United States. The contest against Australia at AT&T Stadium serves as the fall launch point for the 20th anniversary of MexTour; subsequent stops will take the annual series to Atlanta (vs. Uzbekistan), Charlotte (vs. Ghana) and Philadelphia (vs. Germany).

History has shown that every contest will almost certainly spill over with joyful affection, playing out before sold-out or nearly sold-out crowds inside NFL-sized stadiums. And what a history it has been.

Mexico’s national soccer team has partnered since 2002 with Soccer United Marketing, the commercial arm of Major League Soccer, for the yearly stateside series. More than 5 million fans have attended more than 100 matches across the country, from California in the west to Florida and New York along the east and more than 10 states in between.

None of that was lost on FIFA, world soccer’s governing body, as it selected Dallas last year as one of 16 venue cities in three countries to host matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. AT&T Stadium seems well positioned to play a prominent role, potentially hosting some of the most important contests late in the newly expanded tournament.

As for the 20th anniversary MexTour matches this late summer and fall, all four friendlies are scheduled during a pair of FIFA windows set aside for international play. That’s important because it allows the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) and manager Jaime Lozano a better opportunity to summon their top players. That creates a better chance for the U.S.-based supporters to see top Mexican men of the moment, the likes of Napoli winger Hirving Lozano or midfielder Edson Álvarez, who is newly in place at West Ham United in London.

Veteran journalist Jon Arnold, who regularly covers El Tri and writes the regional newsletter Getting CONCACAFed, says manager Jaime Lozano is a popular figure whose success in the Gold Cup has supporters increasingly hopeful.

None of that is a surprise considering some compelling data. For instance, a 2020 study by Equation Research identified 60 million El Tri fans across the United States. Further, the Mexican National Team’s jersey has been a top seller in many of those years, according to figures from Soccer.com and Adidas.

Texas is prominent on that list of venue stops – Arlington, Texas, in particular, where AT&T Stadium has earned the moniker “El Tri’s home away from home.” That’s important for the Dallas area for two reasons.

First, Monica Paul, Executive Director of the Dallas Sports Commission, notes that consistent stops in the DFW Metroplex have boosted community engagement through events and activities attached to the matches. And perhaps more importantly, the high-profile, wellattended matches have further cemented North Texas’ standing as a teeming A-list destination for international soccer events.

“Plus a new federation president coming in and establishing a new structure, Mexico certainly hopes it has turned the page on the failure in Qatar,” Arnold said. As for the MexTour, Arnold said the managers might sometimes prefer more matches within Mexico, or perhaps a few more contests in tougher environments that present different challenges and opportunities for growth. Then again, it’s hard to ignore the ongoing clamor from the U.S.-based supporters for the MexTour matches right here.

“The fans in the U.S. keep coming, keep buying tickets and jerseys and concessions, and keep expressing the connection they feel when they see El Tri up close,” Arnold said. “As long as that continues to happen, the decision makers have every reason to feel that MexTour is still valuable.” For more information on the 2023 MexTour or to purchase tickets visit somoslocales.com.

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I AM A GOLFER FOUNDATION

August is National Golf Month. The purpose of National Golf Month’s creation was to promote golf as a family-friendly and inclusive sport that could be accessible to all ages, genders, and skill levels.

While many organizations, both locally and nationally, seek to further those National Golf Month ideals on an everyday basis, there is one local organization in particular that has had great success in growing the sport in an inclusive manner.

established in 2018 with the mission to be a catalyst for community renewal and transformation in South Dallas through the programming, preservation, and promotion of the historic Cedar Crest Golf Course.

IAMGF’s belief is that the promotion of the sport and activity to diverse and historically underserved communities will have an impact beyond the course and into the daily lives of those reached by its initiatives. Since its inception, IAMGF has engaged more than 450 area youth in instructional programming, created and hosted 71 paid internship

positions for area students, and awarded more than $95,000 in college and higher education scholarships.

Additionally, IAMGF has advocated for and assisted with more than $1 million in improvements at Cedar Crest and annually conducts the Dallas Amateur Championship, Friends of Cedar Crest Golf Classic, and other events designed to bring increased awareness to the historic course and community.

One of the organization’s newest initiatives is the inaugural Southwest Airlines Showcase at Cedar Crest. This televised amateur invitational will spotlight the talents of top college-aged golfers from diverse and historically underrepresented groups. The 54-hole stroke play event will feature concurrent championships for exceptional fields of 21 men and 21 women.

The tournament will debut with three days of live coverage (1:30 - 4:30pm CST) on GOLF Channel on November 13-15, 2023.

“We are delighted to announce this new event that provides opportunity for these talented collegiate golfers to showcase their talents on national television, exposure that is generally limited to players on a handful of Division 1 teams,” said Dave Ridley, Co-Founder and Chairman of the Foundation. “This event will highlight the history of Cedar Crest and the impact the Foundation is making on the lives of young people through our varied programs at the course and within the Dallas community.”

Chartered in 1919, Cedar Crest was designed by famed golf course architect A.W. Tillinghast. Among other significant national tournaments, Cedar Crest hosted the 1927 PGA Championship won by Walter Hagen and the 1954 UGA Negro National Open won by Charlie Sifford. Tillinghast, Hagen, and Sifford are members of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

“Cedar Crest Golf Course is a special place with a rich history,” said Ira Molayo, Co-Founder and Vice Chairman of IAMGF. “Our Foundation’s mission is to help this ‘hidden gem’ be a catalyst for community transformation in the Cedar Crest neighborhood and surrounding communities.”

In addition to its youth programs, IAMGF founded the Dallas Amateur Championship in 2018 for DFWarea competitive golfers and as a fund-raiser for the Foundation. More than 600 participants compete annually.

“We are excited to introduce this dynamic, historic event into our college golf portfolio beginning next fall and continue to raise the profile of student athletes throughout the year across our platforms,” said Tom Knapp, Executive Vice President, Partnerships & Programming, NBC Sports.

“We are looking forward to showcasing not only the achievements of the Black men and women on the course at historic Cedar Crest during this tournament, but also telling the stories of their important, long-standing impact in the local Dallas community together with the Foundation,” added Damon Phillips, Senior Vice President, Strategic Initiatives & Head of Diversity and Inclusion, NBC Sports.

The tournament will be the first-ever televised event at historic Cedar Crest Golf Course. GOLF Channel will provide live afternoon coverage of all three rounds with an encore presentation of each round totaling six telecasts and 18 total hours of programming.