Mayor's Messages

Fort Worth is ‘en fuego’ now that ESPN is coming to town

Posted July 22, 2010

Mayor Mike Moncrief (center) offers up a “high-five” to ESPN’s Stephanie Druley during Wednesday’s announcement that the cable television giant will make Sundance Square in Fort Worth its production headquarters during its coverage of the Super Bowl XLV. On the left, with the Mayor during the event at 8.0s, are Touchdown Fort Worth members John Goff and Ed Bass.

Fort Worth has scored a winning touchdown — one that will put our city front and center before millions and millions of NFL fans.

ESPN has chosen Fort Worth as its home base for coverage of Super Bowl XLV, which will be played Feb. 6 at Cowboys Stadium.

Beginning Jan. 31, the “World Wide Leader” in sports coverage will set up shop in Sundance Square. From an outdoor set in the Chisholm Trail parking lot — with Richard Haas’ three-story “The Chisholm Trail” mural as the backdrop — ESPN will broadcast programming like Mike & Mike in the Morning, SportsCenter, NFL Live, Sunday NFL Countdown and much of the cable television giant’s coverage of one of the biggest sporting events in the world.

The site at Third and Main streets will include a studio, a demonstration field and a radio booth, and the typical lineup of shows includes appearances by a number of high-profile current and former NFL greats — all of it free and open to the public to view.

Best of all, this means more than 80 hours of exposure for Fort Worth on ESPN’s various television and radio networks in the days leading up to the NFL’s showcase championship game — and a chance to show the millions and millions of football fans around the world all that our vibrant city has to offer.

As well, ESPN the Magazine has chosen Fort Worth as the site for its annual NEXT event — always a showcase party for the Super Bowl. The venue for that event will be announced later this year.

These latest announcements add to the growing presence Fort Worth will have with the Super Bowl. Already, our city has been designated as the host to the AFC Champions and will be the site of the prestigious “Taste of the NFL” event, as well as the AFC fan party scheduled for Jan. 30, the night before the Super Bowl.

This is a real coup for our great city, one that is a product of the hard work of Touchdown Fort Worth and the good partners at ESPN, and one that recognizes the hard work that has made Sundance Square and the Stockyards and all the attractions of our great city such valuable assets.

Michael J. "Mike" Moncrief is the 43rd mayor of the City of Fort Worth and has served as an elected official at both the state and local levels of government for more than 30 years. The life-long resident of Fort Worth will use this forum to help address issues and programs that affect the citizens of his hometown.

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