Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones talks to Yahoo about his new Netflix series and why we can't stop watching the team. (Netflix)They're the most valuable sports franchise in the world - yet they haven't won a Super Bowl in nearly 30 years. So, how do you keep the nickname "America's Team" without winning a championship since 1996? Look no further than Dallas Cowboys mastermind Jerry Jones, whose knack for turning the organization into a year-round headline machine keeps the brand unavoidable.
The latest look inside the storied franchise comes courtesy of Netflix's docuseries America's Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys, out now. A global streaming sensation with 1.9 million views since its Aug. 19 release, it's a must-watch not just for sports fans, but for anyone curious how the Cowboys became a football dynasty - and a cultural phenomenon."I do believe if we're not being looked at, then I'll do my part to get us looked at," Jerry told Yahoo at the Aug. 11 premiere. The 82-year-old businessman officially serves as owner, president and general manager of the Dallas Cowboys, but he also relishes the role of provocateur. If the spotlight ever dims, Jerry's more than willing to grab our attention and make sure the team remains impossible to ignore.
AdvertisementAdvertisement"The beautiful thing for networks or streaming companies is that the NFL is a 365-day-a-year interest factor. A lot of programming - you have to spend as much to promote it as you do to make it," he continued. "The Cowboys are a soap opera, 365 days a year. When it gets slow, I'll stir it up."'America's Team'Jerry's flair for drama started the moment he bought the Cowboys in 1989 and fired Tom Landry, the team's coach of 29 years. To say Landry was beloved is an understatement. More than 100,000 people turned out for a parade in downtown Dallas in his honor. Jerry named himself president and general manager, which, at the time, was unheard of.
Jerry faced intense backlash after firing Landry, earning death threats and a reputation as a villain. In the docuseries, he admits it "was certainly one of the great PR missteps, maybe of all time." But rather than shrink from the controversy, he leaned into it, using the drama as a springboard to showcase the team and shape its identity. He capitalized on the attention, building the franchise's brand through sponsorships and fan engagement. In 1992, for example, he introduced pep rallies at Texas Stadium, drawing 70,000 fans to send the Cowboys off to the NFC Championship game."I was trying to create a collegiate enthusiasm," Jerry says in the series.
AdvertisementAdvertisementTo be "America's Team," you have to resonate with fans far beyond Dallas. Jerry recognized that star power didn't have to stay on the field, and the Cowboys were one of the first organizations to turn their players into household names - through marketing, including groundbreaking deals with Nike and Pepsi, endorsements and merchandising. In 1995, the Cowboys accounted for one-fifth of all NFL merchandise sales. Jones encouraged his players to make media appearances and establish star power off the field.
In the '90s, quarterback Troy Aikman appeared on late-night shows, while running back Emmitt Smith and wide receiver Michael Irvin graced magazine covers. Even contract disputes became national talking points - Smith's 63-day holdout in 1993 was covered endlessly, a reminder that the team's reach extends far beyond the gridiron.
Michael Irvin and Troy Aikman in a still from America's Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys. (Netflix)For the players themselves, carrying the label comes with pride, pressure and a unique sense of responsibility. The current face of the Cowboys, quarterback Dak Prescott, has said the moniker means "everybody wants to see us play."As our friends over at Yahoo Sports said: "The only thing that makes non-Cowboys fans angrier than the 'America's Team' nickname is the Cowboys letting the world know they're more interesting than everyone else because they're 'America's Team.'"AdvertisementAdvertisementWhile you're the hero to some, to others, you become a villain. It's nothing that the Jones family can't handle, especially when the spotlight is always on their franchise. As Charlotte Jones, executive vice president and chief brand officer of the Cowboys, told me, "It takes the villains to support the journey.""At home we're the first most-loved and the second most-hated, and then on the road, we're the first most-hated and the second most-loved," she continued. "Just as much as we say thank you to the fans that love who we are, we say thank you to the villains that hate who we are, because you need both. The journey is real and the journey is fun."Charlotte Jones. (Netflix)Impossible to ignoreIt can be maddening: at almost any given moment, the Cowboys dominate sports shows, even in seasons or games when they aren't relevant.
There has been plenty of off-the-field drama this preseason to keep the Cowboys the talk of