The Dallas Cowboys Haven't Won Big In 30 Years. Or Have They?

On a Hollywood reddish carpet past week, Jerry Jones, nan proprietor of nan NFL's Dallas Cowboys, was asked astir his team's upcoming season.

“If we get that violative statement rolling,” Jones told an interviewer, “we’ll person a bully team.”

What counts arsenic a "good" play is much subjective successful Dallas than anyplace other — and it's why, ever since Jones purchased nan squad for $140 cardinal successful 1989, location has been nary different North American master sports franchise rather for illustration nan Cowboys.

Since they won Super Bowls successful 1992, 1993 and 1995, nan Cowboys person not precocious to a convention title crippled successful 30 years, nan fourth-longest progressive drought successful nan NFL. That deficiency of on-field capacity would typically punishment a franchise's relevance.

Not nan Cowboys.

Since nan 1996 season, Dallas has employed 8 caput coaches, irked respective of its biggest superstars during drawn-out statement negotiations and mislaid 13 of its past 18 playoff games. Yet pinch Jones keenly keeping them successful nan conversation, they person won nan mindshare of a world audience.

The logic Jones was strolling nan reddish carpet was nan premiere of "America's Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys," a Netflix docuseries astir Jones and his team's decades of drama. It began streaming only days aft Sportico classed nan Cowboys arsenic nan NFL's astir valuable franchise, pinch a worthy northbound of $12 billion. Last year, CNBC also classed Dallas arsenic nan NFL's astir valuable team, while Forbes named it nan world's astir valuable sports franchise.

The Cowboys' worth and mystique person been perpetually accrued by Jones, 82, who carries charismatic titles of owner, president and wide head of nan squad while besides serving arsenic its main ringmaster, 1 uniquely attuned to what fans want.

"I do judge if we’re not being looked at, past I’ll do my portion to get america looked at," Jones said astatine nan Netflix premiere. "The beautiful point for networks, if you will, streaming companies, is that nan NFL is simply a 365-day-a-year liking factory. A batch of programming you person to walk arsenic overmuch ... to beforehand it arsenic you to do make it. The Cowboys are a soap opera 365 days a year. When it gets low, I’ll operation it up."

And fewer teams capitalize connected and tribunal that attraction for illustration they do.

Despite their 7-10 grounds successful 2024, 13 games involving nan squad still classed among nan 100 most-watched prime-time telecasts of past year, which tied pinch Kansas City for astir among each NFL teams. To nary surprise, six Dallas games will beryllium broadcast nationally and successful premier clip this season, 2nd only to Kansas City.

According to Fanatics, nan world sports merchandise retailer, nan squad ranks among nan 5 best-selling teams connected its platform, crossed each sports, since 2023. Dallas' merchandise has been sold successful much than 110 countries.

The Cowboys person reached nan divisional information of nan playoffs, 1 information distant from nan NFC championship, 4 times since 2009, only to suffer each 4 times. Last year, their playoff hopes were doused by midseason aft an injury to backmost Dak Prescott. And yet they remained nan NFL's hottest summons successful 2024.

On StubHub, nan online summons retailer, nan Cowboys sold not only nan astir tickets of immoderate team, but they did truthful overwhelmingly — trading 63% much tickets than nan second-ranked team.

Entering this season, fewer are buying Jones' squad arsenic a title contender. Only 1% of futures bets connected DraftKings Sportsbook person been placed connected nan Cowboys to triumph nan NFC championship, according to a institution spokesperson. Still, that hasn't depressed request to watch Dallas play, pinch nan squad trading much tickets entering nan 2025 play than immoderate different squad — including 40% much than nan moreover nan second-ranked Buffalo Bills, according to a StubHub spokesperson.

It costs 89% little to watch Buffalo, a Super Bowl contender featuring nan reigning Most Valuable Player successful Josh Allen, connected nan roadworthy this twelvemonth than nan Cowboys, according to nan company. The spokesperson wrote that nan Dallas spike whitethorn bespeak respective factors, "including nan team’s nationalist instrumentality guidelines and wide marque recognition."

Beyond nan gross they bring in, nan Cowboys person understood really to triumph nan attraction economy, too. The latest Netflix docuseries isn’t nan streamer’s first foray into nan Cowboys’ culture. After nan docuseries “America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders” debuted successful nan summertime of 2024, it was classed successful Netflix’s world apical 10 for English TV for 4 consecutive weeks, and it was classed among nan apical 10 U.S. TV shows for 5 consecutive weeks, according to nan company. It coiled up classed successful nan top-10 TV database for 27 countries — proving yet again that nan team’s occurrence aliases nonaccomplishment connected nan section are only notionally connected to its popularity. (It has been renewed for a 3rd season.)

In 2010, nan Cowboys topped Nielsen's media-exposure rankings successful portion by producing nan largest gross assemblage during nationally televised games. More than a decade later, that vulnerability transcends borders. In 2024, 1 firm's study of Google hunt information suggested that more Google searches per period were Cowboys-related than location were immoderate different team. Much of that liking could beryllium attributed to decisions stoked by Jones.

In nan winter, his promotion of nan team's violative coordinator to caput coach was received unfavorably locally. He has prolonged statement talks successful caller seasons pinch Prescott and receiver CeeDee Lamb earlier he reached deals connected nan eve of nan regular season. The business has led to calls for Jones to measurement down arsenic nan wide head overseeing nan roster but kept nan Cowboys a nonstop sports-talk topic.

This month, nan rhythm has repeated again pinch prima defender Micah Parsons. Since Parsons, who is seeking a lucrative caller contract, asked for a waste and acquisition this month, Jones has regularly held media briefings during nan team's preseason practices and offered cryptic updates.

On nan reddish carpet, Jones acknowledged that erstwhile he bought nan Cowboys successful 1989, he personally had only a fraction of nan required money to really salary for them, relying connected borrowed money to dress up nan difference, and that erstwhile he was successful charge, he was "winging" moving an NFL franchise, losing what he said was often $1 cardinal per month. But what Jones knew, instinctually, was really to support eyes connected his team. When nan Cowboys opened a caller stadium successful 2009, it included a caller innovation. To locomotion from their locker room to nan field, Cowboys players had to usage a passageway that passed betwixt a brace of glass-walled lounges from which high-paying fans could watch.

“It is awesome to person nan awesome athletes and nan awesome players, but there’s thing much there," Jones said past week. "There’s sizzle, there’s emotion, and, if you will, there’s controversy. That contention is bully worldly successful position of keeping and having people’s attention.”