Bill and Jerry Have Enlightened Me

[dcfanatic]

​

For the longest time I was a sports fool. I was totally misinterpreting sports. When the Dallas Cowboys signed Terrell Owens it finally clicked in my head. Sports are about winning and losing, nothing more and nothing less.

There are no lessons taught in sports. People should not tell their kids to play sports for any other reason than to compete in a game and win. There should not be any sort of 'sportsmanship', that's just some word a guy made up. Winning should be the primary focus when your playing a match, contest or game.

The humans who put the uniforms on are no longer people either. They become objects once the shoes are laced up and the chin strap is snapped into place. There are no feelings of friendship or camaraderie between those men out there and surely they don't care if one another gets hurt as long as their team wins.

I wonder how many Cowboy fans were also taught this valuable lesson by these two men last Saturday? Maybe hundreds of 1000's. There are probably some who are even still thinking of sports the old fashion way.

Those days are long gone for me. The days of thinking that I wanted to root for a guy like Troy Aikman because he was a good role model for kids and respected his teammates. I was rooting for him for all the wrong reasons in the early 90's. Thank god he was also winning football games or people would have looked at me like I had two heads.

Enough talk about that bum anyway, he's not helping the Cowboys win games anymore so what do I care about him. Terrell Owens is the guy I want my kids looking up to now. Maybe one day my little guy can sign a multimillion dollar contract in the NFL. Then when he decides that he didn't read the fine print he can just rip his teammates football skills apart on ESPN and they will let him go. Then it's off to another team where he can get an even better contract. Boy, I sure hope Jerry Jones still owns the Cowboys in 20 years.

Have you guys heard the new rap song by my man TO. He's changed the game folks. He showed the other players that if you don't like your contract then just do what he did. This is great, maybe all those other players will be on the Cowboys too. Imagine it now. The Cowboys could win the next twelve Super Bowls.

Coach Parcells is one tricky guy too. I didn't understand his philosophy at first. When he said 'no more thugs" I didn't catch on that it only meant he didn't want any thugs unless it helped him win the football games. TO isn't a thug in the sense of the word that he carries a gun or does drugs, but that's just because his mouth is his weapon and his ego gets him high. He's more of the 'Au Natural Thug'.

I'm kinda glad I learned this lesson right now too because baseball season is here. For the longest time I have been a Mets fan. Not any more. Let's go Yanks. It's obvious they are trying harder and want to win more than the Mets because they spend more money on players. I feel stupid for not rooting for them over the past few years. I was rooting for the stupid Mets when I could have been rooting for guys like Gary Sheffield, Jason Giambi and Alex Rodriguez. How many World Series have the Yankees won in a row now anyway? I have to look that up.

How many points do you think the Cowboys win by in Super Bowl XLI? This is great. My first season as a Cowboys fan where I know that we are going to win the Super Bowl. Thanks Terrell Owens. Those stupid Eagles. If they would have only just done whatever he wanted they could have kept winning Super Bowls one after another.

Let me just say one more time, thank you Bill and Jerry. I now have my head on straight. Sports are only about winning and losing. A guy like Dan Campbell busts his *** for the team 24 hours a day 7 days a week, but the Cowboys don't win the Super Bowl so he's gotta hit the road. Bring in more guys like my man TO. So what if he's going to be on ESPN by Week 5 talking about how Drew Bledsoe waits too long in the pocket and how the offensive philosophy isn't using his talents properly.

Terrell Owens is going to bring the sixth Vince Lombardi Trophy to the Dallas Cowboys, and that's a guarantee folks!

Thank you, I'm here all week.​

 

[Reality]

For the longest time I was a sports fool. I was totally misinterpreting sports. When the Dallas Cowboys signed Terrell Owens it finally clicked in my head. Sports are about winning and losing, nothing more and nothing less.

.. and you just figured this out?

Professional sports is big business and big businesses exist to make money. In professional sports, winning means success and losing means failure.

If you're looking for sports where morality and sportsmanship are featured attributes go watch youth league games where you live.

If you want to blame something for the state of professional sports today, blame yourself. If people did not watch the games, there would be no Terrell Owens, Deion Sanders, etc. to get upset over.

-Reality

 

[DallasKen]

.. and you just figured this out?

Professional sports is big business and big businesses exists to make money. In professional sports, winning means success and losing means failure.

If you're looking for sports where morality and sportsmanship are featured attributes go watch youth league games where you live.

If you want to blame something for the state of professional sports today, blame yourself. If people did not watch the games, there would be no Terrell Owens, Deion Sanders, etc. to get upset over.

-Reality

Level of agreement= 100%
There's nothing more I could add.

 

[PacoReloaded]

.. and you just figured this out?

Professional sports is big business and big businesses exists to make money. In professional sports, winning means success and losing means failure.

If you're looking for sports where morality and sportsmanship are featured attributes go watch youth league games where you live.

If you want to blame something for the state of professional sports today, blame yourself. If people did not watch the games, there would be no Terrell Owens, Deion Sanders, etc. to get upset over.

-Reality

Wow, I couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[dcfanatic]

.. and you just figured this out?

Professional sports is big business and big businesses exists to make money. In professional sports, winning means success and losing means failure.

If you're looking for sports where morality and sportsmanship are featured attributes go watch youth league games where you live.

If you want to blame something for the state of professional sports today, blame yourself. If people did not watch the games, there would be no Terrell Owens, Deion Sanders, etc. to get upset over.

-Reality

Then explain Troy Aikman, Cal Ripken and Tim Duncan to me.

 

[dcfanatic]

Wow, I couldn't have said it better myself.

Three in a row where the sarcasm just went right over your heads, lol.

 

[dcfanatic]

.. and you just figured this out?

Professional sports is big business and big businesses exists to make money. In professional sports, winning means success and losing means failure.

If you're looking for sports where morality and sportsmanship are featured attributes go watch youth league games where you live.

If you want to blame something for the state of professional sports today, blame yourself. If people did not watch the games, there would be no Terrell Owens, Deion Sanders, etc. to get upset over.

-Reality

One other thing, what business are you in?

Because if I follow you correctly then having large sums of money invested in partnerships with people means that the morality issues are out the window when it comes to staying in the black as opposed to falling in the red.

Correct?

If so, remind me to never do business with you, lol. Silly me, I was used to doing busines with people who had high moral values in hopes that they didn't rip me off every time I turned my back on them.

Honestly. I completely understand your response, but just because you make a valid point doesn't mean it's the 'way things should be', especially in an environment where children are looking up to the participants. Kids don't care what Bob the executive says on ESPN because no one cares what Bob the executive says about how he runs his toilet paper company which makes 4 million a quarter.

Know what I'm saying, lol.

 

[Rogerthat12]

.. and you just figured this out?

Professional sports is big business and big businesses exists to make money. In professional sports, winning means success and losing means failure.

If you're looking for sports where morality and sportsmanship are featured attributes go watch youth league games where you live.

If you want to blame something for the state of professional sports today, blame yourself. If people did not watch the games, there would be no Terrell Owens, Deion Sanders, etc. to get upset over.

-Reality

You nailed it bro..hands down!!! starspin:starspin

 

[TonyS]

DCFanatic and Reality are both correct. The NFL is a business and sometimes, most of the times, the "right" thing to do deals with the bottom line, which is money.

This leads to situations like TO being able to act like a child and still make millions because he's got superior skills. I don't like it and don't know many people who do, but it is the way sports are today.

If Vin can go to the Colts, TO can go to the Cowboys, Damon can go to the Yankees, etc... it shows that sports are all about the money.

Thankfully, there are people like Tillman who show us a different path in sports and there always will be.

 

[Juke99]

I've been a fan for a long time.

I'm still a fan...always will be.

BUT something is different.

I wouldn't miss a game...would never wander off while a game is on the tube...But the fanatical passion is missing.

Should that be a surprise?

I don't think so.

Fact of the matter is, I give my best as a fan but I'm not in "live or die" mode any more.

And that shouldn't be a surprise because the players aren't in live or die mode any more either. They, most often, give their best also but will leave a team at the drop of a hat if more money is offered.

How can my allegiance to the Cowboy's team be greater than the players I am rooting for? That's out of balance.

I am in charge of a group of salespeople. At times I'll hear them on the phone making cold calls and they'll sound very unexcited. I'll ask "If you don't sound excited about the product, why on earth would you expect the consumer to be?"

And in a nutshell, that's it for me. The players are the salespeople for the product. The consumer is nothing more than a reflection of that salesperson. The NFL sales staff, the players, are competent and give their best effort in selling the product BUT they are not passionate about staying with one team.

It comes as no surprise to me that my level of passion matches theirs.

And while I DO miss the "old days" I am ok with my new level of fandom.

 

[THUMPER]

I've been a fan for a long time.

I'm still a fan...always will be.

BUT something is different.

I wouldn't miss a game...would never wander off while a game is on the tube...But the fanatical passion is missing.

Should that be a surprise?

I don't think so.

Fact of the matter is, I give my best as a fan but I'm not in "live or die" mode any more.

And that shouldn't be a surprise because the players aren't in live or die mode any more either. They, most often, give their best also but will leave a team at the drop of a hat if more money is offered.

How can my allegiance to the Cowboy's team be greater than the players I am rooting for? That's out of balance.

I am in charge of a group of salespeople. At times I'll hear them on the phone making cold calls and they'll sound very unexcited. I'll ask "If you don't sound excited about the product, why on earth would you expect the consumer to be?"

And in a nutshell, that's it for me. The players are the salespeople for the product. The consumer is nothing more than a reflection of that salesperson. The NFL sales staff, the players, are competent and give their best effort in selling the product BUT they are not passionate about staying with one team.

It comes as no surprise to me that my level of passion matches theirs.

And while I DO miss the "old days" I am ok with my new level of fandom.

Very well put Juke. I loved the sarcasm in DCFanatic's post as well and agree with him wholeheartedly.

Reading the posts of Reality and others just shows why so many Cowboys fans are actually excited about us singing Owens. They couldn't care less about a player's character so long as he helps us win games. That is a totally foreign concept to me and used to be for the Cowboys.

The hypocricy from Parcells in particular but Jerry as well is overwhelming! Bill was adamant about not wanting to deal with troublemakers or guys who weren't going to put the team first yet he is supposedly completely on board with the Owens signing. Wait, that doesn't compute Bill.

Just goes to show that in this culture winning isn't everything, it's the ONLY thing. No wonder we are going down the tubes.

 

[CrazyCowboy]

Nice observation.....

 

[Reality]

If so, remind me to never do business with you, lol. Silly me, I was used to doing busines with people who had high moral values in hopes that they didn't rip me off every time I turned my back on them.

There aren't many big businesses (not talking mom and pop shops, but billion dollar businesses) that wouldn't screw over you, me and every other consumer if it meant improving their bottom line.

Honestly. I completely understand your response, but just because you make a valid point doesn't mean it's the 'way things should be', especially in an environment where children are looking up to the participants.

I never said it "should" be that way .. I'm just saying that is the way it is. In a perfect world, there would be no wars, no abuse, no poverty, etc. Do I appreciate the NFL as much now as I did as a kid? Absolutely not, but yet here I am running a NFL fan site and watching game after game.

As I said, the NFL is big business and its goal just like other big businesses is to make money. Take Charles Johnson for example. He plays on the Bengals and even though they did better this year, it's not like I ever see anyone wearing Bengals jerseys. All of a sudden he starts doing his end zone skits and next thing you know, sports shows are replaying and talking about his antics some even putting them down. However, what has this accomplished? It has made him well-known to even casual fans.

Players like Terrell Owens, Deion Sanders, etc. are players fans love to hate. They love to hate them until they are on their team and that hate turns to support. Is that right? No, but it happens over and over and I doubt it will ever change.

There are exceptions to the Terrell Owens and Deion Sanders types of players in professional sports and the three you listed are definitely good examples. That being said, it doesn't change the fact that the number of professional players with high character and moral values that are also top players in the league are very few.

.. and let's face it, if it was such a problem with most fans, the NFL wouldn't be the most popular sport in this country.

-Reality is real

 

[THUMPER]

There are exceptions to the Terrell Owens and Deion Sanders types of players in professional sports and the three you listed are definitely good examples. That being said, it doesn't change the fact that the number of professional players with high character and moral values that are also top players in the league are very few.

Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Marvin Harrison, Tory Holt, Shawn Alexander, Jerome Bettis, etc. the list goes on and on of top players who have no character issues and are team players. For every "me first" guy I can give you 2-3 players of the same caliber that are "team first" guys.

I have said for years that ESPN/SportsCenter is the biggest culprit in bringing the focus to these types of players glorifying the endzone celebrations and individual accomplishments over team wins because it fits better into their highlight mentality.

People will list the players we had in the early 90s with character issues like Irvin, Erik Williams, Nate, Stepnoski, Lett, Clayton Holmes, etc. but they forget all the guys who didn't have those problems like Aikman, Emmitt, Hennings, Woodson, Tony Tolbert, Bill Bates, Moose, Jay Novacek, and many others who were not simply good players but were model citizens as well.

Sports reporting has become tabloid journalism and focuses almost solely on whatever is controvercial and negative because that is what brings viewership and ratings but it has also tainted our society in terms of sports and sportsmanship at all levels.

When I was in highschool in the early 70s, I was benched by my coach for slamdunking the ball because it put the focus on me rather than on the team. I just thought it was cool that I could do it and most kids couldn't but he was trying to teach me that team sports really are about the team and not the individual. He was right.

Nowdays they make movies ridiculing people who can't dunk the ball. Guys like John Stockton and Steve Nash who made careers out of getting the ball to other guys and shooting well are only looked up to by kids who are too short to dunk. They all want to be like Mike and dunk the ball, they aren't interested in passing off to a teammate so he can score because then he would get all the glory and attention and that is what it is all about because that is what gets you the big money contracts and that is the bottom line.

It's all about the Benjamin. But that is NOT what makes sports fun to watch.

 

[Zaxor]

dcfanatic...

I am as disappointed as I can be in the Cowboys for doing this...

but really... take a look around you and listen to most of these younger fans

they don't care...about morality

it is winning...but it is not just sports but everywhere today...most businesses could care less if they have a good, safe, moral, responsible product as long as it makes money....[FONT=arial, helvetica, sans serif][FONT=arial, helvetica, sans serif][FONT=arial, helvetica, sans serif][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]

 

[joseephuss]

There are some great posts in this thread. Good way to start the morning. Good laughs.


I am much too young to remember the old days of sports. Everything I have read points to the fact that sports has always been about money. Just in the past, the only people with the money were the owners. The owners still get the majority of the profits now a days, but the players get a huge share as well. In the past, the players barely got anything. It is all relative, but the players had very little while the owners could do anything they wanted and often did.

 

[Juke99]

dcfanatic...

I am as disappointed as I can be in the Cowboys for doing this...

but really... take a look around you and listen to most of these younger fans

they don't care...about morality

it is winning...but it is not just sports but everywhere today...most businesses could care less if they have a good, safe, moral, responsible product as long as it makes money....[FONT=arial, helvetica, sans serif][FONT=arial, helvetica, sans serif][FONT=arial, helvetica, sans serif][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]

And this is the point...sports is no different than any other business....

There is a quick fix mentality in the business world.

Funny stuff....a few weeks back I was talking to my dad about a great uncle who had passed away. My dad said "Did you know he was a millionaire?"

I sez, "No. I had no idea. How did he do that?"

And my dad looked at me with the dumbstruck look on his face and snottily replied, "Uh, he worked his *** off...that's how"

Gee, what a novel approach. Working to make your millions. It have never occurred to me when I asked the question.

Sad statement.

 

[Reality]

Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Marvin Harrison, Tory Holt, Shawn Alexander, Jerome Bettis, etc.

Jerome Bettis is out of the league, he doesn't factor.

Shawn Alexander was in the news constantly wanting more money before last year. In fact, two years ago, he took a shot at Holgrem in the media for pulling him out of a game at the end of the season and that cost him the rushing title (yeah, that team award ).

Peyton Manning has gone off on his kicker in the past, blamed his offensive line this year for their playoff loss and mooned some woman in college that led to a lawsuit.

Marvin Harrison was sued for attacking three boys who were seeking his autograph at a Pro Bowl 2-3 years ago.

If these are your morality examples, I'm even more disappointed.

-Reality

 

[Zimmy Lives]

One other thing, what business are you in?

Because if I follow you correctly then having large sums of money invested in partnerships with people means that the morality issues are out the window when it comes to staying in the black as opposed to falling in the red.

Correct?

If so, remind me to never do business with you, lol. Silly me, I was used to doing busines with people who had high moral values in hopes that they didn't rip me off every time I turned my back on them.

Honestly. I completely understand your response, but just because you make a valid point doesn't mean it's the 'way things should be', especially in an environment where children are looking up to the participants. Kids don't care what Bob the executive says on ESPN because no one cares what Bob the executive says about how he runs his toilet paper company which makes 4 million a quarter.

Know what I'm saying, lol.

dcfanatic,

I commend you for your standards but Reality is right.

Anyway, that's why people have religion, they can screw each other over six days out of the week and repent for it on Sundays.

 

[ravidubey]

Very well put Juke. I loved the sarcasm in DCFanatic's post as well and agree with him wholeheartedly.

Reading the posts of Reality and others just shows why so many Cowboys fans are actually excited about us singing Owens. They couldn't care less about a player's character so long as he helps us win games. That is a totally foreign concept to me and used to be for the Cowboys.

The hypocricy from Parcells in particular but Jerry as well is overwhelming! Bill was adamant about not wanting to deal with troublemakers or guys who weren't going to put the team first yet he is supposedly completely on board with the Owens signing. Wait, that doesn't compute Bill.

Just goes to show that in this culture winning isn't everything, it's the ONLY thing. No wonder we are going down the tubes.

Winning is the primary goal in professional sports. Not business, not Monopoly-- professional sports. Jimmy Johnson let his players get away with murder and broke their backs to produce a winner. Vince Lombardi elevated winning above all else. Lombardi, Parcells-- the rigid stance and codes of behavior these guys embrace are all in a focused effort to win.

Trouble makers to Bill are those who are not committed to practice, football, and winning.

The double standards regarding Owens are shocking-- exactly what qualifies as "bad" character?

Owens practices like Irvin and plays like Irvin. Yeah, he loves making a spectacle of himself, but how does that mean he's a bad character?

- How are his dances after scores any different than Butch Johnson's "California Quake", Harper's goalpost dunks, Icky's shuffle, Gary Clark's backwards trot, or all those Lambeau leaps?

- How are his calling out his teammates' poor performances any different than Charles Haley deficating in a teammate's vehicle, starting fights with teammates, or screaming at coaches in the locker room?

- How is what Owens did *any* different than what Keyshawn Johnson did-- yet Johnson is welcomed with open arms??? Johnson called Neil O'donnel a limp puppet, called himself a star and Wayne Chrebet a flashlight, hammered Brad Johnson, and hammered Jon Gruden. Keyshawn wrote a stupid book and so did Owens. Dallas signed both players, but Owens gets all the grief from the character police-- ***?

- He's is not a drug abuser like Favre, Lett, Irvin, Tuinei, or Tayor; a drug seller like Newton; a pimp like Harper; or pedophile like Septien. To me THOSE are signs of questionable character! Owens is guilty of using the media to promote himself and help fight his management.