Axios Dallas

January 10, 2025
Happy Friday! Staying silent hurts everyone.
๐ฆ๏ธ Today's weather: Snowy morning, with highs reaching upper 30s.
๐ต Sounds like: "Let It Snow"
๐ Situational awareness: Most North Texas schools remain closed as winter weather continues today. Many city buildings are also closed, and trash collection may be delayed.
- Check road conditions before leaving home.
Today's newsletter is 940 snowy words โ a 3.5-minute read.
1 big thing: Reasons to root for the Longhorns
The Texas Longhorns and the Ohio State Buckeyes play tonight in Arlington in a bid to head to the national championship.
Why it matters: UT, one of the nation's storied programs, last won a national championship at the end of the 2005 season.
- North Texans make up a bulk of the Longhorns roster.
Driving the news: The game is scheduled to continue despite this week's winter weather.
The big picture: Ohio State, coming off a 41-21 thrashing of top-ranked Oregon, is favored by 6 points in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.
- UT squeaked into the semifinal by emerging from a roller coaster of a game over Arizona State in double-overtime.
Zoom in: More than two dozen UT players are from Dallas-Fort Worth, including the team's biggest stars โ quarterback Quinn Ewers of Southlake, running back Quintrevion Wisner of DeSoto and center Jake Majors of Prosper.
- Linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. of Denton is the leading UT tackler this season. Duncanville grad Colin Simmons, an edge rusher, leads the team in sacks.
- Kicker Bert Auburn of Flower Mound holds the Longhorn record for most field goals made, though he missed two field goal attempts against Arizona State.
Fun fact: Ewers was the top-ranked recruit nationally while playing at Carroll High School, earning a spot in the 2022 All-American Bowl.
- He was initially an Ohio State student before transferring to UT in January 2022.
The other side: Ohio State has two North Texans, but they're not starters.
- Linebacker Payton Pierce is from Lucas and cornerback Calvin Simpson-Hunt is from Waxahachie.
The intrigue: AT&T Stadium is 200 miles from Austin โ and just over 1,000 from Columbus, Ohio.
- UT might be able to amplify its home field advantage if Ohio State fans' travel is delayed or canceled due to winter weather.
How to watch: The game airs at 6:30pm on ESPN.
What's next: The winner plays Notre Dame in the Jan. 20 national championship game in Atlanta.
2. ๐๏ธ How sports venues are changing
North Texas sports venues are joining the nationwide trend of revamping stadiums to give fans a more immersive experience.
Why it matters: Cities are investing in sports and entertainment districts with hotels, restaurants and cultural attractions surrounding stadiums.
Zoom in: Last fall, SMU unveiled Gerald J. Ford Stadium's $100 million renovation project that added 192,500 square feet of athlete facilities and new luxury fan seating.
- AT&T Stadium is getting upgraded technology and premium spaces ahead of the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup.
- The Dallas Wings plan to move from Arlington to the Dallas Memorial Auditorium in downtown Dallas. The auditorium's renovations are slated to be completed in 2026.
- Toyota Stadium is undergoing an estimated $182 million in renovations to add shade, new suite levels and other amenities by 2028.
The intrigue: Designers are also experimenting with ways to activate stadiums during away games so home fans can share in the experience.
- The Mavericks, Stars and Cowboys have all hosted watch parties at their venues for key away games.
- While playing in Edmonton, Canada, in the Stanley Cup playoffs last year, the Stars used AI to project player and puck movements at American Airlines Center.
Zoom out: The L.A. Clippers' roughly $2 billion Intuit Dome features interactive controllers attached to every seat, a section for only Clippers fans and a Jumbotron decked out with T-shirt cannons designed to reach fans in the upper deck.
What we're watching: Whether the Dallas Mavericks will get a new arena.
3. โ๏ธ Record snowfall in Dallas-Fort Worth
Hosting big events at Jerryworld in Arlington seems to encourage snowy, winter weather.
The big picture: Longtime North Texas residents probably remember the 2011 ice storm during Super Bowl XLV, when the Green Bay Packers beat the Pittsburgh Steelers.
- But the snowiest day was actually the year before โ when AT&T Stadium hosted the NBA All-Star Game.
The latest: DFW Airport recorded 2.2 inches of snow yesterday. But areas of Collin and Denton counties saw 3-6 inches, while areas to the south saw less than an inch.

Flashback: Most of Dallas-Fort Worth recorded more than a foot of snow Feb. 11-12, 2010. DFW Airport saw a record 12.5 inches in 24 hours, per the National Weather Service.
- North Texas saw less snow when hosting the Super Bowl. Some areas got more than 6 inches. Dallas Love Field recorded 5.1 inches Feb. 3-4, 2011.
Zoom out: Other parts of Texas haven't seen record snowfall since the 1920s, according to a NOAA record of snowfall extremes.
4. ๐ Burnt ends: Bite-sized news bits
๐ Dallas Wings forward Satou Sabally, a two-time all-star, is leaving the team. (Sports Illustrated)
โ Over 1,000 flights were canceled yesterday at DFW Airport and Dallas Love Field because of snow. (WFAA)
๐๏ธ JCPenney is merging with the parent company of Aรฉropostale and Brooks Brothers to form a new Plano-based company. (DMN)
โ๏ธ Frontier Airlines announced new nonstop flights between DFW and JFK Airport in New York. (CultureMap)
5. ๐น One mocktail to go: Tarantula Tiki
Dry January may not seem like the ideal time to try a Tiki known to serve strong, fruity cocktails.
- But this Fort Worth bar has the best Tiki drinks in the region and offers up equally good booze-free options.
Vibe check: Like a true Tiki experience, Tarantula Tiki has Polynesian-inspired decor, dark lighting, bamboo-lined walls and plenty of rum-based cocktails.
- The deep and narrow bar has the feel of being crammed onto a ship โ in the best way.
What to order: Shirley Temple of Doom โ butterfly pea tea, pineapple, lime, orgeat and coconut cream.
- It's similar to their alcoholic drink the High Priestess of Funk.
Where: Tarantula Tiki, 117 S. Main St. in Fort Worth.
Cost: $8
Six-word review: Tart, juicy, traditional Tiki minus buzz.
๐ญ Know a drink we should try? Hit reply and tell us.
This newsletter was edited by Bob Gee.
Our picks:
๐ซถ Tasha is reminiscing about the time she and Naheed covered the fan experience at the 2015 national championship when the Buckeyes won.
๐ Naheed is still annoyed by Ohio State fans who always need to add "the" before their school name.
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