When the Cowboys Got sold in 1989

[Nightshade]

You don't want a disinterested off shore corporate owner. Interbrew bought the Blue Jays Just after they won the series from 94 to 2000. They were mediocre the entire time. Just good enough to put butts in the seats but not good enough to contend. Bottom line driven ALL THE WAY.

This japanese consortium bit of historical news has pumped up my support for Jerry jones a thousand points. I've never liked Jerry so much as the owner of my cowboys as I do right now.

Thank goodness Jerry Jones saved the Cowboys from the Japanese.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

I doubt the Japanese would've owned it too long. That was back when their economy was absolutely booming and they bought all kinds of properties over here... Anyone remember when they bought Pebble Beach? At the time there was some fearful talk that they'd own half of America.

Of course, a few years later, the bubble burst and they had to dump most of it.

 

[KJJ]

I read an article years ago not sure if it was fact but back in 85 Bum Bright wanted to fire Landry after the Bears 44-0 win over the Cowboys but Tex talked him out of it. It was that defeat that got the ball rolling for Bright to sell the team.

 

[bbgun]

I read an article years ago not sure if it was fact but back in 85 Bum Bright wanted to fire Landry after the Bears 44-0 win over the Cowboys but Tex talked him out of it. It was that defeat that got the ball rolling for Bright to sell the team.

He sold it almost four years later. Pretty slow-rolling ball.

 

[ConstantReboot]

I call BS. The Japanese care more about profits. Shrewd contracts, a culture that no one wants to play in, and the team in LA. That would have been the story...

Guess what?

Japanese learned all their business styles from us Americans.

Don't think for one second that they WE Americans aren't like that too. We are much more greedy and profit hungry than any other culture out there.

Lets not be hypocrites about what the Japanese do to make profits. They learned it from us Americans how its supposed to be done.

But I guarantee you, if the Japanese would have bought the Cowboys (and glad they didn't) Jimmy would still be around.

They are attracted to winning more than any culture cause winning brings profits. So nothing is wrong with that.

But Japanese businessmen don't have an ego like Jerry Jones. They are willing to bow down humbly if it means standing back and let the professionals handle everything. This I think is the difference between their culture and ours. As for the Cowboys, its because of Jerry's ego and pride that is tearing the team apart for the last 15 years. Japanese would have never, ever let go Jimmy back in the 90s.

 

[Plankton]

I read an article years ago not sure if it was fact but back in 85 Bum Bright wanted to fire Landry after the Bears 44-0 win over the Cowboys but Tex talked him out of it. It was that defeat that got the ball rolling for Bright to sell the team.

The defeat that got the ball rolling for Bright to sell the team was the collapse of the S&L banks. He was one of the largest owners of S&L banks in the 1980's, and saw his personal net worth reduced by 50% with the crash. He needed the money, so he looked to sell the team.

 

[KJJ]

The defeat that got the ball rolling for Bright to sell the team was the collapse of the S&L banks. He was one of the largest owners of S&L banks in the 1980's, and saw his personal net worth reduced by 50% with the crash. He needed the money, so he looked to sell the team.

With the team losing and in deep decline ticket sales started to suffer so not being able to get enough fans in the seats was a big part. If the team was winning and the fans were packing the stadium he wouldn't have been in such a pinch for money.

 

[Stautner]

Did the team have any other interested parties other than Jerry? and let me say I am NOT wishing someone else would ahve bought the team(we still have more superbowl wins since 1989 than anyone else(Patriots are tied with us)). Just what was the story behinid the sale and who else of anyone was trying to buy the team

I don't think the team wasn't publically for sale, so I don't know that anyone can say say who was interested and who was in the running except those direcdtly involved. It was kind of a quiet deal.

 

[Plankton]

With the team losing and in deep decline ticket sales started to suffer so not being able to get enough fans in the seats was a big part. If the team was winning and the fans were packing the stadium he wouldn't have been in such a pinch for money.

When you personally lose $300 million, I doubt ticket sales would have fixed that issue.

 

[Plankton]

I don't think the team wasn't publically for sale, so I don't know that anyone can say say who was interested and who was in the running except those direcdtly involved. It was kind of a quiet deal.

Wasn't quiet at all. Salomon Brothers ran an official search for a buyer.

When Murchison sold to Bright, that was done silently.

 

[Stautner]

Wasn't quiet at all. Salomon Brothers ran an official search for a buyer.

When Murchison sold to Bright, that was done silently.

Hmm, I guess I didn't remember that aspect. It makes sense though - that seems the way Bright would do it. I am problably mistaking with the fact that it was originally kept quiet when Jerry bought the team and it came out when Jerry drenkenly spilled the beans to a reporter while eating dinner with Jimmy.

 

[KJJ]

He sold it almost four years later. Pretty slow-rolling ball.

Selling a professional sports team isn't like selling a used car. lol With the team in decline and ticket sales dropping I'm sure Bright spent several seasons considering selling the team. Tex assured him Landry could turn the team around and by 88 when it was clear he couldn't the Cowboys were up for sale. Not many franchises are put up for sale when they're winning.

 

[KJJ]

When you personally lose $300 million, I doubt ticket sales would have fixed that issue.

It's not just ticket sales you're losing when a team isn't winning it's also merchandise which is big money. It's hard to market a losing team.

 

[Stautner]

It's not just ticket sales you're losing when a team isn't winning it's also merchandise which is big money. It's hard to market a losing team.

This is exactly true, which is why I always find it so funny when people say Jerry doesn't care about winning, he only cares about making money. Winning makes him money - he sells more stuff, he sells more tickets, and the value of the franchise goes up.

 

[ConstantReboot]

I call BS. The Japanese care more about profits. Shrewd contracts, a culture that no one wants to play in, and the team in LA. That would have been the story...

Guess what?

Japanese learned all their business styles from us Americans.

Don't think for one second that they WE Americans aren't like that too. We are much more greedy and profit hungry than any other culture out there.

Lets not be hypocrites about what the Japanese do to make profits. They learned it from us Americans how its supposed to be done.

But I guarantee you, if the Japanese would have bought the Cowboys (and glad they didn't) Jimmy would still be around.

They are attracted to winning more than any culture cause winning brings profits. So nothing is wrong with that.

But Japanese businessmen don't have an ego like Jerry Jones. They are willing to bow down humbly if it means standing back and let the professionals handle everything. This I think is the difference between their culture and ours. As for the Cowboys, its because of Jerry's ego and pride that is tearing the team apart for the last 15 years. Japanese would have never, ever let go Jimmy back in the 90s.

 

[Plankton]

It's not just ticket sales you're losing when a team isn't winning it's also merchandise which is big money. It's hard to market a losing team.

The Cowboys were not a source of income for Bright at any point of his ownership. He bought the team as a tax write off. When the tax laws were rewritten in 1986 and 87, he lost this tax umbrella, and when it was combined with the cratering of the Texas economy, along with the Savings and Loan crash, he couldn't afford the team anymore.

 

[Plankton]

Hmm, I guess I didn't remember that aspect. It makes sense though - that seems the way Bright would do it. I am problably mistaking with the fact that it was originally kept quiet when Jerry bought the team and it came out when Jerry drenkenly spilled the beans to a reporter while eating dinner with Jimmy.

The deal was rumored for weeks prior to the close. It was the Mia's dinner that confirmed it.

 

[Stautner]

The deal was rumored for weeks prior to the close. It was the Mia's dinner that confirmed it.

I was drunk in 89

 

[dbair1967]

Outside of the treatment of Tom Landry. What makes Bright so aweful?

Seems like I remember alot of players complaining about how cheap he was for starters.

I dont remember all the details, but it seemed like throughout his time in Dallas he wasnt very highly regarded.

 

[KJJ]

The Cowboys were not a source of income for Bright at any point of his ownership. He bought the team as a tax write off. When the tax laws were rewritten in 1986 and 87, he lost this tax umbrella, and when it was combined with the cratering of the Texas economy, along with the Savings and Loan crash, he couldn't afford the team anymore.

The Cowboys might not have been a source of income for Bright at any point but I bet they weren't losing the money when he first bought the team that they were at the time he sold them.