The Dallas Morning News - Fair-weather fans may make or break stadium

ARLINGTON - While watching the Pittsburgh Steelers take the lead in last Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys, UTA senior Scott Witt had a thought.

Mr. Witt, who opposes building a stadium in Arlington using taxpayers' money, said he wondered aloud if the Cowboys' underwhelming 2-3 record would have any influence on voters who will go to the polls on Nov. 2 to decide if a stadium will be built in the city.

"If they were more of a winning team, there'd be more enthusiasm and maybe more votes," said Mr. Witt, while holding a "No Jones Tax," sign in front of the student center at the University of Texas at Arlington.

"But I think it would be such a small difference," he said.

While some may scoff at the idea that a team's playing record might sway voters, sports and economics experts say it's not unheard of.

"I think it's correct to say if the team does very well then that would tend to produce a more positive vote than if it did poorly," said Dr. Andrew Zimbalist, an economics professor at Smith College in Maine. "It's hard to believe that people would vote for hundreds of millions of dollars based on a team's performance, but it can happen."

Steven Danish, a psychology professor and sports psychologist at Virginia Commonwealth University, shares a similar perspective.

"I think it does impact the vote," said Dr. Danish. "Having [Bill] Parcells as coach helps because of his winning record, so I would expect from that perspective there's a lot of built up expectations and enthusiasm."

"If they do well the next two games, I think it will be positive," he said. "If there's a sense of the Cowboys being a glory team based on their history, then it's more likely."

The Cowboys will attempt to improve their fortunes and their record Sunday in Green Bay against the Packers.

Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck said a better record might help the pro-stadium cause, but he doubts that the Cowboys' current on-field struggles would harm this campaign.

"As long as we tell our story," he said, "a good record isn't absolutely necessary."

But he acknowledged that timing is also a factor. If the Cowboys were at the end of the season and had a terrible record, that might sap some of the momentum.

Allan Saxe, an associate political science professor at UTA, said if peopled voted in favor of the team based on its record, it would be an emotional and psychological reaction rather than one based on the facts.

"It certainly wouldn't convince the anti-people," said Mr. Saxe, who supports the stadium referendum. "The margin of people voting because of the record would probably be small, like a half a percent."

After casting his ballot Thursday at Sherrod Elementary, Arlington resident Anthony Nagy said no matter how well the team played, he wouldn't have voted to finance a new stadium.

"I watch the Cowboys; I wouldn't mind having them here, but only if they paid their own way," he said. "They could win the Super Bowl, and it makes no difference to me."

Arlington resident Shauna Cooper says she's a Cowboys fan but doesn't think the season - good or bad - will influence voters.

"I'm just interested in the progress and prosperity it will bring," Ms. Cooper said of the proposed stadium.

Howard Carley, vice chairman of the Concerned Taxpayers of Arlington, said it's accurate to conclude that people could vote based on a good record, but he hopes not.

"It seems to be human nature to find out which side is winning so they can get on that side," Mr. Carley said. "I hope it doesn't influence people. I hope they're smarter than that."

Robert Rivera, head of Touchdown Arlington, said he doubts that voters make the connection between the Nov. 2 vote and the Cowboys' record. He said that the team's legend would trump any wins or losses this season.

"What we're talking about is the most recognizable sports franchise on the planet," he said. "We're talking about the most storied franchise in the NFL. We're talking about America's Team."

Dr. Kirk Wakefield, a professor in sports sponsorship and sales at Baylor University, agrees.

The historical effect of winning does matter, he said. And it's deeply ingrained in people's minds.

"People like to be associated with winners," Dr. Wakefield said. "It's like the halo effect - if they're good, then everything about them is good."