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ESPN: NFC East Blog: Are Cowboys America's Team?


Riggo#44

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With the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers in town for Super Bowl XLV, it seems appropriate to revive the debate regarding whether one of them has overtaken the Dallas Cowboys as "America's Team." That moniker, which NFL Films gave to the Cowboys in the 1970s, has annoyed other fan bases ever since.

ESPN.com asked three brave souls -- Chad Millman, Gene Wojciechowski and Tim MacMahon -- to make arguments for the Steelers, Packers and Cowboys. I've read each argument and will present key excerpts:

Millman on the Steelers: "The Steelers were defending Super Bowl champs the first time the two played for the title and had the NFL's best regular-season record heading into their second matchup. And yet, both times, Chuck Noll's players felt stung by their second-class status. At one point before the two teams' first Super Bowl, which was played in Miami, Steelers linebacker Jack Lambert complained to the media about the Cowboys' team hotel being closer to the beach than Pittsburgh's. "I hope," said Lambert, "that Roger Staubach is eaten by a shark."

Woj on the Packers: "At JerryWorld you get The Art At Cowboys Stadium, including such exquisite pieces as "Unexpected Variable Configuration: A Work in Situ." At Lambeau, you get a hot brat, a cold beer and a chorus of "Go, Pack, Go" while smooshed next to some guy wearing a cheesehead and orange hunting overalls. You tell me what sounds like more fun.

"The most-watched show in the 2009 fall TV season was a Packers game. The second-most-watched show in cable history is a Packers game. Five of the top 20 most-watched shows in the fall of 2010 were Packers games."

MacMahon on the Cowboys: "But the point of going to high school is to get an education, and it's not as if grade-point averages are the determining factor in selecting prom queens. You could consider the Cowboys to be the NFL's prom queens. "America's Team" just sounds better.

"The Cowboys' popularity probably spiked during their '90s dynasty. However, it's still going strong a decade and a half later despite only one playoff win in the last 14 seasons."

I sort of buy into the theory that the Cowboys are the only team in the league that can maintain its popularity (ratings wise) while not winning playoff games, as we've seen them do for years. I'm not even sure Steelers and Packers fans should want to wrest the "America's Team" label from the Cowboys. What makes them special is how important they are to their communities, not the rest of the nation.

Now I'd like for you guys to make the call. Packers, Steelers or Cowboys? Show work.

Discuss...

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Discuss...

ESPN loves the Cowboys and favors them in absolutly EVERYTHING....why are they doing this????

hahaha

Truthfully, no one deserves the name of "America's Team"....and anyone that has done the research or knows why they were labeled with that name, also knows what bull-crap-hog-wash the name really is anyway!

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ESPN loves the Cowboys and favors them in absolutly EVERYTHING....why are they doing this????

hahaha

Truthfully, no one deserves the name of "America's Team"....and anyone that has done the research or knows why they were labeled with that name, also knows what bull-crap-hog-wash the name really is anyway!

Yeah -- I know they were labeled it, but it is the rallying cry for the most ignorant of the bandwagon fans. That's what makes it so annoying.

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Well, I think the answer is obvious: They're the most TALENTED team to ever win one playoff game in the last 14 years.

Most puke fans are now Packer fans...until next year's hype machine gets in full throttle. Peter King is already there.

Pathetic franchise...pathetic fan base.

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Well, I think the answer is obvious: They're the most TALENTED team to ever win one playoff game in the last 14 years.

Most puke fans are now Packer fans...until next year's hype machine gets in full throttle. Peter King is already there.

Pathetic franchise...pathetic fan base.

correction.......Pathetic Franchise....with a "mostly" pathetic Fanbase......

Dont go all generalizing on us and feel as if you know in your own heart what each and every person feels. Its no surprise to anyone, including Dallas fans, that the fan base is indeed big, and full of a "bunch" of front runners.......

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Look being America's Team is not about those who just like Dallas..it is about all sides of the fence, weather you like them, dislike them

or ride the fence and not sure which way to fall.. All these factors make up what being America's Team is all about. So the answer is a

definite yes Dallas will forever be America's Team

---------- Post added January-31st-2011 at 11:56 AM ----------

If any team, it should be the Steelers. Their fans are everywhere, and they travel better than any other fanbase. Granted, I'd bet most of them are bandwagon, but I generally see more Steeler stuff than anything else.

Pittsburgh had the chance at the name and did not want it..they were just as popular as Dallas during the 70's..Oh and those wagon jumpers will be off

once next season starts

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Of course not. In fact, no one team deserves that title. The term was coined by Bob Ryan in the late '70s because they were the most popular team back then (according to Ryan at least). Since then, however, more teams have been introduced into the league and the market for the NFL has grown tremendously in the U.S. with fans of every team scattered across the country (myself included), not just around the home area. It is a completely subjective term and should not give the Cowboys any superiority over any team because of it.

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False. They might have, when it first appeared, but not any longer.

Truth no matter where the Cowboys may fall when it comes to Jersey sales, how many fans jump on and off

the wagon, folks still tune in every week to see if they lost or are losing, they still attend the games and give

them plenty of attention on message boards like this one, who can't wait to take pop shots at them over

something

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Truth no matter where the Cowboys may fall when it comes to Jersey sales, how many fans jump on and off the wagon, folks still tune in every week to see if they lost or are losing, they still attend the games and give them plenty of attention on message boards like this one, who can't wait to take pop shots at them over something

Same with the Steelers. The Steelers have a larger fan base and travel better than Cowboys fans. So by using your logic, the Steelers are "America's Team," whether or not they "did not want" the name.

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Everytime I hear someone use that "name" it makes me want to dump a bucket of burgundy pain on their car. People who use that name are ******* morons and if the Pats had been winning SBs in the 90s they'd all be Pats fans.

It's that crowd that list their favorite teams as the Cowboys, Yankees, and Lakers, yet haven't spent more than a layover in any of those cities, that I hate more than anything in sports. That and the way ESPN just encourages them every ******* season.

---------- Post added January-31st-2011 at 01:47 PM ----------

Truth no matter where the Cowboys may fall when it comes to Jersey sales, how many fans jump on and off

the wagon, folks still tune in every week to see if they lost or are losing, they still attend the games and give

them plenty of attention on message boards like this one, who can't wait to take pop shots at them over

something

Watching to "see if they lost or are losing" and taking "pop shots at them" doesn't make you America's team any more than being Russian during the 80's, when every movie was about us beating the Soviet's in something, instantly gave all of them green cards.

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Same with the Steelers. The Steelers have a larger fan base and travel better than Cowboys fans. So by using your logic, the Steelers are "America's Team," whether or not they "did not want" the name.

So you are saying every NFL fan hates the Steelers and tuns in to see them lose every week? I don't think so, many have tried that same

argument against the Patriots. you may dislike them but you certainly do not hate them..so to use a quote from a so called "hater" For

every fan who likes Dallas..there are more fans who loath and hate Dallas

Pittsburgh and New England can't compete with that

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Cowboys are America's Team in the same way Green Bay is Titletown.Cowboys haven't been a great team in ages and yet they still are always near the top of merchandise sales (second for the 2010 season) as well as being involved in more of the most watched NFL games than any other team by a wide margin.

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Truth no matter where the Cowboys may fall when it comes to Jersey sales, how many fans jump on and off

the wagon, folks still tune in every week to see if they lost or are losing, they still attend the games and give

them plenty of attention on message boards like this one, who can't wait to take pop shots at them over

something

Maybe because the media can't stop accrediting the Cowboys over and over again to the point where it's unavoidable.

They get so much attention on this board/shots taken at them is because they're our rivals, and we hate them. And to be proclaimed as representing the entire country is preposterous.

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Maybe because the media can't stop accrediting the Cowboys over and over again to the point where it's unavoidable.

They get so much attention on this board/shots taken at them is because they're our rivals, and we hate them. And to be proclaimed as representing the entire country is preposterous.

can i hijack this thread, even if for a second to praise the name of London Fletcher....and appreciate your sig! As a die hard Cowboys fan, and yes a fan of this game.....I love the play of one London Fletcher, not just in the pro bowl last night, but in the way that man carries himself year in and year out. He is single handily the most under appreciated LB to have played this game since Chris Hanburger.....(a man, I will be with the day he goes into The HALL OF FAME! )

Consider me a fan of that man for life............L.Fletcher, you sir are a baller!

The difference between he and Hanburger is simple...Chris was appreciated and rewarded when he played the game......just looked past all the years since.......Fletch on the other hand is looked over WHILE playing the game......this really could have been the mans 7th or 8th pro bowl appearance....... I am throwing that number of years out there, so don't get twisted if that is a over or under estimated number...point being, The man is one of today's best and has been for some time!

ok, back to the original thread.........I hate the name America's team and all that still use it!

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So you are saying every NFL fan hates the Steelers and tuns in to see them lose every week? I don't think so, many have tried that same

argument against the Patriots. you may dislike them but you certainly do not hate them..so to use a quote from a so called "hater" For

every fan who likes Dallas..there are more fans who loath and hate Dallas

Pittsburgh and New England can't compete with that

LOL! This perfectly sums up the Cowpukes franchise, and why they aren't America's Team.

Look, the Packers started off as such, but weren't labeled so. When the NFL came up with the "America's Team" slogan, THEY OFFERED IT TO THE STEELERS FIRST. The Rooney's declined, because they wanted to be Pittsburgh's team, and play the underdog to everybody rather than be arrogant jerks. On that note, who has picked up that slogan's... shall we say a certain kind of "seconds"?

The highlight of the Cowpuke franchise, in the 90's, was marked by an owner and group of individuals that NOBODY could look up to and respect. That's why everybody decent loves to see the Cowpukes fail. They are the arrogant jerks that prove things are well in the world when they fail.

People RESPECT the Steelers. They RESPECT the Packers. Even with spygate, people still RESPECT the Patriots like they never will the Cowpukes. Hell, back in the 90's people RESPECTED the Niners, and Redskins in the 80's. Nobody RESPECTS the Cowpukes except their own fans.

Look at the difference between Cowpuke fans and other teams fans. There are some nice Puke fans out there. But as a whole, in my experience, it's safe to assume that a Puke fan is a little dumber than the average fan, and more stupidly arrogant. (With the exception of Eagles fans this year.) Look at your own experiences. Hell, look at the difference between this board and Cowpuke message boards.

All this ought to tell you something about WHY people check the Cowpukes during the season. And what kind of fanbase they cater to.

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LOL! This perfectly sums up the Cowpukes franchise, and why they aren't America's Team.

Look, the Packers started off as such, but weren't labeled so. When the NFL came up with the "America's Team" slogan, THEY OFFERED IT TO THE STEELERS FIRST. The Rooney's declined, because they wanted to be Pittsburgh's team, and play the underdog to everybody rather than be arrogant jerks. On that note, who has picked up that slogan's... shall we say a certain kind of "seconds"?

The highlight of the Cowpuke franchise, in the 90's, was marked by an owner and group of individuals that NOBODY could look up to and respect. That's why everybody decent loves to see the Cowpukes fail. They are the arrogant jerks that prove things are well in the world when they fail.

People RESPECT the Steelers. They RESPECT the Packers. Even with spygate, people still RESPECT the Patriots like they never will the Cowpukes. Hell, back in the 90's people RESPECTED the Niners, and Redskins in the 80's. Nobody RESPECTS the Cowpukes except their own fans.

Look at the difference between Cowpuke fans and other teams fans. There are some nice Puke fans out there. But as a whole, in my experience, it's safe to assume that a Puke fan is a little dumber than the average fan, and more stupidly arrogant. (With the exception of Eagles fans this year.) Look at your own experiences. Hell, look at the difference between this board and Cowpuke message boards.

All this ought to tell you something about WHY people check the Cowpukes during the season. And what kind of fanbase they cater to.

if you think that no one respected the Cowboys in the 70's under Tom Landry, your crazy....and in the 90's....became the start of crazy crap we deal with in sports, and although you can say that no one respects Dallas for whatever off-the field issues and/or arrogant on the field attitudes.....all you want.....you can repeat it to yourself a million times, and that will never be true. The Dallas Cowboys were truly respected for what they did on that field, period. And the craptastic-over bearing- meddling-pile-O-Crap owner aside, the team was straight dominant in those years ....and were a Championship game loss from going to 4 straight....and the last one they won, and the one that got away (fell behind by 3 TD"s early).......they were coached, by single handily the worst NFL coach of all time (well second to Zorn........and even all that said, the players on the field and coaches on the sidelines respected the hell outta them Cowboys!

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if you think that no one respected the Cowboys in the 70's under Tom Landry, your crazy....and in the 90's....became the start of crazy crap we deal with in sports, and although you can say that no one respects Dallas for whatever off-the field issues and/or arrogant on the field attitudes.....all you want.....you can repeat it to yourself a million times, and that will never be true. The Dallas Cowboys were truly respected for what they did on that field, period. And the craptastic-over bearing- meddling-pile-O-Crap owner aside, the team was straight dominant in those years ....and were a Championship game loss from going to 4 straight....and the last one they won, and the one that got away (fell behind by 3 TD"s early).......they were coached, by single handily the worst NFL coach of all time (well second to Zorn........and even all that said, the players on the field and coaches on the sidelines respected the hell outta them Cowboys!
Nobody respects the Cowpukes. Deal with it.

Don't you understand wanting someone to fail is kinda the opposite of respect?

Only time anybody even respected them, as you said when Landry coached, the Steelers were really America's Team at that time. Not the Cowpukes. Deal with it.

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LOL! This perfectly sums up the Cowpukes franchise, and why they aren't America's Team.

Look, the Packers started off as such, but weren't labeled so. When the NFL came up with the "America's Team" slogan, THEY OFFERED IT TO THE STEELERS FIRST. The Rooney's declined, because they wanted to be Pittsburgh's team, and play the underdog to everybody rather than be arrogant jerks. On that note, who has picked up that slogan's... shall we say a certain kind of "seconds"?

The highlight of the Cowpuke franchise, in the 90's, was marked by an owner and group of individuals that NOBODY could look up to and respect. That's why everybody decent loves to see the Cowpukes fail. They are the arrogant jerks that prove things are well in the world when they fail.

People RESPECT the Steelers. They RESPECT the Packers. Even with spygate, people still RESPECT the Patriots like they never will the Cowpukes. Hell, back in the 90's people RESPECTED the Niners, and Redskins in the 80's. Nobody RESPECTS the Cowpukes except their own fans.

Look at the difference between Cowpuke fans and other teams fans. There are some nice Puke fans out there. But as a whole, in my experience, it's safe to assume that a Puke fan is a little dumber than the average fan, and more stupidly arrogant. (With the exception of Eagles fans this year.) Look at your own experiences. Hell, look at the difference between this board and Cowpuke message boards.

All this ought to tell you something about WHY people check the Cowpukes during the season. And what kind of fanbase they cater to.

pretty subjective. Put down the haterade....

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