Posted on 09/08/2014 3:37:26 PM PDT by 11th_VA
ARLINGTON, Texas – The swaths of red, San Francisco 49ers red, spread and leached through the stands at AT&T Stadium. It was all over the end zones. It dominated the third deck and standing room areas. It even scattered through the most expensive club seat sections.
Red here. Red there. Red everywhere.
It didn't just speak to the traveling might and national appeal of the Niners. It wasn't just about the power of a Super Bowl contender that would cruise to a 28-17 victory that was far more lopsided than the score suggests.
It also said plenty about the willingness of Dallas Cowboys fans to unload their tickets, or never bother to buy them, for the opener of a season that seems to carry so little promise.
Fifty-percent red? Sixty-percent red? Whatever it was, the number was big, shockingly big for the first game of the season when seemingly every team has hope and the excitement of a live game and a full tailgate is in full swing.
Jerry Jones said he didn't notice.
"Did you count," he asked of the number of Niners fans in attendance?
He owns the Cowboys and owns the building so he was getting paid no matter what. There were 91,174 here, so it was a good day for business.
He's also the team's general manager, so from his luxury box where he entertains friends and business contacts, he says he's watching like an actual football executive and that requires tunnel vision.
"I just pay attention to the field," he said.
Maybe it affects his hearing because in the first quarter as the Niners kept taking Dallas turnovers and scoring touchdowns, the roars for the visiting team were, you'd think, impossible to ignore – 7-0 just 54 seconds in … 14-3 with 5:54 to go in the first quarter … 21-3 not 90 seconds later … 28-3 just before the half …
"I didn't have my eye on the crowd," Jones said. "I had my eye on those turnovers … I don't have any knowledge or information about red shirts or anything."
What Jones can't seem to see or hear or fathom – that this Cowboys season appears bleak and long and hopeless – his fan base has apparently come to accept.
It isn't unusual for customers to bail on a loser and save money for an autumn, but Dallas hadn't lost a game yet when the fans decided to stay home or go fishing or just not care.
Of course, their lack of faith was rewarded by the dreadful start that saw a fumble returned for a touchdown followed by three Tony Romo interceptions, each seemingly worse than the last, that killed any fleeting hope.
Wikipedia (which is always right because it's on the Internet) says: "Until 1964 Dallas had worn blue at home, but the use of white jerseys was instigated by owner Tex Schramm, who wanted fans to see a variety of opponents' colors at home games." and cites ESPN: The Island of Misfit Unis
You can’t be serious. You think the Green Bay shareholder model would work with the Dallas Cowboys? No way.
The Cowboys are valued at $3.2 billion. They’re the second most valuable sports franchise in the world. (Real Madrid is number one at $3.4 billion.) Not even the New York Yankees (#5) top the Cowboys.
The Cowboy’s whole organization sucks from top (GM) to bottom (practice squad). Any resemblance to the Tom Landry era of the Cowboys is purely cosmetical.
They still look like the old Cowboys, but underneath they are are a team living off the past glory and fame of the franchise. They are no longer a team that plays the game to win. Instead, they hope to win just enough games to keep the fans hooked for another season. Meanwhile, the big bucks continue to roll into Jerry’s pockets while the fans remain frustrated for yet another season.
The Cowboys used to be America’s Team. As the memory fades, they will be remembered only as the franchise Jerry Jones’ ego and greed built. You can bet as long as there is a dollar to be made, Jerry Jones will be around to (micro)manage the organization. Sam Michaels is only the latest example.
P.T. Barnum was an amateur compared to Jerry Jones.
Kind of “ditto” for me. The NFL in general is nothing but a bunch of thugs. I’ve definitely lost interest - not totally yet but almost.
They're the #2 most valuable sports franchise in the world behind only Real Madrid. (Yankees are #5.)
Sell have your tickets to visiting fans and you can cover your season ticket price; plus save on parking, and food and beverages.
When (If) the Cowboys start winning again, you can start going back to the games because you already have season tickets.
It's easier than holding up a white flag.
What's funny is that I gained a lot of respect for Washington this year despite the Rangers' horrible season. I don't blame him at all for what happened, he did the best he could with all the injuries and the results left from JD's horrible personnel moves. We may wind up missing him when he moves onto managing the 'Stros.
No doubt Daniels sucks, but Wash didn’t resign because of him. (Rumor is cancer.)
That is also a possibility too, I did notice it appeared he lost some weight.
What's strange though is that normally if it's a health issue, you don't resign, you take a 'leave of absence'.
Maybe because the Niner fans had a reason to cheer.
Jason Garrett is lucky no one else is willing to be the head coach of the Cowboys under Jerry Jones.
That's why I was surprised by your post, thus triggering the "Whoa!" in my response. A few years back, you were pretty high on Clint Hurdle and thought he would have been an improvement over Wash. But, of course, that's the way baseball go.
Ain’t that the truth. (*spits*)
I don’t understand it either. The other rumor is that his wife has cancer. I hope it’s neither.
Don’t get me wrong, I still think Hurdle would have been better.
So the full extent of your intellectual capability arrives at a conclusion that higher monetary values can’t be governed by shareholders?
Education in America has been abysmal for longer than I thought.
Help us all out Buckeye. What about that amount of money makes only a single billionaire capable of handling it?
If there is any merit of any sort in your response, you will have no problem making it clear that only a single person and not a corporate organization is capable of handling 3.2 billion dollars.
If you cannot make a credible case however, you were just blowing steam because there is a obvious cure for part of the problems with professional sports, and the same fans that whine and stamp their little feet the most don’t want to put on their big girl panties and fix the problem.
Did I phrase this unkindly?
Yes.
Did you deserve that?
Also yes.
That makes sense. It seems like I always remembered Miami playing in their white uniforms all the time. Dan Marino definitely looked better in white than in teal green!
Those numbers can be very deceiving. I’d be curious to see how the professional sports teams stack up against each other in terms of value when you consider the team as a stand-alone operation. One of the things that inflates the value of the Cowboys is the team’s ownership of their stadium and practice facilities. That’s not the norm in sports, and I’d be almost certain that the New York Yankees — who do not own Yankee Stadium — are worth far more than the Dallas Cowboys as a sports franchise by itself.
Every year Forbes ranks the teams. The Yankees are #5 in the top 50 most valuable franchises.
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