I’d go see #DunkCity in a heartbeat if it was at American Airlines Center. Who wants to drive to fArlington?
— patrick kennedy (@WalkableDFW) March 26, 2013
Noted walker and D Magazine contributor Patrick Kennedy raised the above question on Twitter this afternoon, and it got me thinking: Is anyone going to the Sweet Sixteen? It starts Friday, out at Cowboys Stadium. The other three Sweet Sixteen sites — the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the Verizon Center in Washington, and Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis — are all in walkable, downtown areas, close to restaurants, shops, and hotels. At Cowboys Stadium, you can walk to the Ballpark at Arlington.
I know this whole thing is a dry-run for the Final Four, but Final Fours come with built-in, dedicated fan bases, ones that travel. Sweet Sixteens are more likely to draw walk-up ticket sales. And, as Kennedy notes, they also support the notion of, “Hey, the Sweet Sixteen starts tonight at the American Airlines Center, let’s see if there are still tickets available.” A trip to Cowboys Stadium does the opposite.