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In Texas, American football is king, there can be no dispute about that. Texans follow the sport with a religious fervor, from high school football to the professional leagues. Come game day, many people can be seen wearing their favorite team’s jersey. And while there are two professional clubs to choose from: Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans, there is really only one clear choice.
The Dallas Cowboys. Or as they are called: American’s Team.
But the question is, do they still deserve to hold that moniker.
There is no doubt that when they were graced by it, they did deserve it. Sadly, that is not the case now. When I was growing up, the Cowboys were undisputed. They had the greats like Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin. People worshiped them and wanted to be like them. This was a team that deserved the title.
Yet all good things must come to an end. The coach at the time, Jimmy Johnson, resigned and the ’Boys picked up Barry Switzer as their new commander. In his time at the reins, Switzer managed to go to the Super Bowl once and win 1996 as the Cowboys beat the Steelers 27-17.
Then the bottom kind of fell out as scandals and injuries plagued the team in 1996. Irvin was convicted of narcotics possession and accused of sexually assaulting a woman (later proved false). Leon Lett, already somewhat of a screw-up, failed to pass a drug test and was suspended for one year. Jay Novacek, Charles Haley and Smith all suffered from injuries that took their toll on the team, resulting in some disappointing losses.
The name of the Cowboys began to get smeared. No longer were these athletes people to idolize. These were not the role models we were led to believe they were. The wool was finally pulled from our eyes.
After their last Super Bowl win in 1996, the ‘Boys have never able to get back to the top. They have came close but something always holds them back. The Cowboys have made recent headlines in the past few years with Tony Romo, yet most of them focused not on his time on the field of battle but his time on the field of love; he was romantically linked to singer Jessica Simpson and the news was whether or not she was affecting his play.
The Cowboys have now fallen from sport idols to mere pop idols, with roves of fan girls brandishing signs one more normally associates with boy bands.
This is not America’s Team. It is time they either rise up to earn it once again or pass it on to another team, one that deserves the title and can live up to it. Without getting too nationalistic, the unit called America’s Team should be the one who shows the strength of the country. Not one that showcases scandals and boy toys.
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