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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Soda News

Texas' favorite soft drink Dr Pepper spins off fruity-creamy new flavor

Dr Pepper

Dr Pepper has a new flavor.

Texas' favorite soda Dr Pepper, loved for its cherry-ish flavor, has a new berry variety: Strawberries & Cream, available in regular and Zero Sugar versions, now on shelves everywhere.

According to a release, Dr Pepper Strawberries & Cream Regular will be offered in 12-packs with 12-ounce cans and also in 20-ounce bottles. The Zero Sugar version will be offered in 12 packs only.

Both will be permanent additions.

The release says that the new flavor combines the original 23 flavors of Dr Pepper but with layers of strawberry flavor and a creamy finish. That sounds like a lot of activity for a little old soda.

"Our expert team of flavor scientists are constantly innovating to bring to life new varieties that will surprise and delight treat seekers and our existing dedicated fans," says Dr Pepper Marketing VP John Alvarado. "Dr Pepper Strawberries & Cream is an exciting evolution for our brand's flavor portfolio as it joins our permanent lineup alongside popular varieties such as Dr Pepper & Cream Soda and Dr Pepper Zero Sugar."

Dr Pepper is part of Keurig Dr Pepper but is also the oldest major soft drink in the United States, around since 1885.

The "23 flavors" theme, which is said to be responsible for its unique taste, is a secret recipe, ooooh, and is thought to include amaretto, almond, blackberry, black licorice, carrot, clove, cherry, caramel, cola, ginger, juniper, lemon, molasses, nutmeg, orange, prune, plum, pepper, root beer, rum, raspberry, tomato, and vanilla.

The current full Dr Pepper lineup includes Regular, Diet, Caffeine Free, Cherry, Zero Sugar, and Cream Soda.

A spokesperson says that Dr Pepper has introduced several LTO flavors over the past few years, including Dr Pepper Fansville Reserve Bourbon and FANtastic Chocolate in celebration of college football season, and Dark Berry, all available for a limited time only.

The spokesperson neglects to mention some other special edition flavors from the past that have included Dr Pepper Red Fusion, Dr Pepper Berries & Cream, Dr Pepper Cherry, Dr Pepper Vanilla Float, and Diet Cherry Chocolate Dr Pepper, which was delicious.

The two best were definitely Heritage Dr Pepper and Dr Pepper "Made With Real Sugar" — best because they used sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. Alas, discontinued.

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