It has been a raging debate whether the Cowboys deserve to be called the ‘America’s Team’ even though they haven’t won a Super Bowl since 1995.
ESPN’s Courtney Cronin claimed not Cowboys but the Chiefs should be called America’s Team (Image via IMAGO / X)
The term ‘Americas Team’ was coined by Bob Ryan, the Vice President and editor-in-chief of NFL Films in 1978, when the Dallas Cowboys led Tom Landry were going through one of the best phases in the history of the franchise. However, is that term relevant in 2024?
During the recent segment of ESPN’s First Take, Courtney Cronin assumed the role of Stephen A. Smith who wasn’t present. The Chicago Bears expert made it clear that the Cowboys trolling can continue even without the veteran analyst.
Cronin, invoking her inner Stephen A. said that the Cowboys are no longer the ‘Americas Team.’
In the era that Cronin mentioned, the Cowboys were a force to be reckoned with. Landry and Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach took the Cowboys to 12 conference championship games (counting the 1966 and 1967 league championships) and five Super Bowls.
Then a few back-to-back Super Bowls from the deadly trio of Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin in the early 1990s.
The Cowboys entered a period of underwhelming performances from the 2000s. While the New England Patriots dominated with Tom Brady and after him Patrick Mahomes with the Chiefs, the Cowboys remain a shell of their older self.
She argued the Chiefs, despite losing players like Tyreek Hill, kept up their dominance on other NFL teams when a lot of analysts doubted them. On the other hand, the Cowboys show little sign of any improvement. Even though they won 12 games in each of their last three seasons with Dak Prescott, the Cowboys succumbed to arguably their worst playoff exit at the hands of the Green Bay Packers.
Owner Jerry Jones has aspirations of reaching the promised lands once again, but he is 81 and hasn’t shown much interest in improving the team in the offseason. Moreover, this might be the last season of stars like Prescott, Micah Parsons, and CeeDee Lamb together.
