The Cowboys Are Nothing More Than An Entertainment Company

Two days removed from committing 14 penalties and calling one of the most absurd late game plays in history, it is finally time for the American public to come to the stark realization that the Dallas Cowboys are not an NFL franchise striving to win Super Bowls, but instead an entertainment company, whose primary mission is to churn out content, create and develop personalities and continually construct attractions designed to soak every last dime out of the brand’s loyal following of customers. 

How else do you explain the fact that this highly mediocre franchise still proudly carries the moniker of “America’s Team?” Or that an organization that has not won a Super Bowl or even reached a conference title game in 27 years is worth more than any other team on the planet? Why is it that despite going decades without accomplishing anything of note, the Cowboys spend more minutes in primetime than a “Law and Order” spinoff? 

Let’s start with the omnipresent Jerry Jones. The only owner in sports whose resumé includes team general manager, team spokesman, de facto NFL commissioner, TV and commercial star and multiple time public drunk. Forget about Dak or Zeke, the man in the owner’s box is the star of the show. Walt Disney himself keeping a watchful eye on his cast of characters running around in costumes entertaining the masses. Almost every top Cowboy storyline involves Jerry. The boring and highly uneventful Dak contract negotiation. Mike McCarthy lying to the boss about watching every play of the 2019 season. No matter where you look its Jerry, Jerry, Jerry, 24/7. 

Speaking of 24/7, when was the last time you turned on a TV and did not see a former Cowboy describing the benefits of the play action pass? Aikman and Romo have the big jobs. Michael Irvin and formerly Deion Sanders basically ran the NFL Network. Let's not forget about Jimmy Johnson, Moose Johnston, Darren Woodson, the amazing Jason Witten Monday night experience and so much more. It is as if the Cowboys locker-room is a satellite campus of the Connecticut School of Broadcasting. 

Then there is Jerry World. A venue boasting of a scoreboard that sits in the flightpath of punts, forcing ticket buying fans in the upper deck to watch the game on TV, as opposed to you know, the field. AT&T pays $20 million a year to slap their name on an attraction, not a football stadium. The 10 or 11 Cowboy home games are nothing more than seat fillers for a stadium that has become the world headquarters for every conceivable neutral site college football game, sporting event or concert trying to set an attendance record, while simultaneously serving as the backup location for anything originally scheduled for California. 

Speaking of attractions, how about their practice facility in Frisco? While some may think it is a hub for players and coaches trying to win championships, in reality it is simply the impetus for Ford and Tostitos to slap their names on adjoining football and event spaces and for Jerry to receive massive additional checks from the hotel, restaurants, bars and shops that just so happen to surround the training complex. 

Even holding training camp in Oxnard, California exists for no other reason than bilking parking money, concessions and VIP viewing out of people who do not have the word “Texas” on their license plate. 

So, instead of chastising the Cowboys comical efforts on the field, let’s instead celebrate the genius of one Jerry Wayne Jones. The man who built an entertainment empire without laying claim to any football achievements of significance since Dak Prescott was six months shy of his second birthday.