**A MUST READ**I'm disappointed in some people here.

[burntricersx]

From one football fan to another, great post.

 

[VACowboy]

I have to agree with Way'.

Like everything else, everything TO has done has been way overblown by the media.

It's interesting how some people are quick to forgive athletes who break laws, abuse their bodies with drugs and alcohol, engage prostitutes, etc, but draw the line at Terrel Owens because he's a bigger jerk.

 

[Hostile]

That was a very good post. And what I appreciate most (which I find VERY strange in conveying to a Commanders fan) is the fact that you were able to state your point without ever mentioning or making misleading comparisons of...

Michael Irvin.

Well done.

In all my years of following sports, I have always been fascinated by how others twist the definition of the word 'fan'. One simply can reach for a dictionary or surf to a dictionary website (such as Merriam-Webster.com) and find that the definition of fan is:

Main Entry: fan
Function: noun
Etymology: probably short for fanatic
1 : an enthusiastic devotee (as of a sport or a performing art) usually as a spectator
2 : an ardent admirer or enthusiast (as of a celebrity or a pursuit) <science-fiction fans>

That's it. If, at any given time, someone cannot say that they are 'an enthusiastic devotee' or 'an ardent admirer' of a sports team or individual sports player (i.e. golf/Tiger Woods, etc.) then they are not a fan of so-and-so.

It doesn't mean that they were not the HUGEST fan previously. It doesn't mean that they will not return to being the HUGEST fan again in the future.

It just means that they are not a fan of so-and-so at the time their enthusiasm or admiration has been diminished in their minds.

There is no grey area within the true definition of the word. Personally, I have no ill will towards anyone dropping their allegience for the team because of Owens. I fully understand their point-of-view and generally agree with their stance. "Me?" I wish he would rot in hell. And no, I'm the ultra-literal type and that was not a figure of speech.

Where I have difficulty is with those who say they are a fan of the team, but they will not follow the team while _____________ (fill in the blank) is on it. It has always been my view that a fan cannot admire or be enthusiastic about their team or individual sports player from a distance. A fan has to be right there... on the front lines... battling the Sith (err Commanders)... without reservation.

Just my lifelong opinion. Case in point: I was a Philadelphia 76ers fan. Dr. J's team. I adopted the team during the 76-77 season. There was no other NBA team for me. My fanship lasted through the Celtic and Laker defeats. Through the magical 65-17 season. Through the almost dreamlike 12-1 postseason title run. MILWAUKEE CHEATED IN GAME FOUR! THE REFS DIDN'T WANT TO SEE A SWEEP!!! THEY CHEAT...

Sorry. :

Then, IT happen. Sixers owner Harold Katz went completely insane. Signs of his insanity had surfaced five or six years before when he traded away Moses Malone and Brad Daugherty (sp?). But then IT happen.

He traded away Charles Barkley in '92. Chuck. The man who should have inherited Erving's mantle, but Katz never made it possible for him to do so. Gone. Shipped to Phoenix for three guys I don't even remember.

That was it. That was the last straw. That day I ceased being a 76er fan and became a Charles Barkley fan. Where he went, I followed. And when he retired, I stopped watching the NBA on a game-to-game basis.

IMO, to be a fan, you have to give 100% support. Anything less is a sham. And a hollow one at that.

Unfettered enthusiam.

Unwavering devotion.

That's what being a fan is all about.

DE, I have always thought you were one of the best posters around. This is one of your best posts. Thanks.

Oh BTW, Jeff Hornacek, Andrew Lang, and Tim Perry.

 

[Shotgun Dave]

I am glad to see this reaction by you. Keep reading this thread. Other good stuff said.

Hey, Hos. I can admit when I am wrong. That is the thing I try hardest to do - learn to suck it up when I fly off the handle. I flew off the handle, and I freely admit it. I'm still surprised at the venom I received (you should read my private email box!) but after not sleeping for hours and then finally sleeping on this, I've decided it's not even possible for me to quit following the Boys. It's too ingrained a habit. I WILL, however, NEVER suppport that egotistical jerk Owens, and I will be THRILLED when he's off MY team. To me, this HAS to have been hard for any real Dallas fan to swallow - I just don't get how others could so willingly accept what Owens did in OUR house on OUR star and be SO excited that he's a Cowboy now.

Funny, though, how it took a Commanders fan to really bring clarity to it for me. I guess they're useful for something after all.

 

[DallasEast]

Oh BTW, Jeff Hornacek, Andrew Lang, and Tim Perry.

Thanks Hos, those were the guys.

Now, please excuse me. An old urge to regurgitate is coming over me and I feel like

uke:

 

[Hostile]

Thanks Hos, those were the guys.

Now, please excuse me. An old urge to regurgitate is coming over me and I feel like

uke:

I gotta tell you a story about Barkley coming to the Suns.

 

[Hostile]

Hey, Hos. I can admit when I am wrong. That is the thing I try hardest to do - learn to suck it up when I fly off the handle. I flew off the handle, and I freely admit it. I'm still surprised at the venom I received (you should read my private email box!) but after not sleeping for hours and then finally sleeping on this, I've decided it's not even possible for me to quit following the Boys. It's too ingrained a habit. I WILL, however, NEVER suppport that egotistical jerk Owens, and I will be THRILLED when he's off MY team. To me, this HAS to have been hard for any real Dallas fan to swallow - I just don't get how others could so willingly accept what Owens did in OUR house on OUR star and be SO excited that he's a Cowboy now.

Funny, though, how it took a Commanders fan to really bring clarity to it for me. I guess they're useful for something after all.

In my opinion it took a man to admit this. My respect level for you just went up.

 

[Marktui]

Did the Commanders overpay, or did the Commanders set the market or did the Commanders ensure that they would get the targeted players that fit their schemes and pay them (maybe even overpay) to solidify that they would become part of the organization.
__________________

LOL, they did overpay plain and simple. But in FA, everyone always overpays. You just said it in nicer terms.

I say settle this on the field in the Fall.

 

[WV Cowboy]

Funny how Iggles fans were saying how Donovan and Andy were going to smack around TO if this punk had second thoughts of opening his mouth-and they also said how Mooch was a poor disciplinarian and Garcia was "too nice"(which supposedly was their undoings).

Dude-you gotta see the Big Picture.

No, you need to see the small picture, ... Dallas TX.

Not the rest of the league.

Hate him if you want, ... me ?, I'll wait and see what happens in Dallas.

 

[gbrittain]

I dont believe for one minute that TO will cost Dallas a single football fan. Sure, some might boycott the Cowboys for a bit or longer, but they will be back.

It is like the old George Straight song "I Know She Still Loves Me", but I dont think she likes me anymore.

I think that is exactly the feeling many Cowboy fans are feeling right now about their Cowboys. Those who say they are gone will be back.

 

[DallasEast]

I gotta tell you a story about Barkley coming to the Suns.

Believe me, I understand how some people felt (or still feel) about Charles Barkley. Even so, there have been very few athletes in any team sport who tried to help their team win in every single game, healthy or injured, more than Chuck. He displayed that in Philadelphia, Phoenix and in Houston. But yes, I feel ya.

 

[Hostile]

Believe me, I understand how some people felt (or still feel) about Charles Barkley. Even so, there have been very few athletes in any team sport who tried to help their team win in every single game, healthy or injured, more than Chuck. He displayed that in Philadelphia, Phoenix and in Houston. But yes, I feel ya.

He is one of my all time favorite players.

 

[DallasEast]

He is one of my all time favorite players.

Hos, I got your PM and replied back.

 

[Echo9]

So we should sacrifice or principles and morals just cause we are a fan of the game. Sometimes 1 person can be enough of an problem morally for another person so thats its impossible to root for the whole team now.

How do I tell my son the person I have been using as an example for whats wrong in America is now my favorite receiver for my favorite team.

I have seen HYPOCRITE thrown around here. In my mindI would be one if I did not do this. I really find terrell morally vacant and repugnant and he offends all sensibilities I have as a person.

Tell me how I justify rooting for him, to myself, let alone my son and my GOD.

Great post Ashwynn. In fact this is great thread overall. (Excellent start Way'nuff). After all the simplistic bashing that been thrown both ways over the last week or more, it's refreshing to finally be able to do more than scratch the surface of this issue.

The folks who insist that dropping the Cowboys over this is a sign of being "fairweather" or not "true blue," just scroll past this. I don't expect you guys to understand.

This is about more than a disliked player wearing the star. This is an allegory for what some see as a prime example of what has gone wrong in sports and to a degree, our society.

It's about the fundamental virtues of sports and competition and what we are supposed to take from it in life. It's about what should be rewarded as opposed to what is being rewarded. It's another loss for integrity. Not just in sports, but in life.

I have seen HYPOCRITE thrown around here. In my mind I would be one if I did not do this. I really find terrell morally vacant and repugnant and he offends all sensibilities I have as a person.

Here's the real central point, and Ashwynn has stated much more succinctly than I could have, or likely as I'm about to attempt.

It's not directly about who is playing for the Cowboys. It's about looking at myself in the mirror. It's about discarding my own values and what I believe is right.

It's about knowing that I've been a Cowboy fan through thick and thin and knowing that to continue I will need to compromise my own personal sense of what should be glorified and what should be considered reprehensible.

To accept TO is to accept and glorify reprehensible behavior, which runs counter to my convictions. I truly believe that the concept of teamwork; the
notion that working together for a common goal is one of the most important lessons to learn in life. TOs behavior not only runs counter to that, but ridicules the very idea.

I am, and will inevitably continue to be a Cowboy fan. But it saddens me that this will be so.

I feel sick in imagining that at some point next year, there is a chance I will cheer as TO runs into the endzone with the football in his hands. I feel the impending betrayal of myself in that.

Am I being too overly-dramatic? Am I putting too much weight on what is essentially just entertainment? (already, the rationalizations are sprouting).

I am not a parent, so Ashwynn's dilemma is significantly more difficult to deal with. I am only responsible to myself in this regard, so maybe in time it will easier to accept.

But it will still be a betrayal to my own values. Knowing that I will compromise my own intergrity by rooting for what I cannot condone takes some of the joy out being a fan. In three to four years (when TO is gone), that knowledge will still be with me.

The anticipation of selling out for the opportunity to watch and cheer for the Cowboys January and Febrary does not sit well with me.

 

[gbrittain]

Great post Ashwynn. In fact this is great thread overall. (Excellent start Way'nuff). After all the simplistic bashing that been thrown both ways over the last week or more, it's refreshing to finally be able to do more than scratch the surface of this issue.

The folks who insist that dropping the Cowboys over this is a sign of being "fairweather" or not "true blue," just scroll past this. I don't expect you guys to understand.

This is about more than a disliked player wearing the star. This is an allegory for what some see as a prime example of what has gone wrong in sports and to a degree, our society.

It's about the fundamental virtues of sports and competition and what we are supposed to take from it in life. It's about what should be rewarded as opposed to what is being rewarded. It's another loss for integrity. Not just in sports, but in life.



Here's the real central point, and Ashwynn has stated much more succinctly than I could have, or likely as I'm about to attempt.

It's not directly about who is playing for the Cowboys. It's about looking at myself in the mirror. It's about discarding my own values and what I believe is right.

It's about knowing that I've been a Cowboy fan through thick and thin and knowing that to continue I will need to compromise my own personal sense of what should be glorified and what should be considered reprehensible.

To accept TO is to accept and glorify reprehensible behavior, which runs counter to my convictions. I truly believe that the concept of teamwork; the
notion that working together for a common goal is one of the most important lessons to learn in life. TOs behavior not only runs counter to that, but ridicules the very idea.

I am, and will inevitably continue to be a Cowboy fan. But it saddens me that this will be so.

I feel sick in imagining that at some point next year, there is a chance I will cheer as TO runs into the endzone with the football in his hands. I feel the impending betrayal of myself in that.

Am I being too overly-dramatic? Am I putting too much weight on what is essentially just entertainment? (already, the rationalizations are sprouting).

I am not a parent, so Ashwynn's dilemma is significantly more difficult to deal with. I am only responsible to myself in this regard, so maybe in time it will easier to accept.

But it will still be a betrayal to my own values. Knowing that I will compromise my own intergrity by rooting for what I cannot condone takes some of the joy out being a fan. In three to four years (when TO is gone), that knowledge will still be with me.

The anticipation of selling out for the opportunity to watch and cheer for the Cowboys January and Febrary does not sit well with me.

I am on the record as being a No to To guy. However, for me this TO situation is way overblown.

Dallas is fielding a roster of 50+ men, you will be hard pressed to convince me that TO is the worst offender amongst all those men.

No doubt TO is the most publicized, but that hardly makes him the worst. I mean seriously, I love Michael Irvin and the Cowboys from the 90s including the three Superbowl wins.

No to many people had a problem cheering for Michael Irvin, the difference is Michael Irvin was may more likeable, but his offenses way more serious.

I wonder what would happen if the FBI did a background check on every single player playing in the NFL and revealed all the information publicly. Would any fan of any team be able to say my team is full of great character people? The answer is no.

I accept it for what it is, a sport. America is full of horrible horrible people, but I love this country more than anything. Maybe not to you but to me it is the same thing.

 

[AmishCowboy]

T.O. is like any other WR, he has a over sized ego. Around here they act has if he's a serial Killer, but history has shown that Parcells can control players like this (Keyshawn, L.T. and Bryan Cox). Also philadelphia shares a lot of blame for what happened, they backed out of a promise to redue his contract, then Mcnabb stated that he stays out of other people's contracts, but turns around and says that Westbrook should get a new deal. T.O. felt stabbed in the back. When they took a poll a high number of Eagles wanted him back, only McNabb, Reid and Hugh Douglas didn't. Douglas, a retired player, started the fight in the locker room by saying that T.O. was not really injured, this really P.O'd Owens as he thought his comeback in the Super Bowl showed that he does care and worked hard to make it back on an injury that most players couldn't. Lots of blame to go around here.

 

[SkinsFanMania]

Nice Read from a fellow Skins.

 

[justbob]

It's easy to say you're leaving during the off-season .. would be interesting to keep up with everyone who says they're done and how many of them return when the Cowboys start winning games.

Very true. The orginal post brought out some very good points, but forgot
one very important detail ( at least for me). Part of being a fan ( And i
Have been since 1962) is being furstrated with your team. It can be for
the coaching , the win -lost record or because the owner fired the coach.
Monday morning quarterbacking is protected in the US Constitution(somewhere). We have the right to swear not to ever watch them or support
them for what ever reason. I don't want TO because of what he represents
to me... not because of a incident on the star. I have no use for the modern
punk that is making millions and then thinks they are above the law or contracts. Will I be very disappoint if TO is offically a cowboy. Yes.. will I
complain and grumble about it. Yes...its my right as a long time fan.You can
be the type that nevers complains about your teamand thinks evrything
is rosy--that your right as a Fan

But come what may I will be here evryday for info on My cowboys
I will watch ever game --sweat every play and second guess every
deceision-and complain about signing---because I am a fan good bad
or TO:shades:

 

[Way 'nuff]

Hey everyone, thanks for the good feedback. Glad I got some people to think about it

 

[cowboys4life]

great post man really awesome