Why Dallas Cowboys’ family business prevents winning titles
Because owner and general manager Jerry Jones treats the Dallas Cowboys as a family business, that fact limits the team’s chances for success.
The Dallas Cowboys biggest obstacle to a championship is ownership by the Jones’ family. In a recent article, I discussed how Jerry Jones’ multiple roles as owner, president and general manager makes him inefficient at doing each job.
Jerry Jones’ son, John Stephen Jones, is the executive vice president, chief executive officer (CEO) and director of player personnel. Jerry Jones Jr. and Charlotte Jones Anderson are also listed as executive vice presidents. Unfortunately, being family doesn’t make you the right person for the job.
The Cowboys aren’t the only family owned NFL team and as a family man, I understand giving your children prominent roles in the business. If I owned a business, I would want my immediate family heavily involved. After all, we’re talking about establishing our legacy and taking care of future generations.
Just because my little sister made a few hundred flyers for a bake sale, that doesn’t mean that she should be in charge of my marketing department. If my cousin knows a guy with a truck, it doesn’t mean he should be in charge of logistics. It might be necessary in the beginning to give roles to family. As the business grows, you should hire more qualified people.
With a family business, you have to manage emotions, pride and egos. It’s almost insulting to tell your brother, son or nephew to start in the metaphorical mail room. Everyone thinks that they are the sharpest tool in the shed and deserve an important title and position. If starting a family member at the bottom is a problem, imagine having to fire or demote a relative.
Jerry Jones once said that “Jerry Jones the Owner” would have fired “Jerry Jones the General Manager”. Relatives in a family business receive an inordinate amount of job security. Not wanting to fire or remove yourself from a position means that Jerry Jones is hindering the organization from being the best it can be. As I mentioned, competing in business requires hiring the best qualified people for positions. Multiple titles on the business card is simply an ego-stroker.
Owning an NFL franchise isn’t about having a business that makes profit. Jerseys, stadium tours, television deals, ticket sales and the NFL profit sharing means that the business is making money. At this level, it’s about winning. Our last NFL championship was more than 20 years ago.
I don’t believe that Jerry takes ownership of the Dallas Cowboys franchise lightly. I know Jerry wants full credit for winning championships as owner, president and general manager, but it has also come with 20+ years of blame for not! It’s a lot easier to take credit as the owner for hiring the right people and firing the wrong ones.
Owning the Cowboys doesn’t mean Jerry and his family have to be involved in the daily football operations. The weather in Indianapolis during the NFL combine is expected to be around 50 degrees. Taking a family vacation and riding on a yacht as an NFL owner sounds more exciting than freezing at the NFL combine.
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It’s time for Jerry to form the best team in the front office and allow their work to create the best team on the field. Combine the best team with a little luck and Cowboy Nation can celebrate winning championships again.
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