2024 All-Star Game Brings Major League Baseball’s Spotlight Back to Arlington

Months after winning its first world championship, the Texas Rangers are back in the Major League Baseball spotlight this month with Globe Life Field ready for all the pomp and circumstance that comes with another of MLB’s crown jewels.

The World Series itself is a major event — especially for the two fan bases when the Rangers outlasted the Arizona Diamondbacks in October. The 2024 All-Star Game will be an event for every Major League Baseball fan base plus those who may only be casual fans of the sport and check out the event on a slow night at home.

“This will be a love letter from Arlington to the world to say, ‘Hey, come check this out,’” said Matt Wilson, senior vice president, sports and events at the Arlington Sports Commission. “I’m so proud for the citizens of this city who have been so supportive of all the asks we’ve made over the years. This is the payoff. This is Christmas morning for us — when you talk about Christmas all year, it’s time to open presents.”

The 94th Midsummer Classic will be played at Globe Life Field on July 16, marking the second All-Star Game to be hosted by the Rangers following the 1995 All-Star Game at The Ballpark in Arlington, the Rangers’ previous home that is now known as Choctaw Stadium. Before being awarded the 2024 game, the Rangers had the fifth longest drought of all MLB teams when it came to hosting the event.

“The excitement comes from, one, the enormity of the game and how global this game is,” Wilson said. “It used be the All-Star Game was a one day, maybe two-day event. Now, this is really a celebration of baseball. There’s so much good that comes into the community from MLB, from the Texas Rangers, that it’s been so much fun to be a part of all of that and see how it marries up with the fact that Arlington itself is so much different and we’re so excited to show it off to a global audience.”

There’s also the Arlington branding for this event, a point of pride for those who live and work there.

“For us to be able to stand on our own for the most part and have all these things here, something that we haven’t ever been able to do, I think it comes from a concerted effort from the entire community,” Wilson said. “When you see the red-carpet event on that Tuesday afternoon, to see all of that emanating in an area that used to just be parking lots — I mean, literally just a couple of years ago, it was all just parking lots. And now the eyes of the entire sports world will be on 650,000 square feet of space in Arlington. It’s really cool to see and fun to be a part of that.”

Ancillary Events on Tap

In addition to the All-Star Game, Arlington will host the HBCU Swingman Classic on July 12, All-Star Futures Game and Celebrity Softball Game on July 13, then the Home Run Derby on July 15. The MLB Draft for the fourth consecutive year will be part of All-Star Week with opening night on July 14 at the Cowtown Coliseum in the heart of Fort Worth Stockyards.

MLB’s fan festival will be at Choctaw Stadium and encompass Esports Stadium and the North Lawn to create a uniquely one-of-a-kind baseball theme park in the heart of the Arlington Entertainment District. The All-Star Commissioner’s Cup and Jennie Finch Classic will be played at the Texas Rangers MLB Youth Academy in Dallas from July 12–15.

“We’re already seeing the banners and the artwork and all that stuff going up,” said Wilson, whose office view includes Choctaw Stadium. “The excitement’s building. People are asking me about it when I go eat at restaurants. This is why you do what we do — whenever you host these events and people get excited about it because, and I’m not trying to romanticize this but man, this is what changes people’s lives. It helps them make more money. It helps them have more opportunities. This is helping the economy, but it’s also a lot of fun.”

As anticipation builds throughout Arlington, there’s one event Wilson is getting more ticket requests from “new friends” than any other — “Home Run Derby is just a cool event,” Wilson said. “There’s nothing like it in any other sport. I don’t think that there’s another skill competition that can come close to Home Run Derby.”

Just don’t expect any surprise participants on that night: “They have not asked me to participate,” Wilson said with a laugh. “I’ve got warning track power. If they want to bring in the fence a little bit, I can do about 10 swings before my shoulder would give out.”