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Dallas Is Among The Best Cities For Football Fans, Survey Says

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Five stories that have North Texas talking: Dallas is a big football town (what a shock); protesters shout at Muslims in Austin; Stagger Lee opens in Dallas today; and more.

The Dallas Cowboys aren’t in Sunday’s Super Bowl, but Dallas is one of the country’s best cities for football fans. WalletHub has crunched some data and produced a list of 2015’s Best & Worst Cities for Football Fans. Dallas ranks No. 7 on the best list. Green Bay ranks No. 1. How did WalletHub compile the list? “WalletHub analyzed 142 U.S. cities with at least one college or professional football team based on 11 key metrics, ranging from the number of NFL and college football teams to average ticket prices.” Other metrics included fan friendliness, teams’ estimated value, attendance, and the number of people who watch football on TV. Cities in the top 5: East Lansing, Michigan, is No. 2; Pittsburgh is No. 3 and Denver is No. 4. Tuscaloosa, Alabama, is ranked fifth. Dallas fares better compared to other Texas cities – Fort Worth is ranked No. 120. Houston is ranked 50th. Austin is ranked 112th. San Antonio is ranked 125th. The worst city for football fans? Las Vegas.

             

  • Hundreds of Muslims rallied Thursday in Austin as part of Texas Muslim Capitol Day - but a small group of counter-protesters tried to shout them down. As organizers from the Council on American-Islamic Relations began the event, a woman grabbed a microphone erected on the Capitol steps and proclaimed the name of Jesus Christ. The microphone was wrestled back and the rally continued peacefully. But nearby hecklers yelled things like "assimilate or go home." Council Executive Director Mustafaa Carroll said the event began in 2003 and never drew opposition before. Meanwhile, a state representative attracted controversy after she left instructions with her staff that Muslims who entered her office “renounce Islamic terrorist groups” and pledge allegiance to the United States. KERA’s Doualy Xaykaothao was in Austin and has this report. [Associated Press/Texas Tribune/KERA]

  • An imam’s prayer at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo has created a stir. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports: “The Stock Show’s Facebook page lit up this week after Moujahed Bakhach of the Islamic Association of Tarrant County offered the public prayer at Sunday night’s rodeo performance. While many of the comments on the Stock Show’s Facebook page were supportive of the more inclusive prayer policy, most were not. Opposition did not seem personally directed at Bakhach or his words, but expressed outrage at the inclusion of a member of the Islamic clergy during a time of violence and extremism involving radical Muslim terrorists.”

  • Stagger Lee opens today. It’s the Dallas Theater Center’s new musical – and KERA’s Art&Seek has spent the past year following the cast and crew. In the latest installment of the series, KERA’s Jerome Weeks gets a music lesson from composer Justin Ellington. Weeks reports: “Stagger Lee was born here, with a black cast and creative team – and lots of New York connections. A central challenge in this journey through the history of African-American music: how to evoke the spirit of a decade in just a few chords.” Explore the Stagger Lee series here.

  • The Dallas Opera’s Everest has its world premiere tonight. KERA’s Bill Zeeble reports: “Celebrated British composer Joby Talbot has written for film, television and ballet. Now, at 43, he’s composed his first opera that gets its world premiere by the Dallas Opera. Everest tells a tale pulled together from survivor stories, including that of North Texan Dr. Beck Weathers.” Learn more here.
Eric Aasen is KERA’s managing editor. He helps lead the station's news department, including radio and digital reporters, producers and newscasters. He also oversees keranews.org, the station’s news website, and manages the station's digital news projects. He reports and writes stories for the website and contributes pieces to KERA radio. He's discussed breaking news live on various public radio programs, including The Takeaway, Here & Now and Texas Standard, as well as radio and TV programs in New Zealand and the United Kingdom.