Sitting in white banquet chairs in left field of one of Major League Baseball’s newest and grandest stadiums, the Greater Arlington Chamber enjoyed the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to host the Commissioner of Major League Baseball for a luncheon minutes after the 2024 MLB All-Star Game logo was revealed.

Standing on the very field where the game will be played, Chamber President and CEO Michael Jacobson started his remarks at the 6th Annual Legends & Leaders with a statement we can all agree with, “The Texas Rangers are synonymous with leadership.” The Rangers have been instrumental partners in the development of the entertainment district including Texas Live! (2018), Live! by Loews Arlington (2019), Globe Life Field (2020), the Loews Hotel and Convention Center (opening 2024) and the National Medal of Honor Museum (opening 2025).

This year’s event included a lineup of speakers that are all legends in their own right. Tom Schieffer, former President of the Texas Rangers and former U.S. Ambassador to Japan and Australia joined us for a nostalgic conversation about the 1995 All-Star game moderated by Chuck Morgan, EVP for the Rangers and their in-ballpark announcer since 1983. Rob Manfred, the current commissioner of Major League Baseball and an incredible example of leadership spoke about the current state of baseball with none other than Tom Grieve, former Rangers designated hitter, general manager, longest running broadcaster and now Texas Rangers Hall of Fame inductee.

Ambassador Schieffer is a legend here in Arlington. From spearheading the campaign for the Rangers to approve funding for the Ballpark in Arlington in the early 90’s, to helping organize the 1995 MLB All-Star Game, he has committed his life to public service. Schieffer discussed the challenges, successes, and integral conversations that made the 1995 All-Star Game happen. In 1995, Arlington was nowhere near the national name it is today, and the All-Star game helped put us on the map. While celebrations of the game were held all over the metroplex, the center of it all was Arlington. One of Morgan and Schieffer’s favorite memories was the MLB All-Star Gala held at Six Flags Over Texas. Getting to see players with their families experience one of the staples of The American Dream City was a pleasure for all involved.

The 1995 All-Star Game didn’t come without some challenges though. Arlington needed a state-of-the-art stadium, and so it voted for one. Upgrading to the Ballpark in Arlington (later known as Globe Life Park) allowed the thousands of people flooding to the game to have a comfortable place to view the baseball being played and created massive economic growth for the City. Schieffer also reminisced about the inevitable Texas heat during the game saying many times that it was probably the hottest MLB All-Star Game in history.

Shifting focus to the upcoming game on July 16, 2024, it was impossible for Major League Baseball to ignore the powerhouse Arlington has become. The major economic achievements of the last 28 years are monumental. From the building of Cowboys Stadium, later renamed AT&T Stadium, to the groundbreaking of the new National Medal of Honor Museum, Arlington has experienced tremendous growth and is considered by the tourism industry as the Entertainment Capital of Texas. The 2024 MLB All-Star Game will bring huge economic gains for the City and North Texas.

Texas Rangers CFO Kellie Fischer briefly took the stage to double-down on this seemingly exponential growth. She specifically highlighted how all of this has been possible due to Arlington’s Can-Do spirit, how the Ranger’s partnership with the City and the trust they have together is unlike anything across Major league Baseball.

The 10th Commissioner of Major League Baseball, Rob Manfred, answered questions about the state of America’s favorite pastime. Manfred discussed how the recent changes to the game, like changing the size of the bases and adding a pitch clock, have helped to bring in new fans and make the cadence of the game more time friendly. He was sure to note that changes were made with fans in mind, which is evident by the 8% increase in game attendance league wide.

Manfred also discussed how the MLB continues to work on diversifying its athletes to reach a larger audience. With 28% of players being international, the efforts are clearly working. Audiences are even popping up worldwide in places like Japan!

Some fans have worried about the state of watching games with recent local news controversies, but Manfred was quick to quell those anxieties. He made sure to note that fans will always be able to watch their local teams play, especially as the MLB expands its digital networks.

According to Manfred, “people are more excited about baseball than ever before,” and he has the analytics to prove it with increased ticket sales and millions more television viewers. The economic impact of the 2024 MLB All-Star Game in Arlington will be one of a magnitude we haven’t seen since pre-pandemic, and it is an exciting time to be an Arlington business. With baseball as popular as it is, local business can expect to see an uptick in consumers with the upcoming game, and we sure are excited about it.

When Mayor Tom Vandergriff first attempted to bring Major League Baseball to Arlington, he encouraged all residents to “Dream the big dream”. With so much economic development in Arlington and across North Texas, he would be proud to see that his dream is still alive and thriving.

Written by Catherine Cunningham and Britton Merritt