Troy Aikman: Cowboys never had loud home crowds; a lot of Dallas fans go 'to be seen' - Dallas Cowboys Forum

**WoodysGirl** · 10-10-2012

SportsDayDFW.com
SportsDayDFW.com The Dallas Morning News
Published: 09 October 2012 09:59 PM

It was a strange sound for Cowboys fans to hear -- Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler hit receiver Brandon Marshall for a 31-yard touchdown pass late in the 4th quarter of their Monday Night Football match up with Dallas, and large parts of Cowboys Stadium erupted in cheers.

That's because the stadium where the Cowboys play their home games was littered with Bears fans who outscreamed the home supporters much of the night. Marshall even went so far as to say it "felt like a home game" on Twitter.

But the scene (and the sounds) during the game didn't surprise former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman, who said quiet home crowds were commonplace during his tenure with the team.

"I don’t think Dallas has ever really had a great home field advantage," Aikman said last week during an interview on KTCK-AM 1310 The Ticket. "What I’ve heard is that, 'Wow, they really lost home field advantage when they left Texas Stadium.' Texas Stadium really wasn’t that different. Having played playoff games in Texas Stadium, that stadium was rocking, it was great. ... But when we would play in Philadelphia, New York and walk out of the tunnel, I would have to be yelling at the top of my lungs for guys to hear me. And you get on the plane for the flight home and your head would be pounding, you wouldn’t have a voice, and that’s just the way that it was. There was no way you could go down there near the goal line and use hard count in an opposing stadium. And yet in Texas Stadium, teams did it all the time."

Read more: http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/dal...to-be-seen.ece

a_minimalist · 10-10-2012

Interesting. I'd say that shines some light on things. It still remains unfortunate.

Ntegrase96 · 10-10-2012

I don't completely agree with Aikman's sentiments about Dallas as a whole, but he's spot on about cowboys fans.

I blame ticket prices.

The ticket prices for Cowboys games are not congruent to the economy in DFW.

I mean, I've lived in DFW all my life and I love it but it's not exactly a high income area. It's not a dump, we just get property and amenities for less than nearly all major metropolitan areas, if I had to guess. The average income is not that high because it doesn't need to be.

However, the ticket prices for Cowboys games are on par with that of a New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, or Boston type franchise.

Therefore you get people that are there to 'be seen' as Aikman put it. Corporations buy out tons of tickets for people who are obligated to go and so on and so forth.

The Rangers and Mavericks have pretty ruckus crowds... probably because the common and diehard fans haven't been priced out.

I don't think it's by coincidence that both of those teams have had plenty of recent success.

fivetwos · 10-10-2012

I don't live in the area.

I've been to about 30 games at Texas Stadium and three so far at the new place.

I've also seen Dallas play in every city in the league other than St. Louis and Oakland.

From what I've noticed, in most cites, the crowd is made up of predominantly 20-40 year old males who who get nice and loaded before the game, and get very into things during it.

In Dallas, I've seen a lot of couples, families, small children, etc. Far less hardcore tailgating.

I will say though that Texas Stadium in the 90's, while not up there with some of the louder places in the league, was sufficiently loud. And at the right times (3rd down on defense) also.

Then somehow in ensuing years the fans decided the right time to let it rip was when the team was on offense in the red zone.

I don't know how to properly explain why all of that is, probably the corporate thing.

Frozen700 · 10-10-2012

That's why it does not matter if opposing teams fans go to our stadium. There is no such thing as home field advantage with us.

We should just get all road games.

Cowboys&LakersFan · 10-10-2012

Just like Laker fans sadly. Pretty pathetic.

Risen Star · 10-10-2012

Aikman brings the truth to the excuse makers. We have the worst home crowd in the league.

CyberB0b · 10-10-2012

He said this last week on the Ticket. I wonder why it is just now being put into print. He said Dallas is more of a front-runner fan base. He also said that Texas Stadium was as loud as any stadium in the league during the playoffs.

The last game I went to, the crowd was going nuts when we were inside the 10 about to score. I also got a beer spilled on me.

bigdnlaca · 10-10-2012

He said almost the same thing about Cowboy fans being different in the playoffs than regular season in the 1st quarter of the 07 Divisional Round.

DFWJC · 10-10-2012

Aikman hits on a lot of good (and obvious) points here.

On average, the loader and more hard core Cowboys fans are the ones you see at aways games.

Then again, as he said, not every city is like Chicago with its sports fans.

He did seem a bit clueless about the Rangers. Of course they have more people wearing Ranger gear now that they went to back-to-back World Series. But the Rangers have for the most part always been very well represented in the stands....especially compared to so many other Major League cities.

TheCoolFan · 10-10-2012

Of course...and it only got better for these "fans" with the new stadium. Comfy seats, field-level suites and now they can always close the roof so they don't have to freeze during the winter

The bourgeois dream!

BoysFan4ever · 10-10-2012

The fans are at the bottom of the "what is wrong with the Cowboys" list.

Aikbach · 10-10-2012

Dallas has the reputation of being a champagne and mink coat city, the crowd plays into that perception.

Ntegrase96 · 10-10-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by DFWJC

Aikman hits on a lot of good (and obvious) points here.

On average, the loader and more hard core Cowboys fans are the ones you see at aways games.

Then again, as he said, not every city is like Chicago with its sports fans.

He did seem a bit clueless about the Rangers. Of course they have more people wearing Ranger gear now that they went to back-to-back World Series. But the Rangers have for the most part always been very well represented in the stands....especially compared to so many other Major League cities.

About the Rangers: That's how it should be. If a team isn't fielding a great product, why support it? Especially if management is disingenuous...

But both the rangers and mavericks prove that fans in the DFW area can create a definite homefield advantage... for some reason the issue is specifically with us Cowboys fans.

rynochop · 10-10-2012

Not sure why this is some big revelation, the fans have never been loud. I've been to a couple games at the new stadium and I felt like we were bothering those behind us when we stood up on big plays.
I think its just the south, a lot of other recreational activities..you can golf in December down here. Hunting is huge, fishing, etc. Not much of that in the northeast.
I've heard a lot of complaints about Texans fans as well...radio hacks complaining about fans not coming in soon enough, they would rather tailgate, etc.