America's Team????

[The Reservoir Dog]

I've been hearing for years & years this phrase of the Dallas Cowboys being "America's Team".

Why is this?
Is it self styled? A great piece of marketing?
Are they generally loved by everyone?

Who made this up and when?

[medic9016]

Bob Ryan, now Vice President and editor-in-chief of NFL Films, coined this for the Cowboys while preparing and editing the team’s 1978 season highlight film. He was quoted as saying:
I wanted to come up with a different twist on their team highlight film. I noticed then, and had noticed earlier, that wherever the Cowboys played, you saw people in the stands with Cowboys jerseys and hats and pennants. Plus, they were always the national game on television. Ryan told the NFL Network, for their Top Ten Nicknames show:
I saw all these fans in away stadiums. Hey, they're the most popular team in the country. How can I use that? Why don't we call them "America's Team"? During the Cowboys' first game of the 1979 season, a nationally televised game against the St. Louis Cardinals (Dallas won 22-21), the television announcer for CBS introduced the Cowboys as America’s Team and the name stuck.
Dallas' Hall of Fame coach Tom Landry originally did not approve of the appellation of America's Team. He felt that it would give opposing teams extra incentive to play harder. Eventually he gave in and actually came to like the name.

[Daisy'sMom]

We've been huge Cowboy fans since the 70's. To us they are America's Team!

[kakn7294]

They are definately NOT, NEVER HAVE BEEN, and NEVER WILL BE my team. I love the Pittsburgh Steelers.

[Ian]

Yeah, they're not America's team. They're the team of people from Dallas and sorry frontrunners everywhere else.

Being a Cowboys fan not from Dallas is as bad as being a Yankees fan not from New York. Frontrunning all the way.

[Daisy'sMom]

I am a Floridian, and I am proud to be a Cowboy FAN! Call me what you will. Do you have a problem with that Ian?

[PirateLover]

More like the team most of America loves to hate!

[Daisy'sMom]

Who cares who likes what team? I mean it could be worse. Not to name any certain team, but they wear green.
All kidding aside, some people love the Cowboys, some hate the cowboys. But last year, once again, they had the highest television ratings in the NFL. Year after year. Why is that?

[Melanie]

More like the team most of America loves to hate!

Spoken like a true Philadelphian.

[Tinksalot]

Washington Redskins fan here, and NO WAY are they "America's team!

[alphamommy]

Even with the sad state of my Lions (to quote DH's Lions shirt, "Rebuilding Since 1957"), I have NEVER liked the Cowboys. I adopted the Steelers in the '70s, and still like them.

I'm not sure there is a true "America's Team." Can we really agree on one team that "everyone" likes? I doubt it.

[Melanie]

I'm not sure there is a true "America's Team." Can we really agree on one team that "everyone" likes? I doubt it.

No, and that's the key. This 'title' somehow stuck, and it now bothers other teams, ESPECIALLY division rivals. That's why I point that out on Maryanne's post. To the OP, Philadelphia and Washington fans are going to be the most vocal in opposition to this, as they all hate each other.

Personally, I'm so sick of the Who Dat? stuff I could barf. But I'm a fan of a division rival of NO. But again, it's just one of those things that has stuck.

[Greenlawler]

Medic9016 hit it one the head but to expound on the popularity....

The "America's Team" nickname was given not earned. However one would be pretty hard pressed to argue that they are not among the three most popular franchises of all time.

The reason for this is simply that the Cowboys along with the Steelers were the two dominant teams of the NFL's boom, the late 70's. This is when the NFL started to surpass Baseball as America's sport. Many fans who did not have an intrest in the NFL picked one of these two teams as they acquired a taste for the sport.

Markets without a team were often forced to watch the Cowboys because local stations offering the NFC slate of games knew that the Cowboys eqauled good ratings. However in the AFC the Steelers had to deal with the also popular ratings draw the Dolphins.

Another reason for the popularity was that many southern markets declared the team their own. The Cowboys just appealed to the area. The other franchises in the south the Falcons (although they had a couple of good seasons in the late 70's), Saints, and Bucs were all considered also rans at the time. The Dolphins were in Miami and had a huge following but Miami was not considered a true southern town. Therefore a huge following developed in the southern states.

In reality the Steelers and Cowboys are still enjoying the fruits of being good in that boom time. The impressionable children of the 70's chose one of the two teams and they are passing that on to their children.

I am not certain any other franchise will ever get that kind of band wagon support. The 49ers dominated an era, but could not even begin to dig into the already established fanbases for the big two.

As a fan of a newer franchise it is frustrating when one of the uber popular teams comes to town. The stands are litered with the enemy. The Titans have sold out every game since coming here, but when they play the Steelers or Cowboys you can count on there being a couple of thousand invaders.

This also applies to the Packers.

I would say the Packers are the third place team as far as nationwide fanbase, but the Dolphins and Redskins enjoy huge fanbases as well. Of course there are other fanbases with large followings but they rise and fall based on the teams level of play.

With all that being said I have seen a decrease in the bandwagon fanbases as the NFL has expanded to markets previously untouched. Also the NFL has continued to boom since the 70's. As more fans watch it has been a while since two teams dominated an era like the Steelers and Cowboys of the late 70's. So band wagon fans looking for a team have had a larger pool to choose from.

[kakn7294]

As a fan of a newer franchise it is frustrating when one of the uber popular teams comes to town. The stands are litered with the enemy. The Titans have sold out every game since coming here, but when they play the Steelers or Cowboys you can count on there being a couple of thousand invaders.

Steeler fans have always traveled well. There are a large number of fans scattered all over the country and when they play in any other city, we do tend to fill the stands. Some of that is because people from Pittsburgh have relocated all over the country. Some of it is because it's very difficult to get tickets to any home game and fans are willing to travel to see our beloved team. And some of it is because people have adopted the Steelers because they do tend to be a good team - those bandwagon fans. I really don't like the idea of any team being called "America's Team". To me, it implies that I have to like that team and I'm not intelligent enough to choose my own team.

[Greenlawler]

Steeler fans have always traveled well. There are a large number of fans scattered all over the country and when they play in any other city, we do tend to fill the stands. Some of that is because people from Pittsburgh have relocated all over the country. Some of it is because it's very difficult to get tickets to any home game and fans are willing to travel to see our beloved team. And some of it is because people have adopted the Steelers because they do tend to be a good team - those bandwagon fans. I really don't like the idea of any team being called "America's Team". To me, it implies that I have to like that team and I'm not intelligent enough to choose my own team.

Agreed on all points....but I would say the number one reason Steeler fans are in every stadium is the huge number of kids who grew up picking the Steelers as their team. Most of my friends who love the Steelers did not grow up anywhere near Pittsburgh.
I would point out that, when the Titans play Green Bay there are just as many Packers fans as there would be Steeler fans, same for the Cowboys. Although in spite of popular belief their fanbase is still vastly outnumbered by home team loyalist.

The term band wagon is not nessecarily a negative term. My friends who clearly jumped on said bandwagon in the 70's are just as devoted and loyal today as they were 30 years ago. The fact is that the Steelers have been good for long periods of time. People tend to cheer for winners.
As far as the moniker "America's Team"....
I remember when TBS tried to market the MLB Atlanta Braves as "America's Team" It just did not stick. I tend to think that moniker is innacurate for any team becuase most teams have an eqaul amount of detractors as they do fans and in some cases more detractors. For example I think we would all grudgingly agree that the Yankees are the most prolific franchise in sports, but more people clearly hate them than love them. The same could be said for the Cowboys and Notre Dame, and perhaps the Lakers, and Red Wings to a much lesser extent. "America's Team" is more properly stated "The Team America Loves To Watch" they may just be watching to cheer against them.

Oh and just to make sure it is stated the Packers have as many NFL championships as the Steelers and Cowboys combined.

[2Epcot]

I've been a Cowboy Fan since I was a kid, going back to the Tom Landry, Roger Staubach days.

Around the world the US is still the West, what better team represents the West than the Cowboys. Both the team and cheerleaders are known not only all over the US, but in other countries as well.

The Cowboys also generate a lot of money for the NFL (the real America's favorite pastime) and are the most valuable franchise according to Forbes. That makes them "America's Team".

For the fourth consecutive year, the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins are the NFL's most valuable franchises, according to a report by Forbes. Despite league-wide team values falling by approximately 2 percent, the Cowboys' net worth rose from $1.65 billion to $1.8 billion in the past year, just ahead of Washington's $1.55 billion net worth.

The last time the Cowboys did not hold the title of NFL's most valuable franchise was 2006, when the Redskins sat atop the throne, followed by New England. Dallas placed third that year, at approximately $1.17 billion.

The complete list of team values, courtesy of Forbes.com (numbers rounded up to the nearest million):

1. Dallas, $1.8 billion
2. Washington, $1.55 billion
3. New England, $1.37 billion
4. New York Giants, $1.18 billion
5. Houston, $1.17 billion
6. New York Jets, $1.14 billion
7. Philadelphia, $1.12 billion
8. Baltimore, $1.07 billion
9. Chicago, $1.07 billion
10. Denver, $1.05 billion
11. Indianapolis, $1.04 billion
12. Carolina, $1.04 billion
13. Tampa Bay, $1.03 billion
14. Green Bay, $1.02 billion
15. Cleveland, $1.02 billion
16. Miami, $1.01 billion
17. Pittsburgh, $996 million
18. Tennessee, $994 million
19. Seattle, $989 million
20. Kansas City, $965 million
21. New Orleans, $955 million
22. San Francisco, $925 million
23. Arizona, $919 million
24. San Diego, $907 million
25. Cincinnati, $905 million
26. Atlanta, $831 million
27. Detroit, $817 million
28. Buffalo, $799 million
29. St. Louis, $779 million
30. Minnesota, $774 million
31. Oakland, $758 million
32. Jacksonville, $725 million

[2Epcot]

Yeah, they're not America's team. They're the team of people from Dallas and sorry frontrunners everywhere else.

Being a Cowboys fan not from Dallas is as bad as being a Yankees fan not from New York. Frontrunning all the way.

I'm not from Dallas, grew up in AZ where there are many Cowboy fans (long before AZ had it's own NFL team). I became a fan as a kid. The ups and downs of the Cowboys haven't changed my loyalty, any more than 11 years in LA have ever made me root for the Lakers over the Suns.

I supported the Cardinals from day one when they came to AZ, spending a week at there first training camp. I always root for the Cardinals over the Cowboys because they are our real "home" team. The Cowboys will always be an adopted team in AZ, because we never supported CA teams. As long as the Cowboys aren't playing the Cards, I hope they win every Sunday.

[gueli]

I've been a Cowboy Fan since I was a kid...
Around the world the US is still the West, what better team represents the West than the Cowboys....

Um, anyone else.
Just because you like them, does not make any of the rest of US like them.

as a kid I recall (and I thought this was more around 76 or so) I heard them called "america's team" and I thought to myself, I did not vote for them...

The Cowboys also generate a lot of money for the NFL (the real America's favorite pastime) and are the most valuable franchise according to Forbes. That makes them "America's Team".

again. NO.
Just because Jerry Jones has dumped tons of money into them does not make them anything other than an overpriced ball club. and isn't the forbes list an indicator of team value (including stadium), not the amount of money that it generates ?
Their stadium is brillant, and I credit him for that. But that doesn't make it "america's stadium" just because it is here in the US.

Hey, I appreciate the 'boys and their fans.
But do not force a team on the rest of america without all of us having a say in it...

Go JETS

[2Epcot]

Um, anyone else.
Just because you like them, does not make any of the rest of US like them.

as a kid I recall (and I thought this was more around 76 or so) I heard them called "america's team" and I thought to myself, I did not vote for them...

Spoken like a New Yorker. I think if you ask anyone outside the United States name 3 NFL teams, the Cowboys will probably be there every time. I doubt the Jets will be known by that many outside the states. Things like that make them "America's Team" not that everyone in the country is a fan.

[Ian]

I am a Floridian, and I am proud to be a Cowboy FAN! Call me what you will. Do you have a problem with that Ian?

As long as you don't mind being a frontrunner, nope. No problem at all.

You are aware, though, that Florida has a not one, not two, but three NFL franchises of their own, right?

Personally, I'm so sick of the Who Dat? stuff I could barf.

Ditto. The worst thing that happened all of last year was NO winning the Super Bowl so I had to hear more about them instead of less. Double

I'm not from Dallas, grew up in AZ where there are many Cowboy fans (long before AZ had it's own NFL team).

See that's fine, though. If you have no franchise of your own to root for then by all means ... pick a team (although I would still question the choice of the Cowboys as possible "frontrunning" but hey ... that's just me).

It's only when you're from a city/state that already has its own NFL franchise and you choose to root for another, more successful team that you become a true frontrunner.

And this isn't a division rival specific thing for me. I was raised to believe you always support the home team. I would never ever dream of rooting for or supporting a team from another city. Philly teams have mostly stunk over my lifetime and, while my interest in them has waxed and waned to a degree, I have never, ever considered switching my loyalties elsewhere.

To me that's like cheating on your spouse!