American Airlines Center
The American Airlines Center is an arena located in Dallas, Texas that is used for basketball games, hockey games and concerts.
The American Airlines Center is home to the following sports teams:
History
By 1998, the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars were indicating their desire for a new facility to replace the quickly-aging Reunion Arena. Dallas taxpayers approved a new hotel tax and rental car tax to pay for a new facility to cover a portion of the funding, with the two teams, the Mavericks and the Stars picking up the remaining costs, including cost overruns. The new arena was to be built just north of Woodall Rodgers Freeway near Interstate 35 on the site of an old power plant.
In March of 1999, American Airlines announced that it would be acquiring the naming rights for the new facility.
On July 27, 2001, the facility opened with the largest ribbon-cutting ceremony ever, according to the Guinness Book of Records. The first event occurred the next day with an Eagles concert. The first sporting event took place on August 19 with the Dallas Sidekicks of the Continental Indoor Soccer League.
Other notes
The American Airlines Center is not to be confused with the American Airlines Arena, which is located in Miami, Florida.
