Cowboys face the shelf life of fame

Note: This is a post from a blog from a journalist from San Antonio. His views are that of a San Antonioian about the Cowboys popularity. Would a San Antonioian love the Cowboys? Being that San Antonion is closer to Houston than Dallas. I think not, therefore this is why this "journalist" has taken on the task of trying to discredit the title of America's Team from the Cowboys.

For a our thoughts, and also a more logical column, please read our post titled: America's Team STILL?

Cowboys face the shelf life of fame

NEW ORLEANS — LeBron James couldn't believe his bad luck. Since the Heat were scheduled to travel Sunday evening — and since the club's private charter doesn't have Wi-Fi or satellite television — there was a chance he would miss some if not all of the Super Bowl
“How disgusting is that?” he asked reporters.

Disgusting, all right.

James said he would leave with the team from Toronto if he had to. But he also said he would have risked missing the Heat's game Monday in Miami if his favorite team had been in the Super Bowl. His Cowboys.

There was never much chance of that happening. Still, this story brings up something that should worry Jerry Jones, and it's about the shelf life of popularity.

How many years of losing will it take, after all, for the Cowboys to lose this kind of nationwide devotion?

The Cowboys should be nearing that already, since they have won just one postseason game in the past 16 seasons. The Ravens, in contrast, have now won nine in the last five.

The 49ers also put a dent in the Cowboys' stature. They didn't win Sunday and break their tie with Dallas and join the Steelers with six titles. But San Francisco became the 11th different NFC franchise to get to the Super Bowl since the Cowboys last did it.

Dallas' chief rival of the early '90s, the 49ers had gone away, too. They missed the playoffs from 2003-10. But they are back, and it appears they will stay back. Only five of the 49ers who started Sunday are in their 30s.

Then there's the NFC East. Isn't every team in their division more interesting than the Cowboys now? The Giants won the previous Super Bowl, the Eagles are starting over with Chip Kelly, and the Redskins merely have the league's newest sensation.

Despite all of that, however, the Cowboys remain a brand that consistently ranks behind only Manchester United as the world's most valuable sports property. Other various measures — from television ratings to fan polls — insist they are still the NFL's most popular team.

An example: Last season, the Harris Poll said the Cowboys ranked first in popularity for the fifth consecutive year.

Jones has propped up the aura with his stadium. But mostly, the Cowboys have become the Kardashians of the NFL — with no discernable talent, famous for being famous.

Their history matters to those who witnessed it, but it's not difficult to separate those who did and those who didn't. The timeline can be traced to a baby born Dec. 30, 1984, in Akron, Ohio.

By the time LeBron Raymone James was old enough to watch TV, he saw Aikman and Irving and Emmitt. How could he not be impressed?

LeBron's attachment stuck with him. He's developed a relationship with Jones, and in 2008, when the Cowboys opened the season in Cleveland, LeBron stood on the Dallas sideline as a guest.

Childhood is often when sports allegiances form, and a little boy in St. Croix once made a similar NFL connection. Tim Duncan became a Chicago Bears fan, in part, because he was a kid when Ditka, Payton and the Fridge were overwhelming the league.

So what are 10-year-olds seeing now?

LeBron has an idea as an adult. He's been tweeting support for Colin Kaepernick.

As it happened, LeBron was able to watch the Super Bowl. After the Heat beat the Raptors in Toronto, the team dressed quickly and walked across the street to a sports bar. Erik Spoelstra decided a later flight was worth team morale.

Watching along was the nation, and here's what should concern Jones and his Kardashian empire: Anyone younger than LeBron is wondering what the fuss is about the Cowboys.

bharvey@express-news.net

Twitter: @Buck_SA

Original link : Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Cowboys-face-the-shelf-life-of-fame-4250793.php#ixzz2K4a8fdhC

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