The Dallas Cowboys Are Losers

"Sitting back trying to recapture,
a little of the glory of,
well time slips away and leaves you with nothing mister
but boring stories of…glory days"
-- Bruce Springsteen

The NFL season starts tonight, which means tonight is the first night I'll actually pay attention. Local Dallas media still act as if Cowboys training camp is some big deal.

But, why?

Why should we pay attention to the Cowboys' pre-season and training camp?
It doesn't count for anything.
And the truth is this: the Dallas Cowboys are losers.

I don't mean that pejoratively. I mean it statistically.

Many of us grew up with the Cowboys of the 70s. On my elementary school playground, we debated Morton vs. Staubach. We knew the players. They went to the playoffs every year, or so it seemed. They won two Super Bowls.

They did it again in the 1990s. "The Triplets." Three more Super Bowls. A whole new generation of kids who grew up with the Dallas Cowboys as "winners."

 But like the Springsteen song, that's just "glory days" now. The boring tales of another generation.

What about now?

Let me offer you a statistic that blew my mind when I realized it…

My daughter Maria is just about to be sixteen. (In a few weeks…)

During her lifetime, the Dallas Cowboys have won one playoff game.
They've only played seven during those sixteen years of her lifetime.

For comparison's sake, in the sixteen years prior to her birth, the Cowboys played 25 playoff games, and won three Super Bowls.

My point is this: If you are a sixteen-year-old girl or boy --or any kid in the middle of your high school years here in the Metroplex-- you have never known a "winning" Dallas Cowboys team.

You have seen the Texas Rangers go to two World Series' and many playoff games.
You have watched Dirk and the Dallas Mavericks sing "We Are the Champions."
Heck, you've even seen the Dallas Stars go to 25 playoff games and win a Stanley Cup.

The only local major sport franchise to not play in their sport's championship event during your lifetime is the Dallas Cowboys.

This is what I mean when I say "The Dallas Cowboys are losers."

Again, it's not a value-judgment. It's factual.

So, I no longer pay attention to the preseason and training camp because the Rangers are always in the midst of a run for the Division title. There's too much to hold my attention there.

That's waaay more interesting than hearing about some unproven rookies, the most recent player arrest, the new stadium, or anything else the Jones family is doing.

Honestly? I really don't pay much attention to the regular season either. I can't remember the last time I watched an entire Cowboys game.

Truthfully? I'm not entirely certain Maria ever has.

I remember watching religiously as a kid. As a kid, I recall hanging on ever play.

Now? The terrible truth is I'm well beyond caring. I don't hate the Cowboys. I can't even despise Jerry Jones. He is what he is. They are who they are. And it's pretty clear that they are statistical losers.

So why get upset about it? Why revel in the "glory days" when there are other great teams to cheer for in our city? I can't rail against him or against them. I can't "hate" Tony Romo. He's actually a pretty decent NFL quarterback with a terrible offensive line.

But, year after year, the Jones family goes for sexy position players, and neglects basic things like an offensive line. And so, year after year, the Cowboys end up losers.

"It is what it is." Why let it upset you?

But! What I find interesting is this…

When I see the kids at my daughter's school?
They're wearing Rangers jerseys.
Red ones.
All over the place.
Boys and girls.

The kids I see? They wear Darvish and Dirk way more than Dez.

For example, when the Rangers signed Yu, my daughter wanted to run out and get a Darvish jersey. It was to go along with the Kinsler jersey she already had at home. She's crazy about Kinsler.

All through summer, she looks at updates on the game scores on her phone, and will say things like "Dad, we're up 2-1 in the eighth…"

She has never, ever updated me on a Dallas Cowboys score. As I said, I'm not sure she's ever watched a complete Dallas Cowboys game.

I'm not sure, beyond Tony Romo, that she could name another Cowboy who might even have his name on a jersey. I know she's never considered wearing one.

My point is that I have not failed as a parent. What's happening is a very predictable shift away from the Cowboys among kids my daughter's age. They will grow up remembering Dirk, Jet, Kinsler and Elvis. The average high school kid today has no idea who Miles Austin is.

It seems to me, if I were the Jones family, this would terrify me. I mean, sure, their franchise is still the most valuable out there. Sure, they are selling a lot of a jerseys to...I don't know…somebody…I'm not sure who.

But over these last sixteen years, they've lost the hearts and minds of an entire new generation.

So I won't be watching because it's just all so boring and predictable.

Now, as I said at the start, I will keep up with the NFL. Because Fantasy Football has saved my interest in the NFL, and I watch the overall picture very carefully. Tonight is opening night, and I've got a tight end to monitor!

And, I will keep up with college football every Saturday, because it's waaay more awesome than the pros.

But, I've got better things to do with my Sunday afternoon than watch an entire Dallas Cowboys game.

And those kids won't be watching either, because they never have. And I am starting to wonder whether they ever will.

If I were the Jones family, I would think this final point would scare me. Way more than a thousand angry middle-aged guys like me ranting about the "Glory Days."

But what do I know?