Jonah's Jabs: Lions as America's team?

By Jonah Unger
Staff Writer

I spent the weekend watching the NFL Football Playoffs. It’s not quite the same when your team didn’t make it to the playoffs.

With that being said, as a “Michigander,” it’s expected that you have a back-up team to root for when the Lions, Pistons or Tigers disappoint. Some people might call that being a bandwagon fan, but I like to call it “overcome, adapt and survive.”

Although the Lions did exceptionally well this season, the rule still stands. Through this way of thinking however, I grew curious to find out what NFL team has the largest fan base and is historically known as a good team. So I did some research, and found some interesting results.

I started off guessing the Green Bay Packers or the Chicago Bears, due to their long history in the league, as well as how long they have been around. After looking into it, though, it seems I was wrong. 

According to NGSC sports and Bet MGM, the Dallas Cowboys rank first in net worth at $5 billion, and in attendance with 93,465 fans per game on average. To put that in perspective, the Packers fell in fourth place in fan attendance with 76,180 fans on average. The Bears didn’t even make the top 10. 

So why are the Cowboys so dominant in the league with fans? The Cowboys were founded as an NFL team in 1960. They have won five total Super Bowls, with their last one being in 1996 against the Steelers. The overall win-loss record of the Cowboys is 538 wins and 403 losses. 

Although that record is impressive, I personally have found a theory of why they might be so well liked. The Cowboys were known as “America's team” in the ‘70s and ‘80s, and they consistently delivered in winning games. I believe they were built off of patriotism, thus impacting a loyal fan base throughout generations. 

Now is the dawn of a new age in the NFL. The Lions are going to rule the league and dethrone the Cowboys. If the Cowboys continue to choke like they did against the 49ers on Sunday, Jan. 22, then I don’t see that being so difficult.