So I am out here in the Grand Canyon State attending a sports marketing convention, and getting some great feedback on how the rest of the world views our beloved Dallas. Some tidbits:
1. My Iranian cabdriver, Allen (his real name?), says that U.S. troops need to stay in Iraq “for at least the next ten years.” His explanation: “We got to have democracy over there. Iran is run by the clerics and they are crazy. Democracy is much better and if the U.S. leaves we will never get it.” I asked Allen why he was living in Phoenix, instead of say, Dallas. He said, “Dallas is George Boosh country. Not good for us. Muslims are not welcome there.”
2. Representatives from every major professional sports team are here. Unanimously they agree on two things: first, Mark Cuban is a genius, innovator, and model team owner. Second: Tom Hicks is a pompous idiot. The buzz is that Jerry Jones’ new Texas Stadium is “going to blow everything else in the NFL away.”
3. The group felt strongly that Dallas needs its sports teams to make the city “interesting and fun.” They cannot understand why our former mayor would give away Texas Stadium to Arlington. “Without pro sports,” said one veteran traveler, “all Dallas has is shopping and strip clubs.”
4. Yesterday at 5:00 p.m. it hit 118 degrees here. IJS.
