My Favorite NFL Team – The Dallas Cowboys

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presents a

My Favorite 
NFL Team

Break Out Your Six-Shooters!

(Stands on stage… taps mic) “I AM A DALLAS COWBOYS FAN!” (Quickly runs off stage to avoid the angry mob’s pelting tomatoes!) Whether or not your a fan of football (or sports for that matter), chances are that the Dallas Cowboys have entered your life in one way or another. I grew up in Northern California (49ers & Raiders country) and always had a penchant for being rebellious as a kid. Most of my family members were staunch 49ers fans and boasted about their revolutionary offense while many friends of mine were Raiders fans and lamented about their “commitment to excellence“. I cared nothing for any of this as all I saw was a smorgasbord of hideous red & gold  on the San Francisco side and ineptitude mixed with delusion on the Raiders side (though they did get some points from me later in life for being one of the ‘tudier franchises in the NFL ).

One year, I remember going to my great-grandparents home where a gathering of my family had assembled to watch the 49ers play in a very important NFL playoff game. Not knowing what “playoffs” even were, I watched the game as a child and listened intently as different family members proclaimed the 49ers greatness and certainty of winning before the game had even started! “What if you guys are wrong?” I would say meekly as the time ticked down to kick off. “Oh… you’ll see” They would confidently snap back and I can still see the little ‘Tude Dude being conceived as I rebelliously decided to root against San Francisco so as to hopefully be on the winning side that none of them would be able to partake in.

Well, it turns out that the team that would be battling the 49ers that day seemed to be just as rebellious as me and a perfect opposite to San Francisco’s unappealing color scheme, the Dallas Cowboys . Not only was I mesmerized by their bright jerseys that were way more eye-candy like than stupid San Francisco’s but Cowboys freaking rule, their star logo grabbed me right away and they stomped the 49ers into the ground that day shutting my “way too cocky” family down while also earning a spot in my heart as the first ever favorite sports team I had ever subscribed to! 2 weeks later, they reached the NFL mountaintop by utterly demolishing the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVII  and it was then that I understood that this team was special. 

Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin and later Deion Sanders all became names that I grew to love as the ‘Boys went on to win 2 additional Super Bowl’s while becoming the team of the decade. WOW… I felt extremely spoiled and lucky right off the bat for being able to partake in glory years this awesome right away in my fanhood. It seemed like during this time, a precedent was being set that the Cowboys were a “soft” team full of glitz and glamour that cared more for showboating than playing hard-nosed football but I didn’t listen to any of this as I carried on with my loyal-to-a-fault personality when it comes to picking favorite things like this.

Since this wonderful “golden age” of Cowboys football, (which fortunately for me coincided with my introduction to being a fan), things have been a lot more difficult for us Dallas loyalists  and the separation of REAL fans and bandwagon jumpers has certainly commenced amidst this gauntlet of mediocrity that has persisted ever since. Through the Quincy Carter years , the playoff heartbreaks and the HORRIBLE refereeing (IT WAS A CATCH!!!), my love has maintained for this glamour franchise and it will never go away however, there have been droves of supposed Dallas fans who have silently backed away from America’s Team during these hard times to root for a new team (or don’t watch football anymore) and honestly… I get it. It’s certainly the easier road at this point to not be a Cowboys fan.

They DO look soft with their prissy white uniforms ! Their owner is a 5 year old kid in a billionaires body controlling the team as if he were in a sandbox! They are constantly the headline of any sports related publication EVEN WHEN THEIR IN LAST PLACE ! I totally understand and comprehend where a lot of the hate comes from and you know what… I STILL LOVE THE DALLAS COWBOYS !!! 

I might understand the logical reasoning behind picking the easier and less resistant path when it comes to being an NFL fan but I’ll never understand changing loyalty or being a bandwagon jumper as I felt like I made a commitment for life when I chose Dallas as a kid! Even though I’m all grown up now and can decipher and articulate so much better than I could as a child, I still love my ‘Boys and root for them with a relentless passion despite the seemingly never-ending barrage of negativity thrown their way . A lot of the hate that I used to hear as a child bugged me but now I feel like it’s fuel, driving all of Cowboy’s nation to what will ultimately be one of the sweetest ever days experienced when we can see that Lombardi trophy finally make its way back to Dallas and shut up some of our loudest detractors . Or maybe we’re completely doomed with a curse of suckage ?

Either way, The ‘Tude Dude will be riding in the same seat on the Dallas Cowboy bus for the rest of his days thanks in large part to the many Cowboy greats that have donned the iconic star on their helmets like The Triplets , Jason Witten , Demarcus Ware , Deion Sanders , Sean Lee and Dak & ‘Zeke . We may be dressed in shiny whites for a human destruction derby and we may have an “I swear I’m a genius” (and way too involved) owner but you can rest assured that we’ll always be prepared for a gunfight with our six shooter’s in tow . Thank you Dallas Cowboys for providing one helluva ride over the years. Through Super Bowl glory and circus-like zaniness, you’ve stayed true to yourself and you helped plant the seed of rebelliousness inside The ‘Tude Dude’s head, bringing us here today! Once again thank you Dallas Cowboys, you will forever be my favorite NFL team.

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