Could fan tours be one reason the Dallas Cowboys haven’t won a Super Bowl since January 1996?
On Wednesday, ESPN’s Kalyn Kahler detailed how the Cowboys are the only team in the NFL that offers fans daily tours of its facility, The Star.
“It’s gold when our players go through our complex out there and see fans,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said, per Kahler.
Don’t buy Jones’ claim. Players aren’t fond of these tours.
During a March episode of “The Pat McAfee Show,” former Cowboys TE Dalton Schultz (now with the Houston Texans) compared the facility to a “zoo,” noting how fans tap the glass of the weight room to get players’ attention while they’re working out.
Jayron Kearse, Dallas’ starting safety from 2021-23, echoed Schultz’s sentiment.
“You’re walking by the tour guide, and they’re pulling [fans] to the side, and you hear them say, ‘Oh, that’s CeeDee Lamb, that’s CeeDee,'” Kearse said via Kahler. “Like Dalton said, it’s kind of like you’re like in a zoo, and kids are going to see a lion. That’s not a reason why we didn’t get over that hump. But I just don’t think that equates to winning. That has nothing to do with us winning the game.”
Jones said he has never received complaints about the tours, and even if he did, he probably wouldn’t make changes.
“Not one time,” Jones said. “But the most important thing is it wouldn’t make any difference. Period. Because overall, they’re swimming against the stream.”
More importantly, the tours help the Cowboys make money. Kahler reported tours of The Star and AT&T Stadium generate approximately $10M in revenue.
Still, players feel these tours create distractions, which have made it harder for the team to vie for championships.
“I don’t know if that worked for Jerry back in the ’90s when they were winning Super Bowls,” an anonymous former player told Kahler. “You have these elite athletes, and if you want their complete focus, you shouldn’t have tours. It is an added distraction.”
Perhaps the Cowboys should hold tours when players are on vacation. Kahler added the Los Angeles Chargers let fans tour their new facility in July before players reported for training camp.
Regardless, Jones seems too concerned about the franchise’s bottom line. That may be why the Cowboys haven’t been hoisting Lombardi Trophies for nearly three decades.
