4 December 25 - 31, 2025 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Classified | MusiC | dish | Culture | unfair Park | Contents E very fall, we publish our Best of Dallas issue, the Observer’s big- gest print edition of the year. In those pages, we highlight an enor- mous amount of people, places and things that make living in North Texas so colorful, delicious and exciting. But this isn’t that issue. Quite the oppo- site. Welcome to the 2025 Worst of Dallas is- sue, just in time for Christmas, because that’s just the kind of people we are — smart- asses. 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 an- noyed. Some may say that the Observer’s effort to highlight such frustrations means we’re looking to divide or proffer rage bait, but that’s far from the truth. We want to connect with you, our readers, in a ‘misery loves company’ 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 celebra- tion, consider this issue a commiseration. Think about it. You likely have a favorite bar in town, 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’re sipping your drink inside is worth the hassle, it’s un- avoidable that even a beloved experience starts with a pain in the ass. What about that City Council member you helped get elected? They don’t 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 mis- sion to piss us all off in 2025. We’re forever fans, of course, but you know as well as we do that we get hurt most by the ones we love the dearest. It’s OK for us to talk about that and maybe even have a little fun at that head- ache’s expense. 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. Worst Hat Upside Down Dallas Caps At some point in the last couple of years, you’ve almost certainly had to do a double- take when someone walking past you is wear- ing a ballcap that seems to have “salad” boldly embroidered on it. It’s not a salad hat, but a True Brvnd “upside down” hat. Yes, even the brand’s name and logo do the upside-down thing with a v instead of an a. We get it. 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’re everywhere, but it doesn’t mean we have to like them. Worst New Ritual Yelling “Flag” During the National Anthem Dallas Stars fans have been yelling “stars!” during the national anthem before hockey games for decades now. We’re not hating on that. Reports indicate a Marine helped start the tradition, and we’re all for calling out support for our team. But now, Mavericks fans, the ones who are left, have taken to yelling “flag!” in honor of star rookie Cooper Flagg when that word comes around during pre-game anthem singing. As we said, Stars fans are lifting the team up with their voice, not a single player, and come on, Cooper’s last name isn’t even spelled the same way as it’s used in the an- them. Where does it end, people? Can we yell “light!” because the lights are on in the building? How about “air!” since we’re breathing while the song plays on? We might as well shout “home!” when the game is at the American Airlines Center. Besides, how long will Flagg be a Mavericks player anyway? Worst Use of AI Charlie Kirk at Prestonwood Baptist Church People on both sides of the political aisle and from all religions were shocked and horri- fied by the September murder of conserva- tive pundit Charlie Kirk at a Utah college event. Understandably, right-wing Chris- tians, Kirk’s core constituency, likely took his death the hardest. Pastors across the U.S. mourned Kirk during their sermons the Sunday after his death. However, one of the largest churches in the nation, Prestonwood Baptist in Plano, took a creepy turn when lead pastor Jack Graham introduced an AI-generated pre- sentation featuring Kirk speaking from be- yond the grave, telling congregants to “dry your tears, pick up your cross and get back in the fight.” 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. Worst Waste of Taxpayer Money Legal Action Against Poker Room and Short- Term Rentals We were tempted to anoint Mayor Eric John- son’s African excursion here, but as superflu- ous as the dream vacation was, the city didn’t foot the part of the massive bill that allowed Johnson to book the deluxe accommoda- tions. Instead, we’ll highlight here a pair of long-time battles that City Hall has continued to fight through 2025, even as the city contin- ued to lose battle after battle, incurring hun- dreds of thousands of dollars in losses. After banning nearly all short-term rentals in 2023, the city has been on the losing end of ruling after ruling, 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’s appeal of a previous ruling that allowed poker rooms to remain open. Making matters worse for Dal- las is that the city was basically suing itself, fighting the poker room case against its own Board of Adjustment. Worst Change of Mind Dallas Marijuana Decriminalization 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 require- ment and the city’s potential liability for lawsuits were up for a vote. So too was Prop- osition R, which sought to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana, and was over- whelmingly approved by voters. 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 the en- forcement of Prop. R after a less- | UNFAIR PARK | The Worst of Dallas 2025 Come on, join the commiseration. Take a look at what made Dallas not always great this year. BY THE DALLAS OBSERVER STAFF Photo-Illustratgion by Sarah Schumacher; Sam Hodde/Getty Images; Drew Angerer/Getty Images; Wikimedia; Adobe StockPhoto >> p6
