Photo Credit: Calvin Watkins
By Arthur Weinstein on

While there were many problems with Friday night’s much-hyped Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson fight, the sun was not one of them.

That’s partly because the main event went off close to 11 p.m. local time in Dallas. It’s also because the curtains were closed at AT&T Stadium.

The curtains, or absence thereof, at the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium have been a hot topic in recent days. During the Cowboys’ Week 10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas star CeeDee Lamb lost a ball in the sun while open in the end zone. That sparked plenty of debate among fans and media about why the Cowboys don’t use curtains in the stadium during games.

Team owner Jerry Jones angrily reacted to suggestions the Cowboys use curtains.

“Well let’s tear the damn stadium down and build another one? Are you kidding me?” Jones told reporters after the game. “Everybody has got the same thing. Every team that comes in here has the same issues. ”

But the curtains were closed Friday night for the Paul-Tyson fight. Calvin Watkins, Cowboys beat writer for the Dallas News, was one of many who made the observation on social media.

“We got curtains for a sporting event at AT&T Stadium,” he wrote.


As noted, the glare from the setting sun would not have been a factor for the Tyson-Paul bout, given its late start. While the Netflix broadcast began at 7 p.m. local time, events started at the stadium at 4:30 p.m., about an hour before sunset.

So why close the curtains for events that didn’t have a TV start time until after dark? Jones even joked on Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan before the fight that “Netflix specifically didn’t want the curtains” (via Fox 4).

Not surprisingly, NFL media were baffled by the curtains. The Eagles Nation X account posted, “AT&T Stadium put up curtains to block the sun for the prelims of the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson card.. But Jerry Jones won’t let them do it for Cowboys games and let his team be blinded for half the game?”

Other media were equally incredulous to see the curtains closed. At night.

While the sun was not a factor Friday, the Tyson-Paul fight had its own substantial issues. Fans trying to watch the event encountered streaming problems with Netflix throughout the night.

[Calvin Watkins]

About Arthur Weinstein

Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.

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