Legends Global Named rep for new Dallas Mavericks Arena

The Dallas Mavericks are tapping in a company backed by a local sports magnate to help get their new Valley View arena up and running.

Legends Global, a company backed by Dallas Cowboys owner and oil and gas mogul Jerry Jones, has been named owner’s representative and lead sales agency for the Mavs’ new stadium in the north portion of Dallas. Legends will tackle elements of the project’s development as well as assist in premium ticket sales once completed, according to the Dallas Business Journal.

The company, which also includes backing from the New York Yankees, handles elements of operations and ticketing at the Cowboys’ Arlington AT&T Stadium as well as Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.

In the sports world, Legends Global’s parent company, Legends Hospitality, is one of the most well-known names in stadium operations. The company boasts partnerships with upwards of 450 venues across the globe on their website, and claims to serve 165 million guests annually.

Legends was formed in 2008 by Jones and the Yankees, a year before each opened a new stadium for their respective teams. The company is also involved with the $2 billion Las Vegas ballpark for the Athletics and the Buffalo Bills’ $2.1 billion Highmark Stadium, which opened last month, according to the outlet.

Tapping in Legends to help handle development efforts signals a new level of seriousness to the city, which has been making efforts to either keep the Mavericks in the American Airlines Center, or at least in the downtown area. Previously, city officials offered up the Dallas City Hall building as a possible redevelopment site, and claim to still hold out hope that the Mavs won’t go through with the move out of downtown.

Part of the Mavericks’ reasoning for the move is to create an adjacent, multibillion entertainment district that surrounds the new arena. Across the globe, professional sports teams are attempting to transition to year-round offerings in an effort to generate consistent revenue outside of their sporting calendars.

In the United States, spaces like Texas Live! in Arlington and The Battery in Atlanta already serve this purpose. The year-round usage idea has made its way across the pond as well, with global soccer icon Manchester United explicitly citing the creation of a stadium district around its new arena development as a reason to abandon its longtime home, Old Trafford.

— Hunter Cooke