Leaders of the Mavericks, Stars and American Airlines Center hit a home run with $20 million in improvements to the 22-year-old arena that will appeal not only to longtime fans, but the TikTok generation of MFFLs.
Unveiled officially on Monday, the upgrades center on a massive, state of the art video scoreboard.
It’s 44 feet long, 31 feet wide and 26 feet high. The four-sided beast has up-to-the-minute digital display technology and is sure to be a hit with video-savvy younger fans.
“That’s one of the main selling points of an arena,” said Dave Brown, COO and general manager of AAC. “It’s one of the things that make or break the fan experience. And (Governors) Mark Cuban and Tom Gaglardi, the Mavs and the Stars have always been committed to the in-game production, game features, replay quality, all those things that a scoreboard like this provides.”
Perhaps with less glitz but more comfort where it counts are the 19,134 new seats that grace the building. Gone are the 22-year-old seats that were worn, sometimes frayed and less comfortable.
Installation of the seats began after the Mavericks’ and Stars’ seasons were over. The replacement process went on all summer.
“These seats are way better than the seats we’ve had for the last 22 years since we opened,” Brown said. “They’re ergonomically more comfortable. They’re stain- and cut-resistant. Folks are going to really appreciate the upgrade there.”
Those seats were replaced at a cost of $6.5 million. The new center-hung scoreboard is a $10 million investment.
The other $3.5 million of the improvements came to the exterior of the building in the form of a new roof.
That new amenity passed its first test with flying colors. The nasty weather that blew through on Sunday evening gave the new roof a challenge, but the arena stayed dry and safe.
That suggests the seldom-seen NBA rain delays that impacted games on two occasions in the 2021-22 season, including Game 4 of the Western Conference finals against Golden State, are a thing of the past.
The seats and the roof were necessities.
But with high-resolution LED displays powered by Samsung, the scoreboard – plus two new video-capable boards at either end of the arena and a new display board in the plaza area on the outside of the AAC – are the sort of bells and whistles that fans will remember.
“We are celebrating $20-million of investment that we have made in the American Airlines Center,” Mavericks CEO Cynt Marshall said Monday. “It’s already one of the top five venues in the country. This is going to make it even higher than that.
“We have this video scoreboard that is bigger than life. It is crazy. I think it’s the only one in the NBA configured the way it is, where it’s contiguous, you can see it all. There’s an underbelly where it has 10-foot screens underneath it. It is absolutely incredible. Our fans are going to love this. It’s an up-close and personal experience. But I think our players will love it as well. I think the referees will love it. There are so many enhancements to the video board.”
One of the best aspects of the board is the undercarriage, where 10-foot screens are built in so that fans seated courtside (or rinkside) can enjoy video messages and replays easier than staring straight up at the side of the old scoreboard.
“The scoreboard actually is our third generation,” Brown said. “They have a lifespan of about 10-to-12 years and then technology advances come along. The star attraction (of the renovation) is our new scoreboard.”
Said Marshall: “Our creative guys are going to love this. They’re going to have so much fun with this new video board. It’s huge. And it does so much. It’s worth every dime that my boss and others said we could invest in this place. Our fans deserve it. They trust us. They’ve invested in us. And now, we’re going to make a statement: when our fans come in here, they will know that they matter to us and that we did something special in the offseason for them. This really is about the fans.
“It’ll be good for the economics of Dallas. A lot of events will want to come here. But we did it for our fans. They will be talking about it. Our team is fabulous, so that’s going to be the buzz. But on top of that, the buzz will be, have you been to the American Airlines Center lately?”
Brown was proud that the AAC did not have to shut down to complete the upgrades. Concerts continued throughout the summer.
“We’d clean up everything, take the tools away, raise the scoreboard and then have shows and then we’d bring crews back in and work around our events,” he said. “That’s unusual for us to be able to do that much to the building and not miss any business. A lot of buildings would have just shut down to do these improvements.”
AAC’s lease with the city of Dallas runs for eight more years. These improvements will ensure that those eight years make the arena look considerably younger than its 22 years.
“We’re committed to keeping it state of the art,” Brown said. “Our fans, our sponsors, our partners, they’re investing in now. We have to make sure we provide a first-class NBA and NHL facility that they’re happy to be a part of.
“This is a beautiful building. It was built to last the test of time and there may be a different future in terms of arenas in Dallas, but for now, this is a top 10 arena in the NBA and NHL.”
The first chance for Maverick fans to enjoy the new digs will come Oct. 20 at the only preseason home game. The first regular season home game is Oct. 27 against Brooklyn.
Twitter: @ESefko
