Hypothetical Question Regarding Cowboys Loyalty (Explanation Inside)

[Kevin]

This is something I posted on the Skins board awhile back. I thought it would be interesting to gauge the responses of Cowboys fans as well.

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This is something I've been contemplating for awhile now...but I haven't been able to put it into words. Truth be told, I know the answer, but thinking about it is a lot of fun.

Do you root for the Cowboys, or do you root based on the relationships the players form with one another and with the fans.

That is the question which I wish to dissect. Listen to this absolutely, positively hypothetical situation: Imagine, by some freak accident, some loophole, natural disaster, or scandal, that the Cowboys swapped their entire personel (front office, players, coaches, sponsors et cetera.) with another team. For the sake of neutrality we'll say everything is swapped with the Tennessee Titans.

The Titans now have Marion Barber, Julius Jones, Drew Bledoe, Roy Williams, Terrell Owens, Aaron Glenn, Bill Parcells, Jerry Jones, Bobby Carpenter et cetera. What was once the Cowboys, is now the Titans. The Cowboys have Vince Young...and that's the only player I can think of that's on the Titans at the moment- but you get the point.

Of course you're going to root for the Silver and Blue, with this decision being compromised under no conditions...but if this were to happen, would you feel obliged to root for the hypothetical Titans?

I feel that more elaboration is needed. You love to watch your Cowboys performing as a team...Demarcus Ware pressuring an opposing QB to the outside, only to have him run into Akin Ayodele (even though he hasn't played a down in Blue yet). Roy Williams benefitting from TNew's solid coverage, and picking off McNabb to win the game. Watching the chemistry between T.O and Bledsoe beginning to unfold. Sorry, I'm a Commanders fan, so I'm not too keen on the Cowboy's relationships, but you should get the gist by now.

What if all these relationships remained in tact, but they were moved under another team name. Would it be difficult to simply sever the ties we've made with these players?

Note: Please spare the "dude, what are the thinking! this could never happen! ban him" comments, for you are merely stating the obvious.

 

[Hostile]

I root for the Cowboys. I had someone on the team that I consider a friend. He lost his job when we drafted a guy who is a stud at the position. I was fine with that.

Right now, I'd say Demarcus Ware is my favorite player on the team. Down the road if he ends up gone to some other team, my loyalty to him ends. I'll still like him, but no loyalty.

It was that way with Emmitt, who is one of my 2 favorite players ever.

 

[Vintage]

I would be a Cowboys fan....

That being said, I would root for the three players I have taken a particular liking to (except when they play us); Roy Williams, Jason Witten, and Demarcus Ware.

 

[Alexander]

I root for laundry. Not image.

I stopped rooting for the people in the posters above my bed when the game changed with free agency. The players made it a business and no longer a game at that point. So be it.

Not their fault, but I am sure most don't really care about the fan's loyalty to them personally in the long run anyways. Nor do I blame them.

 

[Yeagermeister]

I live 3 hours from Nashville and I can't stand them. Even though it has more to do with Bud Adams than the team. One of my favorite football moments of all time was seeing them come up one yard short in the SB. If it hadn't been for the Music City forward pass they wouldn't have been there in the first place.

So no it wouldn't matter.

 

[CooterBrown]

I am a Dallas Cowboys fan. Players come and go. The only difference in your scenario is that they would all leave at one time.
I even rooted for the replacement Cowboys during the strike. Who the players and coaches are is totally immaterial. I have never cared much for Terrell Owens, but as long as he is wearing a Cowboy uniform, I'll root for him too.

 

[CoCo]

Realistically, I'd root for both.

I'll always root for the Cowboy uniform no matter who the player, coach, or owner is. Even if one loathes TO personally (or Jimmy or Barry or whoever) there are always many personalities worth investing emotionally in.

And if the entire Cowboy team/org ended up as the Titans, yeah I'd root for them too only likely with less passion and it would be temporary until those players one by one left that org.

Yeah, the organization itself is a very big deal.

 

[CoCo]

Your scenario is actually pretty true to life.

Many organizations have moved from one city to another only to be replaced by a new group a few years later.

Cardinals to AZ, and the Rams came to town. Browns to Baltimore followed by expansion a couple years later.

My Browns friends who live in Colorado have never had any kind of allegiance to the Ravens. Once that group left Cleveland the ties were severed even though it took a couple years to get the new Browns. That's probably a bit extreme for me.

 

[dallasfaniac]

I would root for the Cowboys, not the players. Now, if we somehow changed rosters with the Commanders, I'd probably never watch another football snap in my life.

 

[Kevin]

I would root for the Cowboys, not the players. Now, if we somehow changed rosters with the Commanders, I'd probably never watch another football snap in my life.

Precisely why I used the Titans - neutrality.

 

[Hostile]

I can only think of one thing where I would differ in my stated opinion. If I had a son that played for a team other than the one I root for. Nothing else could ever make me waver and I doubt that would totally change my thinking.

 

[CoCo]

I can only think of one thing where I would differ in my stated opinion. If I had a son that played for a team other than the one I root for. Nothing else could ever make me waver and I doubt that would totally change my thinking.

Really interesting scenario.

As twisted as it sounds, both are family and deserving of our loyalty.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

Team first always.

However there are players in the league that I like, maybe they played on my favorite college team, or maybe they are just players I enjoy watching.

Those players can be on teams I despise and I could still enjoy watching or rooting for that individual player to do well.

Total Team swap.

I don't think I would rag on the players coming in as much as I would be upset with the ownership for the silly reason of swapping more for less (depending on the team I guess).

If we swapped with a team that was loaded with studs or just flat out was a better overall team, due to talent, then I guess it might be different.

Odd question for a thread, but it is different and a break from the norm.

 

[Hostile]

Really interesting scenario.

As twisted as it sounds, both are family and deserving of our loyalty.

You'd have to ask Pittdawg how it tears at ya, because I can only imagine.

 

[baj1dallas]

I would follow the "Tennessee Cowboys" for a year or two, just because I was familiar with them. If they proved to be worth "rooting" for, I'd root for them, same way I like any team in any sport that plays the right way. Nothing else would really change.

 

[TEK2000]

I have a tendency to root for PLAYERS as well as a TEAM.

For example, I'm a big Longhorns fan... I was also a big Roy Williams fan despite the fact that he played for Oklahoma. (Yes it drove me crazy that he made that 'Superman' play on the Longhorns' Chris Simms... but that's the GREAT type of player he is). I'm also a Vince Young fan.. so the Titans/Cowboys swap wouldn't be all bad for me.

That being said, I would continue to be a Roy Williams fan no matter what team he played for... because I appreciate how he plays the game AND how he conducts himself on and off the field.
At the same time, I would NOT be a Terrell Owens fan if he happened to play for another team.

So, like someone else stated, I will ALWAYS be a Cowboys fan, but I would still watch and wish success to guys like Roy Williams, Jason Witten, Terrence Newman, Demarcus Ware.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

I would support my team. I would Byatch, moan and complain to any and all who might look as if they were capable of hearing me but I would always support my team. If it came down to it, I'd probably stop watching NFL football before I'd support another team. I actually enjoy watching College, HS and even Pop Warner better as it is.

 

[NorTex]

Hard to answer this question...but it is a good question.

I would just have to wait and see, kind of like the TO situation.

 

[Bob Gray]

Man I bet it sucks being a Commanders fan.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

Man I bet it sucks being a Commanders fan.

Maybe so, but at least they have won multiple Superbowl Trophies.

Imagine being an eagles fan, a saints fan, a bengals fan, a cards fan and so on.

:laugh1: