The shelf life of this franchise's fame

[Blitzen32]

Interesting article from Buck Harvey in San Antonio yesterday questioning just how long this mediocre team can remain popular. I know many people wanted the Niners to lose due to the Super Bowl count, but I'm not sure how anyone can reasonably expect Dallas to be bad for close to 20 years and other teams just to pause and wait on us to get better in the meantime. Here are some highlights from the article:

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.

[View Full Quote]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.

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.

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/loc...#ixzz2K6BRp4V6

[Boyzmamacita]

The popularity of the Cowboys isn't going anywhere. Haters will just have to deal with it. Lebron's generation of Cowboys fans is teaching their kids to love the silver and blue. Some of those kids might end up hating the Cowboys because of it. But that's what makes the Cowboys America's Team - the fact that you either love them or hate them, but you care.

[SDCowboy85]

As long as the media obsesses with everything Cowboys related, probably never.

[InmanRoshi]

I think it's time the media write 1,000,000,000 more space filler articles about how nobody cares about the Cowboys anymore.

[BringBackThatOleTimeBoys]

For many years, people blindly bought GM inspite of the quality.

Until 2008.

It took awhile, but the Raiders are not as popular as they used to be.

Lots of things in business take a long time before the reckoning, but it usually does.

If the Cowboys remain mediocre, it will catch up.

[gbrittain]

Romo, an all around good guy, made Forbes top 10 most disliked athletes???

Yeah...not worried about franchise's shelf life on fame quite yet.

[erod]

To the young, the Cowboys are somewhat irrelevant.

Once upon a time, the Browns were the loved/hated team. Now where are they?

[Kangaroo]

How long was it for the yankess when they sucked and sucked and sucked for a long time. The Boston Celtics went from what larry until about what 5 years ago before they won a title.

What ever

[InmanRoshi]

Originally Posted by erod

To the young, the Cowboys are somewhat irrelevant.

Once upon a time, the Browns were the loved/hated team. Now where are they?

And while we're at it, what ever happened to Chubby Checker? And who put the bomp In the bomp bah bomp bah bomp and the put the ram in the rama lama ding dong?

[JackWagon]

Only 5 of the 49ers starting 22 are over 30 ... wow.

[phildominator]

I hope our fame dies. I'm not a fan of this team because of fame. When the fame dies, then maybe we can concentrate on football.

Right now, we're more known for stadium artwork, go-go dancers, Jerrytron, drunk drivers and Jessica Simpson.

[BoysFan4ever]

Originally Posted by BringBackThatOleTimeBoys

For many years, people blindly bought GM inspite of the quality.

Until 2008.

It took awhile, but the Raiders are not as popular as they used to be.

Lots of things in business take a long time before the reckoning, but it usually does.

If the Cowboys remain mediocre, it will catch up.

I agree.

I guess most fans are generational like myself.

[jobberone]

It's difficult for someone like me to contemplate what some might be thinking as I've been a Cowboys' fan so long I'll take it to the grave. But I could see some recent fans getting discouraged and jumping ship.

When I think of this I wonder about how I could be a Red Sox fan since 1960. Or how do Cubs' fans endure?

I suspect most true fans will just get angry rather than leave like many here are. I imagine the fan base may not grow as fast as it would if we continue to lose though.

[BringBackThatOleTimeBoys]

The article I'm about to mention was probably before the internet, so can't link it.

Fans of the Redskins, Broncos, Cowboys tend to be hard on their teams because they were the first pro team in their area - nothing else to root for.

It was not until the mid 80's before the Mavericks made the playoffs, and then the late 90's before non-Cowboy teams made the playoffs.

So fans in this area tend to have an emotional investment in the Cowboys.

Same is true of the NY Yankees, Notre Dame...

[lurkercowboy]

Originally Posted by BringBackThatOleTimeBoys

The article I'm about to mention was probably before the internet, so can't link it.

Fans of the Redskins, Broncos, Cowboys tend to be hard on their teams because they were the first pro team in their area - nothing else to root for.

It was not until the mid 80's before the Mavericks made the playoffs, and then the late 90's before non-Cowboy teams made the playoffs.

So fans in this area tend to have an emotional investment in the Cowboys.

Same is true of the NY Yankees, Notre Dame...

TV is the great equalizer. Thousands go to games but millions watch. That is why there are Cowboy fans coast to coast.