Name Change News

Choctaw Nation gets to name the old Texas Rangers stadium in Arlington

"Hmmm, what sounds good? Hey, Choctaw Stadium has a nice ring."

Courtesy rendering

Globe Life Park in Arlington, former home to the Texas Rangers baseball team, has a new name.

The Texas Rangers entered into a naming rights partnership with Choctaw Casinos & Resorts for the sports and entertainment venue, and it will now be called Choctaw Stadium.

The venue opened in 1994 and served as the home of the Texas Rangers until 2019. It's currently home to soccer team North Texas SC and Dallas Renegades, the XFL football team, and will host college and high school football, pro soccer, and Major League rugby.

The naming rights agreement expands a partnership that the Rangers and Choctaw Casinos & Resorts have had since 2010. In May 2019, Choctaw became the Official and Exclusive Casino and Resort of the Texas Rangers.

The venue was previously named for Globe Life, the life insurance company for which the Rangers' new Globe Life Field ballpark was named in a partnership that extends until 2048.

Texas Rangers Chairman and Managing Partner Ray Davis says in a statement that the newly named Choctaw Stadium expands Choctaw's presence in the Arlington Entertainment District, which also includes Globe Life Field and Texas Live!

Choctaw does have a presence already at Texas Live! via its Choctaw VIP Lounge, described as a one-of-a-kind, upscale experience with an exclusive beverage menu and premier seating overlooking Live! Arena.

The now Choctaw Stadium was reconfigured from a baseball diamond format to a multi-purpose facility after the Rangers moved across the street in 2019, and was the site of XFL pro football, USL League One pro soccer, and 50 Texas UIL high school football games a year ago.

Pro soccer and high school football return this year and the expansion team Dallas Jackals of Major League Rugby will call Choctaw Stadium home in 2022.

The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma is the third largest Indian Nation in the United States with close to 200,000 tribal members and 10,000 employees. They own Choctaw Casinos & Resorts, which encompasses a variety of gaming, hotel, and resort properties throughout southeastern Oklahoma including Durant, Grant, Pocola, Idabel, Broken Bow, McAlester, Stigler, and Stringtown.

In August 2021, they just completed a major expansion at the Choctaw Casino & Resort – Durant with the addition of the Sky Tower, featuring 1,000 new luxury hotel rooms, 3,300 additional slot machines, table games, a new poker room, new restaurants, bars, movie theaters and three acres of swimming pools.

Choctaw Stadium already has 19 games scheduled through early November, beginning Thursday, August 26, when Arlington Sam Houston hosts Lakeview Centennial High School from Garland at 7 pm.

That will be the first of 14 regular season games involving high schools from the Arlington Independent School District. A total of 16 regular season high school games are scheduled.

In addition, Choctaw Stadium will host three college football games:

September 11: Texas A&M-Commerce of the Lone Star Conference will host Midwestern State University
September 18: Tarleton State University of the Western Athletic Conference will host Southern Utah University
October 9: The Arlington Football Showdown features the Southwestern Athletic Conference matchup of Texas Southern University and Southern University

Parking for games at Choctaw Stadium will be available in Toyota Lot D, Avalon Lot E, Sequoia Lot L, Sienna Lot M, and Highlander Lot N. Parking lots will open 90 minutes prior to kickoff with the Choctaw Stadium gates opening one hour prior to kickoff.

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The Joke Has Landed

New comedy club at Toyota Music Factory in Irving gets set for laughs

Photo by Anna Dolmany

This is the fifth Punch Line location.

It's almost time for Punch Line Irving to open its doors, and Dave Chappelle is at the ready. The famous comedian will christen the new comedy club with four sold-out shows on December 17 and 18, but there's plenty more funny business in store for 2026.

First announced in November, this is Punch Line's fifth location — and second in Texas, the first opened in Houston in 2024 — and it's taking up residence at the Toyota Music Factory. The 240-seat club plans to host more than 350 shows and private events annually, featuring a blend of high-wattage celebrity and homegrown talent.

Its decor nods to the brand's belief that comedy is a sport, with feature wall showcasing punching bags and boxing bells signed by "heavy hitter" performers.

The menu also echoes the theme, with such cocktails as the Bellringer (bourbon, lemonade, and Liquid Death half-and-half iced tea), Ringside Ranch Water (blanco tequila, hibiscus, lime, and soda), and the Espresso All-Star, their take on the espresso martini. Food includes Punch Line favorites like the Mic Drop Burger, Punch Line Nachos, and Homemade Punch Pop Tarts in bourbon apple or strawberry cream.

There is also a second, more flexible space outside the main showroom called The Callback Bar that's designed to host smaller performances, as well as a furnished patio.

Punch Line Irving The Callback Bar.Photo by Anna Dolmany

Photo by Anna Dolmany

This is the fifth Punch Line location.

The talent gets treated as well as the audience, with a private comics lounge in place of a traditional dressing room. Designed as a shared gathering space, it sports a custom media wall showing the live-show feed, a dressing table, a private ensuite restroom, and a hospitality station.

Punch Line makes it a point to support the local comedy scene, and its Irving location will be no exception. Twenty-five cents from each ticket at participating shows benefits Comedy Gives Back, a nonprofit organization providing financial grants and resources to stand-up comedians in need. The club also hosted its first open mic on December 9 to welcome the community, with participating comics donating nonperishable items to the North Texas Food Bank.

Don't fret if you didn't snag tickets to Dave Chappelle — big names like Leslie Jones, Tone Bell, Pete Holmes, and Christina P. all have shows scheduled in the first few months of 2026 and tickets are on sale now.

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