The Era of Big Has Arrived in San Antonio
Growing up, I didn’t think big. I think a lot of us in San Antonio carry that, whether we realize it or not. I grew up in an inner-city neighborhood where most of my world existed within about a five-block radius. I didn’t get on a plane until I was 18. My life felt small, […]
The Local’s River
Article 3 of a four-part Urban Nerd series exploring the three distinct personalities of the San Antonio River Walk. In 2017 I bought a house in Tobin Hill that I probably had no business buying. It was rough, the kind of house where even the listing photos seemed to be warning you about the foundation. […]
This Isn’t About An Arena. It’s About A Mindset
Disclaimer: Dax has served for 6 years as a board member of Spurs Give, the non-profit of the San Antonio Spurs. This November, San Antonio faces a defining choice: whether to extend hotel and rental-car taxes to help fund a new Sports & Entertainment District downtown. It’s a decision about more than a venue; it’s […]
Give Us Room: How the San Antonio Rodeo Is Building for the Next Generation
When Joe and Harry Freeman donated this land to Bexar County in 1949, they did it with a purpose: to grow agriculture and give young Texans a platform to dream bigger. That promise still echoes through these grounds today. The San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo began right here in the Freeman Coliseum, the same […]
The Convention Center Expansion: SA Sports District Project 1 of 7
Article 6 of a 12-part series by the Urban Nerd (Lorenzo Gomez) The first five articles in this series were all about cutting through the confusion. We talked about who’s really paying for what, why the city’s deficit is a different problem entirely, and why so many people get lost in the Marvel Garble. And […]
Three Arenas, Three Purposes: Myths, Mistakes, & a District Future
(This is Part 5 in a 12-part series on San Antonio’s Sports & Entertainment District, aka Project Marvel.) Of all the issues people raise about Project Marvel, nothing sparks louder debate than the so-called “three arenas.” The comment threads light up, the arguments spiral, and the criticism is fierce. Beneath all that noise, though, are […]
The Billion Dollar Question: Who Really Pays for the Spurs Arena?
(It’s Not Your Pothole Fund.) This is Part 4 in a 12-part series on San Antonio’s Sports & Entertainment District, aka Project Marvel. In order to understand how the new Spurs arena will be funded, take a little ride with me. Meet two characters heading to the future San Antonio Sports & Entertainment District (aka […]
It’s Time for San Antonio vs Challenges, Not Mayor vs Council
I’ll confess that I felt a spark of hope this past election season. I had a hope that City Hall would feel different this time. That the newly implemented four-year terms and the reconfigured council members would herald a fresh start for San Antonio. Instead, just two months in, San Antonio residents are watching a […]
Divorcing the Sports District from the City’s Deficit
This is Part 3 in a 12-part series on San Antonio’s Sports and Entertainment District, also known as Project Marvel. One of my favorite quotes comes from the movie Raising Arizona. An inmate, watching a couple argue, leans over to another inmate and says, “I wouldn’t be surprised if the source of the marital friction […]
Not One Project. Not a New District. Not Just for the Spurs.
This is Part 2 in a 12-part series on San Antonio’s Sports and Entertainment District, also known as Project Marvel. My branding mentor has a phrase I’ve always remembered: The One Rule of Carry On. People only have room for one story in their head at a time. That’s it. One story. And that’s part […]