Ĭonstruction 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. 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. Īs part of the deal, the city created a separate corporation, the Arlington Sports Facilities Development Authority (ASFDA), to manage construction. Both houses of the Texas Legislature unanimously approved the public purpose of the ballpark, and Texas Governor Ann Richards signed it all into law. The deal called for the city to raise the sales tax by half a cent to go toward construction. 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." 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. In an effort to fund the project through public money instead of private financing, the Rangers threatened to leave Arlington. As a result, the team could not compete with other big-city teams for good players. The aging Arlington Stadium was outdated and did not have amenities that helped make other baseball franchises more profitable. In April 1989, Rangers owner Eddie Chiles sold the team to an investment group headed by George W. On August 25, 2021, Choctaw Casinos & Resorts bought the naming rights to the stadium. The venue also hosts the Six Flags Entertainment Corporation's world headquarters. The stadium is the home of the Arlington Renegades of the XFL, North Texas SC of MLS Next Pro ( FC Dallas's reserve team), and the Dallas Jackals of Major League Rugby. In 2020, it was retrofitted for use as a football and soccer facility. It was constructed as a replacement for nearby Arlington Stadium and opened in April 1994 as The Ballpark in Arlington. Originally built as a baseball stadium, it was home to the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball and the Texas Rangers Baseball Hall of Fame from 1994 through 2019, when the team vacated the stadium for Globe Life Field. Dallas/Arlington Renegades ( XFL) 2020, 2023–presentĬhoctaw Stadium, formerly Globe Life Park, is an American multi-purpose stadium in Arlington, Texas, between Dallas and Fort Worth.
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