{"id":470972,"date":"2025-12-25T15:15:43","date_gmt":"2025-12-25T15:15:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/470972\/"},"modified":"2025-12-25T15:15:43","modified_gmt":"2025-12-25T15:15:43","slug":"worst-of-dallas-2025-politics-trends-news-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/470972\/","title":{"rendered":"Worst of Dallas 2025: Politics, Trends, News, Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every fall, we publish our Best of Dallas issue<\/a>, the Observer\u2019s biggest print edition of the year. In those pages, we highlight an enormous amount of people, places and things that make living in North Texas so colorful, delicious and exciting.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

But this isn\u2019t that issue. Quite the opposite.<\/p>\n

Welcome to the 2025 Worst of Dallas issue, just in time for Christmas, because that\u2019s just the kind of people we are \u2014 smartasses. Even for those of us who love Dallas with all of our Katy Trail jogging, Peticolas drinking hearts, there are things we have a hard time looking past around here. Dallas and the greater North Texas region, beyond the city limits, are simply too expansive not to have countless opportunities for residents to be incensed, inconvenienced, and annoyed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Some may say that the Observer\u2019s effort to highlight such frustrations means we\u2019re looking to divide <\/a>or proffer rage bait, but that\u2019s far from the truth. We want to connect with you, our readers, in a \u2018misery loves company\u2019 type of way, as you surely relate to many, if not all, of the following items on this list. If the Best of Dallas issue is a celebration, consider this issue a commiseration.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThis year, make your gift count \u2013
Invest in local news that matters.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOur work is funded by readers like you who make voluntary gifts because they value our work and want to see it continue. Make a contribution today to help us reach our $30,000 goal!\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Think about it. You likely have a favorite bar in town<\/a>, right? In Dallas, that likely means you have to Uber there or valet park your vehicle. Both scenarios tend to bring about irritation on a busy Saturday night. Even if the fun you have once you\u2019re sipping your drink inside is worth the hassle, it\u2019s unavoidable that even a beloved experience starts with a pain in the ass.<\/p>\n

What about that City Council member<\/a> you helped get elected? They don\u2019t always come through for you and your neighbors the way you wish they would, now, do they? And we know our local professional sports franchises have seemingly made it their mission to piss us all off in 2025. We\u2019re forever fans, of course, but you know as well as we do that we get hurt most by the ones we love the dearest.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s OK for us to talk about that and maybe even have a little fun at that headache\u2019s expense.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Many people have told us over the years that the Best of Dallas collection serves as a fun sort of to-do list. Below, the Worst of Dallas might offer you more in the way of things to avoid in Dallas, if you can.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Worst Hat<\/p>\n

Upside Down Dallas Caps<\/strong><\/p>\n

At some point in the last couple of years, you\u2019ve almost certainly had to do a double-take when someone walking past you is wearing a ballcap that seems to have \u201csalad\u201d boldly embroidered on it. It\u2019s not a salad hat, but a True Brvnd \u201cupside down\u201d hat. Yes, even the brand\u2019s name and logo do the upside-down thing with a v instead of an a. We get it. <\/p>\n

So, cool, dudes all over town rock lids with SALLAD on them because why the hell not, we guess. The hats have taken over other cities and even colleges, too. They\u2019re everywhere, but it doesn\u2019t mean we have to like them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Worst New Ritual<\/p>\n

Yelling \u201cFlag\u201d During the National Anthem<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dallas Stars fans have been yelling \u201cstars!\u201d during the national anthem before hockey games for decades now. We\u2019re not hating on that. Reports indicate a Marine helped start the tradition, and we\u2019re all for calling out support for our team. But now, Mavericks fans, the ones who are left<\/a>, have taken to yelling \u201cflag!\u201d in honor of star rookie Cooper Flagg when that word comes around during pre-game anthem singing.<\/p>\n

As we said, Stars fans are lifting the team up with their voice, not a single player, and come on, Cooper\u2019s last name isn\u2019t even spelled the same way as it\u2019s used in the anthem. Where does it end, people? Can we yell \u201clight!\u201d because the lights are on in the building? How about \u201cair!\u201d since we\u2019re breathing while the song plays on? We might as well shout \u201chome!\u201d when the game is at the American Airlines Center. Besides, how long will Flagg be a Mavericks player anyway?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Worst Use of AI<\/p>\n

Charlie Kirk at Prestonwood Baptist Church<\/strong><\/p>\n

People on both sides of the political aisle and from all religions were shocked and horrified by the September murder of conservative pundit Charlie Kirk at a Utah college event. Understandably, right-wing Christians, Kirk\u2019s core constituency, likely took his death the hardest. Pastors across the U.S. mourned Kirk during their sermons the Sunday after his death. <\/p>\n

However, one of the largest churches in the nation, Prestonwood Baptist in Plano, took a creepy turn <\/a>when lead pastor Jack Graham introduced an AI-generated presentation featuring Kirk speaking from beyond the grave, telling congregants to \u201cdry your tears, pick up your cross and get back in the fight.\u201d Although Graham told the crowd he had decided to share the audio with them just before the service, when it was shared with him, Prestonwood was joined by a few other large churches in other parts of the country that same day in ceding the pulpit to Kirk from his heavenly home.<\/p>\n

Worst Waste of Taxpayer Money<\/p>\n

Legal Action Against Poker Room and Short-Term Rentals<\/strong><\/p>\n

We were tempted to anoint Mayor Eric Johnson\u2019s African excursion <\/a>here, but as superfluous as the dream vacation was, the city didn\u2019t foot the part of the massive bill that allowed Johnson to book the deluxe accommodations. Instead, we\u2019ll highlight here a pair of long-time battles that City Hall has continued to fight through 2025, even as the city continued to lose battle after battle, incurring hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After banning nearly all short-term rentals in 2023, the city has been on the losing end of ruling after ruling<\/a>, allowing Airbnb operators to continue booking guests despite objections from some neighborhood activists. Another lengthy and costly war likely came to an end in September when the Texas Supreme Court declined to review the city\u2019s appeal of a previous ruling that allowed poker rooms to remain open. Making matters worse for Dallas is that the city was basically suing itself, fighting the poker room case<\/a> against its own Board of Adjustment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Worst Change of Mind<\/p>\n

Dallas Marijuana Decriminalization\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The November 2024 special election offered several proposed amendments to the city charter that garnered significant attention due to the substantial changes they would represent. A new police staffing requirement and the city\u2019s potential liability for lawsuits were up for a vote. So too was Proposition R, which sought to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana, and was overwhelmingly approved by voters.<\/p>\n

Predictably, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton immediately filed suit against the city for allegedly subverting state law, a move he had been battling in court against several other cities. Just a few months later, the city teamed with Paxton to block <\/a>the enforcement of Prop. R after a less-than-encouraging appeals court ruling. Perhaps Dallas needed the money to fight their legal battles in other areas.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"HolidayThe Preston Hollow Holiday House in full display.<\/p>\n

The Preston Hollow Holiday House\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Last Christmas, a Preston Hollow mansion went viral<\/a> and absolutely no one was normal about it. Thousands of people came out to see the extreme light show, trampling through yards and running across roads. It became so chaotic that the Dallas Police Department had to intervene to provide traffic control, which cost taxpayers. The Dallas City Council was emphatic that this sort of mayhem can\u2019t happen again. Except they sat on that idea for 12 months, and now, what do you know, it\u2019s Christmas again.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

This year, the homeowners leaned into a Grinch-themed display (Is that shade towards the City Council? Cindy Lou Who\u2019s to say?), and while the fervor surrounding the home hasn\u2019t seemed to reach last year\u2019s level, a handful of Instagram reels showing off the lights have reached views into the millions. It is a bit crazy that the social media algorithm could suddenly skyrocket a home in your neighborhood into virality, leading to headaches for all.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"LukaThe sad loss of Luka Doncic to the Lakers.<\/p>\n

Worst Betrayal of the Dallas People<\/p>\n

The Luka Trade<\/strong><\/p>\n

If the trade of Luka Doncic \u2014 the son of Dallas, the chosen one destined to lead the Mavericks to a championship \u2014 had occurred a year earlier, someone would have easily gotten enough signatures to get the firing of (now former) Mavericks\u2019 General Manager Nico Harrison onto the Dallas City Charter. We dare say the voters would have passed the measure unanimously, so relentless was the vitriol Harrison\u2019s decision to send Luka to L.A. inspired.<\/p>\n

You didn\u2019t think this travesty would get left off this type of list, did you? This is a town of toddlers and goldendoodles named Luka, and the middle-of-the-night send-off was something most Mavs fans haven\u2019t, and likely will never, get over. Our only consolation, as this year comes to a close, is that Harrison was indeed fired. Still, we want Luka back.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Worst Policy Change\u00a0<\/p>\n

Southwest Airlines\u2019 Two-Bag Policy\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

When Southwest Airlines announced the end of its long-time \u201ctwo bags fly free\u201d policy<\/a>, a piece of our soul died. We warned that the decision to discard a policy at the heart of the company\u2019s founding ethos was a harbinger of more dire consequences to come. And indeed, Southwest Airlines has since devalued its own points system, introduced assigned seating, and though we can\u2019t prove it, we swear the flights are more expensive than they used to be.<\/p>\n

For the Dallasites who had sworn fealty to our hometown airline, who spent decades believing that it flew above the rest precisely because of its people-first approach to travel, Southwest Airlines\u2019 fall from grace was among the worst things to happen in 2025.<\/p>\n

Worst Policy Change (Runner-Up)<\/p>\n

Dos Equis Parking Passes\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Earlier this month, Dos Equis Pavilion announced that, starting in 2026, it would charge separately for parking passes. Expectedly, Dallasites were pissed. The venue stated that the idea was to allow ticket buyers the freedom to be exempt from the fee if they preferred transportation through modes such as rideshare apps or DART. For us, it felt like free parking.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While we understand that nobility, we can\u2019t help but wonder if it\u2019s going to make a bad situation worse. Have you ever tried to get in and out of that lot for a sold-out show before? It\u2019s a sanity-testing abyss to begin with, and we\u2019d like to hope that the team at the venue has figured out a way to make parking passes smoother, but we\u2019re less than optimistic.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Worst Speakeasy (Because It Isn\u2019t Really A Speakeasy)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ball and Buck\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The speakeasy: a piece of American history stemming from the days of Prohibition, when all the miscreants whispered secret passwords and snuck through hidden doors to drink old-fashioneds and dry martinis with alcohol provided by the mafia. The need for secret back-alley bars ended when the 18th Amendment banning alcohol was repealed, but that has done absolutely nothing to stop stuffy, dim-lit bars with no signage from charging $21 for a Tito\u2019s concoction with a twist.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ball and Buck is like no other speakeasy, mostly because it traded the full-service bar for racks of expensive American-made men\u2019s clothing. Don\u2019t be fooled by the large and obvious sign on the side of the building that reads \u201cBall and Buck Sporting Goods.\u201d That\u2019s a front; it\u2019s actually a store inside a store. The secret-ish flagship of the men\u2019s clothing brand is conveniently tucked behind an unassuming buck-hunting arcade game in the corner of a fake tackle shop on Knox Street. At the very least, in an ode to the days of Capone, while you shuffle through $150 camo-print button-downs, the store offers complimentary beer on tap and bourbon, though it\u2019s no bathtub gin.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"HolidayThe Skellig in holiday mode.<\/p>\n

Worst (Easiest) Place To Run Into a Y\u2019all Street Broker\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Skellig\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you squint, Dallas isn\u2019t really all that different from New York City. We have a dazzling skyline, a sometimes scary public transportation system, at least a half-dozen rats and starting next year, our very own stock exchange. If you wanted even more finance bros in Dallas, you\u2019re getting \u2018em, and there\u2019s no better place to run into one of them than at their unofficial after-hours headquarters, The Skellig.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What about the Irish pub in Knox Henderson attracts such a large quantity of just-graduated-from-SMU men after a long, grueling day of work at their father\u2019s Fortune 500 company is beyond us. But the Skellig\u2019s fish and chips almost warrant their reputation for bar-to-door Saturday night crowds packed with upside-down-Dallas hat wearers holding an AMEX.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"TheIs there always a line outside Double Ds on Thursday nights?<\/p>\n

Worst Line To Stand In\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Double D\u2019s on a Random Thursday Night<\/strong><\/p>\n

Picture this: The night is young, you\u2019re feeling hot and the dancefloor calls, so you rally your pals for a midweek night out on the town. Who hasn\u2019t clocked into a Friday shift hungover, anyway? You saunter to one of the best clubs in the city, Double D\u2019s in the Design District, but to your utter shock and horror, there\u2019s already a line wrapped around the corner at 10 p.m. <\/p>\n

It seemed that the entire city heard the call of the discotheque, and they all responded.\u00a0On a positive note, though, perhaps that\u2019s just what happens when a bar has some of the nicest bartenders and the best DJs this city has to offer. <\/p>\n

Worst Piece of Folklore<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Bullet Train\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Scots have the Loch Ness Monster. Mexico has the chupacabra. But here in Dallas, we have something far more terrifying: the Texas Central Railway. They say if you listen closely while stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on hour five of the should-be 3.5-hour trek between Dallas and Houston, you can hear the soft whistle of the Ghost of Texas Central Railway blowing in the distance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The proposed bullet train, which was first conceptualized in the \u201870s, when Texas still had Democratic governors, has haunted the nightmares of those with any logistical (and budgetary) awareness of rail construction for the last 50 years. We should probably resolve our existing Dallas Area Rapid Transit system woes before we start seriously planning any more massive public transportation projects. But maybe if we say \u201cbullet train\u201d in the mirror three times fast, Amtrak and $40 billion will appear.<\/p>\n

\"\"The worst highway is Spur 366 interchange with Interstate 35E.<\/p>\n

Worst Stretch of Freeway<\/p>\n

Woodall Rodgers Freeway<\/strong><\/p>\n

A septic artery runs through the heart of Dallas, pumping broken dreams and King Ranch Ford exhaust straight into your soul, and it\u2019s called Woodall Fuck You Rodgers Freeway. Texas A&M\u2019s Transportation Institute has ranked this east-west thoroughfare as the third most congested segment in the state. <\/p>\n

Unfortunately, if you want to traverse to I-35, I-45, I-30 or Central Expressway anywhere near downtown, you\u2019re bound to\u00a0this park underpass. And once you get through it \u2014 where signs instruct you which way to run in case of fire \u2014 you\u2019re faced with a moral crossroad:\u00a0get in line and wait your turn like the sucker you are, or be one of the total a-holes blazing an outside lane to dive-bomb the front of the line. And for the people who break down every day (every! day!) inside that fluorescent smog-scape, they don\u2019t deserve any special punishment (not that I\u2019ve not pondered it): the tunnel has already\u00a0done enough.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Worst Proposed\u00a0Sports Franchise Move<\/p>\n

Dallas Stars to the Northern Suburbs<\/strong><\/p>\n

Want nice Dallas sports things? TOO BAD! If this city had to get a face tattoo, that would be it. When the Dallas Stars brought hockey to the city in 1993, Reunion Arena was the perfect home: packed and loud. Local sports fans were instantly hooked. The American Airlines Center, which the team shares with the Dallas Mavericks and many touring shows, has been a wonderful second home for the team. The bars and restaurants in the surrounding neighborhood are great for a pregame dinner or postgame drink. Generational fun, dare we say. <\/p>\n

But, no, we just can\u2019t have nice things. The Stars are eyeing a $1 billion Collin County home as the American Airlines Center is allegedly outdated and they want to own the land around it. Hearing this news from the team this year was just gutting. And there\u2019s a shortage of\u00a0premium seating, which has nothing to do with the real fans in three hundreds.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Worst Politician To Receive Emails From<\/p>\n

Ken Paxton<\/strong><\/p>\n

The subject lines of emails from the office of our state\u2019s attorney general (and possibly next U.S. senator) read like a Fox News-branded Madlibs. \u201cAttorney General Ken Paxton Launches Tip Line to Stop Woke State Entities from Allowing Mentally Ill Men to Invade Women\u2019s Spaces,\u201d read a recent press release from Paxton\u2019s office. Another reads \u201cAttorney General Ken Paxton Defeats Repeat Loser Beto O\u2019Rourke in Court for Third Time.\u201d If they weren\u2019t so frivolously cartoonish, they\u2019d almost be iconic. The soon-to-be divorced dad lives in McKinney when he\u2019s not in Austin, so he\u2019s more local than we might want to admit.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When he\u2019s not \u201cinvestigating\u201d SHEIN, he\u2019s making sure you know he\u2019s \u201cinvestigating\u201d the Discord app because Charlie Kirk\u2019s assassin enjoyed using it. He also finds time to sue everyone from the Biden administration to tech companies Sony and Samsung to \u2014 checks notes \u2014 gaming apps like Roblox. For all we know, he\u2019s drafting up a subject line for a lawsuit press release with your name on it as you read this.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Influencers Who Call Popular Places \u201cHidden Gems\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Listen, we don\u2019t even need to name any names here, because first, there are so many, and printing pages costs money. And second, if you\u2019re from Dallas (or have even just called it home for more than a few years, really), you\u2019ve already muted the worst offenders on your social media app of choice.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

You scroll and instinctively groan at a version of \u201cCome with me to check out this hidden dive bar that more people should be talking about,\u201d and it\u2019s literally the long-celebrated, beloved Lakewood Landing. Thanks for that esoteric tip. We\u2019re excited to share our home with newcomers, to be sure, but we aren\u2019t interested in being city-splained to by someone with a tiny mic and a CapCut Pro subscription.<\/p>\n

Worst Idea That\u2019s Only Going to Get Worse in 2026<\/p>\n

Potentially Moving Dallas City Hall<\/strong><\/p>\n

The estimated cost to bring the iconic I.M. Pei-designed building \u2014 loved by some, hated by others<\/a> \u2014 ranges from $152 million to $345 million. That\u2019s a pretty hefty range for repairs. Imagine if your plumber gave you an estimate to repair a leak that ranged from $150 to $320. You\u2019d call another plumber, right? The city now has a committee in place to obtain a more accurate estimate for fixing years of deferred maintenance. (Here\u2019s a koan for you: If a building is torn down before the maintenance is done, was the maintenance deferred? Sounds like one long demo to us.)<\/p>\n

However, the vibe on the City Council seems to be leaning toward finding a new home, which has already angered many people. Toss in talk of replacing City Hall with an arena for the Mavericks and\/or a future casino. Consider the chance that city offices will be relocated to privately owned commercial properties and this promises to be the start of the municipal equivalent of a bench-clearing donnybrook at an MLB game. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Every fall, we publish our Best of Dallas issue, the Observer\u2019s biggest print edition of the year. In…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":470973,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5135],"tags":[5229,13239,29750,1596,3139,358,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969,1572],"class_list":{"0":"post-470972","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-city-hall","10":"tag-cover-story","11":"tag-dallas","12":"tag-dallas-mavericks","13":"tag-texas","14":"tag-tx","15":"tag-united-states","16":"tag-united-states-of-america","17":"tag-unitedstates","18":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","19":"tag-us","20":"tag-usa","21":"tag-year-in-review"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115780867488291292","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470972","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=470972"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470972\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/470973"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=470972"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=470972"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=470972"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}