Top 10 Reasons Why WE LOVE Our Dallas Cowboys (5-1)

People often say there is a very thin line between love and hate. The two emotions can be so intertwined that they flirt with both realms; love and hate. That statement could not be more true when it comes to our Dallas Cowboys.

If you are even a casual football fan, it’s either one or the other…which side of the fence do you fall; there is no middle ground when it comes to the most polarizing franchise is professional football.

I have since covered the Top 10 reasons why people HATE our Dallas Cowboys, and last week we uncovered reasons 10-6 of the reasons why we LOVE our Dallas Cowboys. This week we will conclude with reasons 5-1 of the reasons we die-hard faithful can’t get enough of “America’s Team.”

Before we continue, let’s take a look at this list so far…

10. The Larger Than Life Players

9. We Are ALWAYS Relevant

8. We Are Easy to Follow and We Are ALWAYS Highly Visible

7. Feeling a Part of Something Larger Than Yourself

6. Making Friends for Life

Nov 24, 2011; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys fan cheers during the game against the Miami Dolphins on Thanksgiving day at Cowboys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

And away we go…

5. Those Five Lombardi Trophies

Success Breeds Hatred. It’s no surprise then this one was featured in my Top 10 haters’ countdown.

 That is a fact of life regarding ALL sports. We hate the teams that consistently win and we could care less about the teams that consistently lose. However, success also breeds legions of new fans. People are enamored by winners and we instinctively flock toward success. If you don’t have a team already, and you are searching for one to root for, you naturally are attracted to a winning team.

Needless to say, fans were hard to come by in our early days. We were not successful right away (our first winning season was not until 1966 and our first Super Bowl appearance was not until after the 1970 season) and Dallas natives then cared more for high school and college ball at the time.

We finally shed the ugly labels, “Next Year’s Champions” and “Bridesmaids of the NFL,” by breaking through with our first world title following the 1971 season, fans across the country took notice and our national fan base quickly began to pick up steam.

Add it all up over 53 seasons (5 Super Bowl Titles, 20 consecutive winning seasons, 8 NFC Conference Titles etc…) and our Dallas Cowboys certainly have a rich history of success. And with barrels of success also comes a healthy helping of loyal fans.

I have a saying when it comes to this subject, “Until millions and millions of sports fans hate your guts, you have NOT achieved the right amount of success yet.” Lucky for us, we have collected that perfect amount of success…and the hatred to go along with it.

4. That Beautiful Star

Like a beacon of hope that glistens across the gridiron, that beautiful star never fails to deliver a sparkle in my eye. The Dallas Cowboys star is simple and unsuspecting, yet elegant and unifying. A star is a symbol that every full-blooded American can relate to. A star is something we have pointed to since we were kids.

Tex Schramm did not pick a star by accident folks; stars on the American flag, star on the Texas flag, Lone Star State…the man was a genius!

Just as the North Star acts as a way of guidance, the Dallas star also shows people the right path to take (sorry, couldn’t resist). That Dallas Cowboys star is one of the main culprits that drew me in and got me in the door as a young boy. The rest of the reasons on this list got me to sit down and relax for a while… a LONG while!

And to think after the 1963 season, when the Cowboys changed their uniforms, a boot-and-spur logo was tested to replace the star everyone grew accustomed to the past four seasons. Can you imagine a BOOT-AND-SPUR logo on the side of our helmets?

 I hope I speak for everyone when I say, I’m certainly glad the star prevailed!

Nov 18, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys fan cheers for his team during the game against the Cleveland Browns at Cowboys Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

3. Bob Ryan’s Baby…”America’s Team”

Bobby Ryan knew the Dallas Cowboys were the most popular team in the country and the rest is history. And we love the Dallas Cowboys because THEY ARE the most popular team in the country. Told you there would be a few more from the Top 10 haters countdown.

We got to be the most popular team in the country because we hailed from small beginnings. From not winning a single game our first year in the league (0-11-1 in 1960) to coming a game or two short from a world title appearance for four years in a row (1966-1969), to losing the way we did in our very first Super Bowl appearance following the 1970 season, our Cowboys suffered from humble beginnings.

But it was those tough early years that made it all the more sweeter when we did win our first Super Bowl over the Miami Dolphins following the 1971 season. We climbed the mountain the hard way; we didn’t take the easy way up. We worked our way up from nothing until we finally reached the pinnacle. We did it the gold old fashion American way with blood, sweat and tears. And when we finally reached the top of the mountain, we got comfy.

Makes you wonder if Bob Ryan also took this into account when he announced we were finally “America’s Team” following the 1978 season.

Hate to steal a line from the movie Prometheus but, it’s true; “Big things have small beginnings.”