We're not "negative fans."

[Doomsday]

Is he a shrewd business man? You better fucking believe it

If we define shrewd as listening to smarter people on the business side and pretty much staying out of their way especially early on, then ok. But, personally I don't give Jerry credit for shit. He bought the most valuable sports team at a fire sale rate, hired the same guy as HC Tex had been courting for a couple of years, drafted the same guy Tex was going to anyway, and deferred to Jimmy on most all the early, formative decisions. Any idiot could have done all of this, and he did.

 

[MrB]

If we define shrewd as listening to smarter people on the business side and pretty much staying out of their way especially early on, then ok. But, personally I don't give Jerry credit for shit. He bought the most valuable sports team at a fire sale rate, hired the same guy as HC Tex had been courting for a couple of years, drafted the same guy Tex was going to anyway, and deferred to Jimmy on most all the early, formative decisions. Any idiot could have done all of this, and he did.

You're probably right. Jerry doesn't like to get involved. He just hired Jimmy and stayed out of the way and has just been coasting on what Jimmy and Tex did since 1995. He never likes to be in the spotlight or be the main guy in charge.

 

[Doomsday]

Well said and I can agree with that. Shrewd businessman are good words to describe him. The way I personally see it... And evil genius is still a genius.

There was nothing shrewd about anything Jerry has done.

I used to be just like you, hailing Jerry and defending him with the same tired old shit you're spewing, up until about 15 years ago when I started looking at Jerry objectively. He's just a wildcatter who struck the honey hole. He's Digger fucking Barnes not J.R. Ewing.

 

[Doomsday]

You're probably right. Jerry doesn't like to get involved. He just hired Jimmy and stayed out of the way and has just been coasting on what Jimmy and Tex did since 1995. He never likes to be in the spotlight or be the main guy in charge.

That's all shit you're saying, nothing even close to anything I've said. But that's what weak fucks do when being trounced in a debate, erect straw men they can burn.

 

[Doomsday]

Plus, you're pretending that every top sports team hasn't climbed the same value ladder Dallas has. Newsflash - the 10 most valuable franchises in 1988 still are the most valuable ones. They've all made billions and increased their value tremendously. Jerry's just rode the same wave the rest of them have.

 

[Doomsday]

The fact is the Dallas Cowboys were losing money hand over fist when Jerruh bought the team.

It averaged a million annually but that is how Bum Bright wanted it - whole thing was just a tax shelter and a write-off for him, right in the middle of the savings and loan scandal. That is partly why the government made him sell the team.

He brought in Jimmy which was his smartest business decision to date and the only thing I respect about him.

It wasn't smart, it was a no-brainer. Tex had been courting Jimmy himself, for a couple of years prior. So were other NFL teams. He was a hot commodity.

Jerruh then assembled the team that helped him turn the unprofitable Dallas Cowboys into the most profitable sports franchise in the world!

But, he didn't. As I pointed out earlier.

 

[Scot]

. Tex had been courting Jimmy himself, for a couple of years prior. So were other NFL teams. He was a hot commodity.But, he didn't. As I pointed out earlier.

What was Jerruhs first order of business?

Hire Jimmy and Fire Landry. Yes these were both things that Tex wanted to do. But didn't have the heart nor the balls to do so himself. As you yourself have pointed out, he sold the team for less money to Jerry because he was the only one that would fire Landry

So do I give Jerry 100% credit for that move? Yes! Because Tex couldn't do it himself

Now don't get me wrong

I'm not sticking up for Jerruh, nor am I on his side, touting how great he is, or anything of the sort

But I am willing to give credit where credit is due

He bought a team that was all but falling apart both financially (losing 1 mil a month) and competitively and did what needed to be done to return it to its former glory (winning a super bowl by hiring Jimmy and getting the fuck out of his way) and by turning the Cowboys into the most profitable sports franchise the world has ever known

I give him credit for both parts. Unfortunately has has completely failed since firing Jimmy in that regard. But there is no disputing the profitability of the Cowboys. And I don't buy that bullshit that anyone could have done the same thing with the profitability of this team. Could others have? Sure, but could anyone as you claim? Not hardly

If it were that easy to be the most profitable team in the NFL or in all of sports in the entire world anyone would do it right? Look at Bob Kraft, he has arguably the most successful NFL team in the last decade yet the Patriots are not as profitable as the Cowboys who haven't won a SB in two decades.

 

[Midswat]

This is the Twitter age. If I have to swipe up more than twice to get past your post, you can gfy.

 

[MrB]

It averaged a million annually but that is how Bum Bright wanted it - whole thing was just a tax shelter and a write-off for him, right in the middle of the savings and loan scandal. That is partly why the government made him sell the team.It wasn't smart, it was a no-brainer. Tex had been courting Jimmy himself, for a couple of years prior. So were other NFL teams. He was a hot commodity.But, he didn't. As I pointed out earlier.

It's very clear that you're one of those old school fans that will hate Jerry no matter what he does just because he fired Landry.

As I've been saying, Jerry is a bafoon when it comes to running this team. A chimp could do a better job at being GM than Jerry has done. I'm just saying his marketing abilities are indisputable.

 

[ThoughtExperiment]

What exactly has Jerry done to market the team that is so genius? Don't just give ratings numbers, what specifically? I've never seen anything.

Jerry is absolutely living off the success of the Landry days, that and Tony Romo. But it's too bad Jerry didn't get the Chargers like he wanted to 40 years ago. With the exact same record and exact same marketing strategies, he'd be basically an unknown. Which would drive him completely insane.

 

[onlyonenow]

Bum bright was the worst thing to happen to the Cowboys. He cut corners where he should not have (scouting and assistant coach salaries- a big reason Landry was unable to rebuild his staff in the 80's). in a lot of ways Bum was the epitome of the modern businessman of today (Screw your customers and your employees equally and milk the business for every dime). And it was shown to be absolutely true he was using the Boys as a tax write off. AFTER he had pretty much made sure they were going to be losing on the field.

 

[Dodger12]

No team has a 20 year wave. I don't care who you are. Also that still doesn't explain the mass of young fans who were too young to even remember the 90's teams.

You don't think a good percentage of young fans aren't "legacies" with their parents before them?

It's pretty obvious and more so for those of us that have kids. I became a fan in the 70's watching Captain Comeback and being enamored with what I was seeing in the field; the Hail Mary, Tom Landry, Too Tall Jones, Randy White, Bob Lilly, the Mad Bomber, Dorsett and the list goes on and on.

Couple those magical moments with SB victories, as well as gut wrenching defeats, and it's easy to see how a young fan can be attracted to this team. Fast forward to today's Dallas Cowboys. I'd be hard pressed to believe that many young fans are not legacy fans....my son is a perfect example. He'd have no reason to be a Cowboys fan living int he Northeast or any other part of the country for that matter. In terms of marketing, he sees more Eagles, Giants and Steelers marketing than he does Dallas. Jerry has lived off this legacy fan and taken advantage of him/her by making billions at the expense of this fan.

Take the Parcells years. I actually thought Jerry was sick of losing and wanted to do anything to win which is something we hear over and over about Jerry....."he wants to win." In reality, he brought in BP to gain credibility to build his monument to his ego. Winning was an afterthought and absolutely secondary to his new stadium. That was the moment that I really felt betrayed as a long time fan. That's when I stopped believing the meme that Jerry wants to win. Jerry wants to make money. That's it. He can go 0 and 16, make money and he'd be happy. The rest of that bullshit he spews in interviews is just lies to the fans to keep them engaged for another year of pain. Wash, rinse, repeat.

 

[Dodger12]

What exactly has Jerry done to market the team that is so genius? Don't just give ratings numbers, what specifically? I've never seen anything.

My question exactly as I'm reading through this thread. What has this master marketing genius done? In terms of business, the incredibly expensive seat licenses are a thing of genius. He knew he couldn't count on his on-field product to keep the stands full so ensured participation by making the fans pay up front.

The one thing I will say about how he's marketed the team is making fans believe the stadium is an "experience." The artwork, the jumbo tron TV, the stores, etc. Football is secondary. You come to see the stadium first and a football game second. It also appears this new training facility will also be some sort of country club; $50,000 per year for membership. It's become very obvious what is first and foremost in Jerry's mind. Money.

 

[cmd34]

Jerry's celebrity or fame reminds me of the Kardashians. Famous for being famous.

He's fooled too many fans into believing he wants to win more than anything. If you have listened to him over the years, he's told you himself it isn't true. He was jealous of Jimmy and has even fooled people he was more or equally responsible for the Super Bowl wins.

It's no longer a matter of IF fans will begin to realize Jerry is the team's biggest obstacle but a matter of WHEN they will realize it.

As far as passing down my Cowboys fandom, I couldn't wait for my son to grow up and become a Cowboys fan. Now, if I had more kids or when I have grandkids, I hope they root for their local team. I don't want to pass this thing on to anyone else.

 

[MrB]

My question exactly as I'm reading through this thread. What has this master marketing genius done? In terms of business, the incredibly expensive seat licenses are a thing of genius. He knew he couldn't count on his on-field product to keep the stands full so ensured participation by making the fans pay up front.

The one thing I will say about how he's marketed the team is making fans believe the stadium is an "experience." The artwork, the jumbo tron TV, the stores, etc. Football is secondary. You come to see the stadium first and a football game second. It also appears this new training facility will also be some sort of country club; $50,000 per year for membership. It's become very obvious what is first and foremost in Jerry's mind. Money.

Exactly, and that's where his marketing genius shows. Every time anyone sees a commercial with his skeletal looking mug on it, or sees his team on Sportscenter, or pays $75 to take a tour of the stadium, or goes to one of the thousands of Cowboys Pro Shops to buy a piece or merch, that's all Jerry. Tom Landry isn't the one that got that massive stadium built. Tex isn't building that massive training complex (which has already sold out of those $50K memberships). Jimmy didn't organize the deals with Ford, Poppa Johns, Pepsi, or Miller Lite. Again, that's all Jerry. He took the foundation of what those guys built and took the popularity to a whole new level. He took it world wide. I'm not talking about what you guys see in what ever towns you live in, I'm talking world wide! That doesn't happen by just riding the popularity of championships that happened 20-35 years ago. He's continuously put a shitty product on the field and yet his product is the most valued franchise in the entire world.

 

[bbgun]

Am I supposed to take consolation in the fact that Jerry is a great businessman but a lousy general manager? We root for the team, not his marketing deals--which have enriched him and his family but haven't translated into winning. Nor has a glitzy stadium equated to home field advantage.

 

[Iamtdg]

This is the Twitter age. If I have to swipe up more than twice to get past your post, you can gfy.

 

[Scot]

Am I supposed to take consolation in the fact that Jerry is a great businessman but a lousy general manager? We root for the team, not his marketing deals--which have enriched him and his family but haven't translated into winning. Nor has a glitzy stadium equated to home field advantage.

And that's what really pisses me off! Yes you build a stadium to make money. BUT you also build in features t your new stadium to give your home team an advantage and help them on the field. But Jerry did the opposite. With the positioning of the stadium so the sun is in the players faces during the game. Wtf was he thinking?

Great idea Jerruh, have the sun glaring right into your punt returners eyes or your QB's eyes when it's the fourth quarter and he's trying to come back to win the game in the last two minutes.

From what I've read (since I've never been there in person) it seems that zero thought was actually given to the players and the game itself. Instead it was designed around the fan experience and how much money can be removed from their pockets before they leave the stadium

Which all goes back to the same thing, he and his stadium are great for making money but do absolutely nothing to help his team win on the field

 

[Doomsday]

It's very clear that you're one of those old school fans that will hate Jerry no matter what he does just because he fired Landry.

No, stupid. I got over the Landry part right away. Had been telling people for at least a couple of years prior that the game had passed him by. And spent years after the mediocrity on the field started, defending Jerry just like you.

What was Jerruhs first order of business?

Hire Jimmy and Fire Landry. Yes these were both things that Tex wanted to do. But didn't have the heart nor the balls to do so himself. As you yourself have pointed out, he sold the team for less money to Jerry because he was the only one that would fire Landry

Because Jerry was the only one crass enough to do it immediately, and the only one Bright would go with doesn't give Jerry credit for shit. Same with hiring Jimmy and even drafting Troy. ALL of these were already in the pipeline in January 1989.

He was able to cobble together enough money to buy the team. So what.

You really think Tex's heart was the only consideration in not firing Tom? It was MONEY - Bright didn't fire Landry either because it was going to cost millions he didn't have.

You don't know that you don't know. That is why you still try to give Jerry ANY credit at all.

 

[Doomsday]

Exactly, and that's where his marketing genius shows. Every time anyone sees a commercial with his skeletal looking mug on it, or sees his team on Sportscenter, or pays $75 to take a tour of the stadium, or goes to one of the thousands of Cowboys Pro Shops to buy a piece or merch, that's all Jerry.

It is NOT! It's the marketing machine Darymple instituted combined with the tidal wave of sports franchise success in general.