The Dallas Cowboys are nicknamed “America’s Team”.
Everybody knows the two names are synonymous with one another.
While the team has not achieved the postseason promise it had in its heydays of the 1970s and 1990s, that does not change the nickname.
How The Nickname Originated
The nickname started as nothing more than a different way of presenting the team in its 1978 highlight film.
Narrator John Facenda opened the film by saying:
“They appear on television so often that their faces are as familiar to the public as presidents and movie stars. They are the Dallas Cowboys, ‘America’s Team’.”
John Facenda, 1978: “They appear on television so often that their faces are as familiar to the public as presidents and movie stars. They are the Dallas Cowboys, America’s Team.” pic.twitter.com/lKJxx2b9Mt
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) July 4, 2019
Coach Tom Landry did not like the name.
He believed it would give opposing teams extra incentive to beat the Cowboys.
Regardless, the name stuck.
Some Argue It No Longer Applies To The Cowboys
Radio broadcaster Jim Rome argues that the Cleveland Browns are actually America’s Team.
“The Cleveland Browns are America’s Team” -Jim Rome.
Would love the rumors of a Browns Sunday night game to come true.
Rumblings of the 11/4 game vs @Chiefs . https://t.co/TKCldbbOp4
— Chris Tye (@TVTye) October 8, 2018
Are The Patriots “America’s Team” Post 9/11/01
Some will acknowledge that the Cowboys were “America’s Team” from the 70s through the 90s.
They believe there was a changing of the guard, in more ways than one, on 9/11/01.
The Patriots were America's Team after 9/11.
In their 1st ever SB appearance they wore red. In their 2nd they wore white. In their 3rd? You guessed it: blue.
I can't believe it's been 20 years. #NeverForget pic.twitter.com/pSF755n4H7
— TCL🎄 (@TitleTalkTCL) September 11, 2021
At that point, the New England Patriots assumed the role.
The team colors are red, white, and blue.
Of course, the team name is as American as apple pie.
One more thing, the Patriots have dominated the NFL since 2001 with 6 Super Bowl titles.
The Patriots Could Be A Valid Argument But…
The moniker that was applied purely by accident simply cannot be removed or reapplied.
It would be like taking the tag line from Arby’s restaurants’ ads, “We Have The Meats” and putting it on McDonald’s commercials.
It would not work.
A Better Question
Instead of questioning whether the Cowboys are still “America’s Team”, a better question is if the team’s performance has lived up to its nickname.
The answer to that question is definitely no.
There is an entire generation (or more) of the population that was not alive when the Dallas Cowboys last won a Super Bowl championship.
They do not know Troy Aikman or Michael Irvin from their playing days; instead the two are broadcasters.
Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett are folklore to these people; they have no idea beyond grainy film footage how good these players were.
Though the team has won the NFC East division in recent years, that is hardly enough to merit too much praise or even an inkling of comparison to the glory days of the 70s and 90s.
How To Fix The Debate
The easiest way to fix a debate in professional sports is by winning.
Not just winning the division or some playoff games, it is through winning a championship.
That means the only way that the Dallas Cowboys can settle this debate once and for all is to win the Super Bowl.
Preferably, they should win it more than one time to cement their status as “America’s Team” from 2021 forward.
I’d say they are America’s team because they are the ONLY major league sports team in ANY sport–NFL, NBA, MLB, or WFL that STOOD for America during the playing of OUR National Anthem. One lardass wanted to be BLM instead of NFL and he was gone in a couple of weeks. Where is he now, BTW?