Over the past decade, many critics will argue that professional football has become America’s new national pastime, beating out professional baseball, and I would have to agree with this notion.

Professional football over the last decade has topped professional baseball in total revenue, and it looks like baseball is soon going to be left in the dust in the popularity race as well.

The main reason for this change is due to the fact that the entertainment value of professional football has grown exponentially.

People no longer necessarily go to a football game to cheer on their team. Some go for social reasons. A football game is now a once a week party that everyone wants to attend.

Consequently, more professional football stadiums than baseball stadiums have waiting lists for season tickets.

As we enter into a new decade of sports, one can look to the newest National Football League’s stadium, built by the Dallas Cowboys, as a precursor of things to come. However, this precursor is something that many diehard professional football fans may not want to see.

The Dallas Cowboys’ new stadium is very over the top, as it is the most expensive stadium yet, costing around 1.5 billion dollars.

Moreover, the monitor is a whopping 159 feet by 71 feet, making it the largest scoreboard to date. What’s more, the monitor is an HD screen and with the aid of 3D glasses, one can potentially view the game in 3D.

This stunt was actually tried out during a December 2009 game versus the San Diego Chargers during the third quarter, and it failed due to nausea complaints by fans after viewing the screen for too long.

The stadium has the most skyboxes of any stadium in the NFL. However, while the stadium is mammoth, expensive and amazing, it is not necessarily a better home field advantage for the Cowboys, compared to the rest of the league.

Stadiums should be known for how loud the fans can get, rather than how big the scoreboard is or what type of dimension the game can be watched in. Furthermore, people in skyboxes can get so wrapped up in the entertainment side of football that they can forget to cheer for their team.

This rowdiness is the true essence of a home field crowd.

Fans need to be motivated to get loud for their team, not motivated to stare in awe at a giant scoreboard with their jaws dropped in silence.

Since the new stadium has so much devoted to the entertainment side of the sport, it can potentially hurt the Dallas Cowboys’ chances at winning home games.

Coincidentally, some of the best home records in football are in Indianapolis and Minnesota, which are some of the loudest stadiums in the NFL.

The main reason these stadiums are so loud is because they are dome stadiums, like the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium can be with the roof closed.

If Dallas Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones continues to strive for more ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ in dealing with his stadium than actually getting the fans loud and cheering for their team, then Dallas will not make it back to the playoffs next year because the team won’t be motivated to play for a bunch of fans too engrossed in gimmicks and non-football amusement to even cheer for their home team.