AT&T Stadium
During its very first preseason game in August 2009, Tennessee Titans punter A. J. Trapasso launched a ball that struck the center-hung video board -- the largest HDTV screen in the world at the time -- and the play had to be replayed. Jerry Jones, the Cowboys owner who had spent over a decade and more than a billion dollars willing this stadium into existence, brushed it off, suggesting Trapasso was deliberately aiming for it. A physicist at Longwood University later proved through computer simulation that well-kicked punts could hit the screen from any spot on the field. The stadium had been open for one game, and it had already generated its first controversy. It would not be the last.
Jerry's Monument
The road to AT&T Stadium began in 1994, when Jones proposed expanding the aging Texas Stadium. Over the next decade, the project ballooned from a renovation into a $1.3 billion entertainment palace that required Arlington voters to approve a half-cent sales tax increase, a 2% hotel tax hike, and a 5% car rental tax. The City of Arlington contributed over $325 million in bonds while the NFL loaned $150 million. More than 150 homes and small businesses were demolished to clear the site. One displaced resident described the negotiation for his property as being given 'pennies and told to get out.' Construction began in 2006 with excavation by Mario Sinacola and Sons, and twin steel arches -- among the tallest dome structures in the world -- rose over the next three years. When the stadium opened on May 27, 2009, country star George Strait headlined the inaugural event with Reba McEntire, Blake Shelton, and Lee Ann Womack.
The Cathedral of Nicknames
Before AT&T bought the naming rights in 2013 for a reported $17-19 million per year, fans had already christened the building with a gallery of unofficial names: 'Jerry World,' the 'Death Star,' 'Cowboys Cathedral,' 'Jerrassic Park,' and 'The Palace in Dallas' -- a phrase that earned NBC announcer Bob Costas a public rebuke from the Arlington mayor, who pointed out the stadium sits squarely in Arlington, not Dallas. A petition even circulated to name it after legendary Cowboys coach Tom Landry. Jones officially named it Cowboys Stadium in 2009 before the AT&T deal. Today, the stadium's identity stretches beyond football: it hosts the Cotton Bowl Classic, WrestleMania events that drew 156,352 fans over two nights in 2022, world championship boxing bouts watched by over 73,000, and will serve as one of eleven U.S. venues for the 2026 FIFA World Cup -- hosting nine matches, the most of any tournament venue.
A Stadium That Fights Back
AT&T Stadium has a peculiar habit of interfering with the games it hosts. The notorious video board, hanging above the field, has been struck by punts from at least four different NFL players across multiple seasons. Then there is the sun. The stadium was built on an east-west orientation with enormous glass windows behind both end zones -- an unusual choice when most NFL stadiums align north-south to avoid glare. During late-afternoon Sunday games, sunset pours through the west end zone windows with blinding intensity. In a 2024 game against the Philadelphia Eagles, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb missed what appeared to be a certain touchdown catch. 'I couldn't see the ball,' Lamb said afterward. 'Couldn't see the ball, at all. The sun.' Asked about closing the existing curtains used during non-football events, Jones responded: 'Well, let's just tear the damn stadium down and build another one? You kidding me?' The next day, ironically, staff had to jury-rig a shade for Coach Mike McCarthy's press conference because the sun was shining directly into his eyes.
Record Crowds and Spectacle
The stadium seats 80,000 but can reconfigure to hold well over 100,000 through standing-room Party Pass sections on elevated platforms behind each end zone. On September 20, 2009, the Cowboys' first regular-season home game drew a record-breaking 105,121 fans -- only to watch Eli Manning lead the New York Giants to a 33-31 last-second victory. Manning signed the visitor's locker room wall afterward: 'First win in the New Stadium.' The venue hosted Super Bowl XLV in 2011, though that event was marred when 1,200 seats were blocked off hours before kickoff after ice slid off the roof and injured construction workers rushing to finish them. About 400 fans with valid tickets could not be seated, sparking a lawsuit. The Jones family also commissioned 18 contemporary artists to create site-specific works throughout the facility, including installations by Olafur Eliasson and a Sky Mirror sculpture by Anish Kapoor that sits in a plaza outside the east entrance.
From the Air
Located at 32.748°N, 97.093°W in Arlington, Texas, between Dallas and Fort Worth. The twin arched roof structure is unmistakable from the air -- look for the massive retractable-roof dome adjacent to Globe Life Field (Texas Rangers). Best viewed from 3,000-5,000 ft AGL. Nearest airports: KDFW (Dallas/Fort Worth International, 10 nm N), KDAL (Dallas Love Field, 15 nm NE), KFTW (Fort Worth Meacham International, 12 nm NW). The stadium sits in a dense entertainment district that includes Globe Life Field immediately to the east and Six Flags Over Texas to the north.