Mr B wrote:Micah Prescott wrote:Mr B wrote:The absolute best snake oil salesman that ever lived. He already has the masses buying and drinking his elixir.
Maybe I just don't see what you guys are seeing but I don't think there is anyone rooting for the team because of Jerry Jones.
This vid explains how "America's Team" came to be in 1978, but in this video they explain that the Dallas Cowboys were already the most popular team in the NFL and dominated TV ratings before being labeled America's Team.
It's weird to me TBH. I kind of always thought that moniker was the reason the Cowboys were so popular, but I don't think that's it. I am not sure why the country latched on. I guess the entire country just loved Roger Staubach, maybe he was the Jordan of the time, but not even the Bulls created a nation wide following like the Cowboys. So IDK maybe everyone just really liked the star on the helmet. It's really fascinating to me.
And IMO Jerry has nothing to do with it. He isn't great at selling, he just lucked into the best sports franchise investment of all time. If Jerry had purchased the Houston Oilers instead this wouldn't have happened. I mean the team is viral, it just sells itself.
Maybe God did it. Maybe it really is "God's Team".
Here’s my opinion, maybe BJJ and Otis can chime in too since I’m a little too young to have watched the Cowboys in the 60’s and 70’s.
There was a lot of national pride during that time and the simple fact that the Cowboys wore a star on their helmet and the fact that they had a guy from the Navy as their QB (Captain America) helped make them popular. Also they were really good team. Also the cheerleaders were hugely popular.
When it comes to Jerry, true he didn’t create the America’s team moniker (the Cowboys weren’t even Sabol’s first choice to be called America’s team). When Jerry took over the Cowboys though they were in a pretty low state. The game had passed Tom Landry by, the team was bad, and they weren’t really making any money. The best thing they had going for them were the cheerleaders.
Jerry mentioned that when he was considering buying the team he toured Texas Stadium and the first thing he realized is that there was no alcohol sold in the stadium. So the first thing he did when he bought the team was to start selling beer. He amped up the marketing of the team and allowed his football guys to do their thing. They brought a championship within 4 years of buying the team which made them hugely popular again. Plus they still had the cheerleaders.
On top of what you mentioned above, it also had to do with
WINNING. From 1966-1985 was one hell of a ride and pretty much a historic run at that. Only missed the playoffs once in that whole 20 year span which came in 1974 with an 8-6 record only to lose out in a tie breaker to the Redskins in a strike year. 2 NFL championship appearances, 5 Super bowl appearances and in a 17 year span were in the NFC championship 12 times. Also during that span we had many
great players on the team, unlike today and the past 28 years. I define great players as those that showed up and played their best football when it mattered most. Great talent doesn't mean you are a great layer which is something that has stood out to me the past 3 decades.
And I've mentioned this before a number of times. Football is a head coach and QB league. We had a Hall Of Fame coach and QB back then with an owner that didn't mettle and stayed out of all football operations. Nobody even knew who Clint Murchinson was till it was time to receive a trophy. Besides Landry, we also had some players that revolutionized the game of football such as Bullet Bob Hayes. Nobody could cover the guy and today we have zone defenses because of him. And that's without bringing up legends like Lilly, Randy White, Too Tall Jones, Mel Renfro, Dorsett and many others.
I'm so ashamed what Jerry and his culture has done to this once proud and traditional franchise. I'm extremely hurt by what I have been looking at over the past 2 decades.
And to your other point, I don't think game passed by Tom Landry. Otis posted a really nice piece a few years ago which explains our mutual hatred of Gil Brandt. Gil Brandt took over all scouting and drafting operations. Go back and look at all Cowboy drafts starting in 1980 and tell me Landry was the one responsible for the condition of the Cowboys roster by 1986.