MADE FOR THE MEDIA

When the international press throng descends on Cowboys Stadium for Super Bowl XLV, they’ll be pleased by what they find

By Mickey Spagnola

Wednesday, October 7, 2009 - 1:00am

So much has been made of the Monster Vision board hanging from the center beams 90-feet off the playing field at Cowboys Stadium.

You have heard about the retractable roof that when open replicates the famed hole in the roof from Texas Stadium, and the fact the 120-foot high end zone glass doors can retract, too, giving the 3-million square foot facility the feel of an outdoor stadium when open.

And there has been much ado made over the two arch supports stretching a quarter mile each, the ability to seat 100,000 people and how fancy the some 300 suites are in this $1.15 billion dollar futuristic stadium.

But what about the press box?

What about where top members of the national and international media will sit come Feb. 6, 2011, for Super Bowl XLV, the first time the NFL’s ultimate game will be played in North Texas?

Well, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and his family didn’t skimp there, either, when making plans to build the stadium not only awarded the area’s first Super Bowl thanks to the retractable roof, but also the likes of an NBA All-Star, college basketball’s Final Four, high-profile concerts, regular-season college football games and the Cotton Bowl.

If Jones learned one thing from former Cowboys president and general manager Tex Schramm, it was how important the media is to the visibility of the Dallas Cowboys. And the Cowboys objective when building the year-round facility was comfort when it came to the main press box.

“We wanted a comfortable working environment,” said Cowboys public relations director Rich Dalrymple, who has been with the team for 20 seasons. “If you think about it, the last (press box at Texas Stadium) was carved out of the last five rows of the stadium.”

But this press box, which is located in the northwest corner of the Star Level, is spacious, reminding of the roomy areas of the original Texas Stadium press box which eventually was converted into prime real estate suites stretching out from the 50-yard line just above the lower level of seats in the early 1990s. While this press box is wraps around the corner of the stadium, it is high enough — just below the upper level of seats — to provide a clear view of the playing field.

There is 11,100 square feet of space up there, with enough room to seat 204 members of the media in 19-inch leather chairs with approximately 30-inches of work space for each person. And for an event such as the Super Bowl, at least 230 seats could be made available by using smaller chairs, maybe more.

Best of all, not to mention the easily accessible wireless connections, there is unaccustomed room between the seats and the second and third rows in the box so media members can comfortably walk through the aisles behind their seats without constantly tripping. And one of the reasons for that is the cubby-hole space built into the fronts of the second and third rows where media members can store their work bags and backpacks.

Each seat has an electrical outlet and wired internet connection when available. 

And… there are 52 flat screen HD TVs mounted throughout the press box for media members to keep an eye on network TV feeds and also replays if they choose not to look straight out for those plays on the highly viewable 160-foot x 72-foot video board hovering over the center of the field.

“You can see the replays better there than on small screens in the press box,” Dalrymple said.

Here is another highly-important feature in the press box those covering Super Bowl XLV will greatly appreciate: There are no mullions on the windows enclosing the press box. In other words, none of those very common metal seams attaching the individual window panes causing media members to constantly lean this way and that in order to readily see plays on the field.

“A key element that was critical,” Dalrymple said, leading to unobstructed views of the field.

Also, a copy room was built into the press box so as to produce quicker stats for the working media. And since food seems to be such an important perk for the members of the media covering games, a separate food and beverage room was incorporated into the design to facilitate efficient serving of food.

The Cowboys also addressed the importance of quick access to the locker rooms after games for media members. For that, there is a dedicated elevator just outside the press box, likely large enough to take 25 people at a time down to the event level of the stadium.

They thought of just about everything, and that includes two banks of six video screens mounted on the walls of the two spacious lounge areas where members of the media can watch the various other NFL games taking place on those flat-screen TVs. On top of that, there are three more flat-screen HD TVs mounted from the ceiling at the far end of the press box for media members’ viewing pleasure.

No expense was spared, providing much more than all the comforts of home.