Cowboys are the General Motors of the NFL

BringBackThatOleTimeBoys

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A little background first.

General Motors had 54% of all car sales in the 1950s. By the time of the bailout (TARP) - it was 15%. What is amazing is it took nearly 50 years for mismanagement to catchup with them. They had a string of lemons:
  • Corvair
  • Vega
  • diesel Olds (many would assume all diesel cars would be like GM's for years)
  • The front-wheel drive cars of the early 80's that fell apart
  • The Caviler pretending to be a Cadillac Cimeron (sp)
  • Not using the EV1 tech to either put out the Volt a decade earlier or pioneer hybrid/EV tech in fleet vehicles...Toyota fearfully rushed out the Prius in response
  • Gave up on the sedan and compact market
Relative to the Japanese automakers, GM had many more levels of managers....when it came to new ideas, it was much easier to "just say no." Like a local sports owner, GM could not see beyond a year in the future. When strikes threatened, they gave the UAW what they wanted until the only vehicles they could sell at a reliable profit was pickups and SUVs. They ceded the compact and sedan market to Asian automakers.

How did GM cope with their shortcomings? Spin, spin, spin. Told everybody the Suburban was the new Impala - found ways to put whipped cream on cow chips. Times in the 90's were good enough they could ignore they bought Accords and Camrys instead. GM execs prayed $1.50 a gallon gas and cheap interest rates would go indefinitely - it came to a screeching halt in 2008. They did not even have a contingency plan and in a face-losing reversal begged for a bail out. The board and the CEO changed along with the culture.

Most companies can't remotely coast for fifty years downhill and survive. GM had great customer loyalty, but eventually it ran out. Apple might be able to coast longer than most, but not nearly as long.


If it's not already obvious, Jerry Jones is taking advantage of the Cowboys fan base. Fans live in the past of a storied history, but it's been 20 years since the last SB with a team that has been .500 since - a bigger fan base than the Yankees, Bulls, Manchester United, Packers, Steelers, Patriots. They have done nothing to earn it lately, but Jerry thinks spin, spin, spin, and soap opera will keep fans coming.

Like GM, it may take a long time but people will tire of this. They younger generation will not remember the championship days, Staubach and Lilly may be dead - they will follow somebody else. They will conclude this team is just like the Browns or Jaguars, only in a larger market with a nice stadium. The hubis will eventually end.
 

lostar2009

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A little background first.

General Motors had 54% of all car sales in the 1950s. By the time of the bailout (TARP) - it was 15%. What is amazing is it took nearly 50 years for mismanagement to catchup with them. They had a string of lemons:
  • Corvair
  • Vega
  • diesel Olds (many would assume all diesel cars would be like GM's for years)
  • The front-wheel drive cars of the early 80's that fell apart
  • The Caviler pretending to be a Cadillac Cimeron (sp)
  • Not using the EV1 tech to either put out the Volt a decade earlier or pioneer hybrid/EV tech in fleet vehicles...Toyota fearfully rushed out the Prius in response
  • Gave up on the sedan and compact market
Relative to the Japanese automakers, GM had many more levels of managers....when it came to new ideas, it was much easier to "just say no." Like a local sports owner, GM could not see beyond a year in the future. When strikes threatened, they gave the UAW what they wanted until the only vehicles they could sell at a reliable profit was pickups and SUVs. They ceded the compact and sedan market to Asian automakers.

How did GM cope with their shortcomings? Spin, spin, spin. Told everybody the Suburban was the new Impala - found ways to put whipped cream on cow chips. Times in the 90's were good enough they could ignore they bought Accords and Camrys instead. GM execs prayed $1.50 a gallon gas and cheap interest rates would go indefinitely - it came to a screeching halt in 2008. They did not even have a contingency plan and in a face-losing reversal begged for a bail out. The board and the CEO changed along with the culture.

Most companies can't remotely coast for fifty years downhill and survive. GM had great customer loyalty, but eventually it ran out. Apple might be able to coast longer than most, but not nearly as long.


If it's not already obvious, Jerry Jones is taking advantage of the Cowboys fan base. Fans live in the past of a storied history, but it's been 20 years since the last SB with a team that has been .500 since - a bigger fan base than the Yankees, Bulls, Manchester United, Packers, Steelers, Patriots. They have done nothing to earn it lately, but Jerry thinks spin, spin, spin, and soap opera will keep fans coming.

Like GM, it may take a long time but people will tire of this. They younger generation will not remember the championship days, Staubach and Lilly may be dead - they will follow somebody else. They will conclude this team is just like the Browns or Jaguars, only in a larger market with a nice stadium. The hubis will eventually end.

Yup give this team another 5 years playing at this level and JJ has offically diminish the star. With dallas it was about the sb's but the KEY thing was we were always in the mix playoff births were automatic. Nfc championship games was when our playoffs start.
 

Cowboy Brian

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There is quite the difference in the decline of the Browns than the potential decline of the Cowboys. 24% of NFL fans identify of Cowboys fans, and that is a decline since 1996. The second most popular team seemingly changes annually, usually it's the Steelers at 9%. Our fanbase could cut in half and we would still be #1 by a sizable majority.
 

Rockport

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Yup give this team another 5 years playing at this level and JJ has offically diminish the star. With dallas it was about the sb's but the KEY thing was we were always in the mix playoff births were automatic. Nfc championship games was when our playoffs start.

I think you can officially declare that JJ has already tarnished the star.
 

Califan007

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There is quite the difference in the decline of the Browns than the potential decline of the Cowboys. 24% of NFL fans identify of Cowboys fans, and that is a decline since 1996. The second most popular team seemingly changes annually, usually it's the Steelers at 9%. Our fanbase could cut in half and we would still be #1 by a sizable majority.

That's only true if those former Cowboys fans just stopped following football altogether. That ain't happening.
 

Cowboy Brian

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That's only true if those former Cowboys fans just stopped following football altogether. That ain't happening.

Fair enough - in that case it depends where they go, we'd have 12% flowing away. At least 1/4 of leaving fans would have to go to the Steelers to make them #1. Saints and Patriots are both at 7% and change, requiring 5%. Even at this decline of 50%, which is an insane drop, we are unlikely to lose our spot as the most popular franchise in the NFL.
 
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