In 1979 the Dallas Cowboys were given the nickname “America’s Team” after TV announcer Pat Summerall introduced the team with that name during a CBS broadcast. Ever since then, the name has stuck and for the most part has been a symbol of the NFL to the common fan as well as internationally.
45 years later, maybe it’s time to hang up that nickname. And it’s not just me saying it; NFL fans are sending the message.
Jersey Sales Say A Lot About a Team’s Respect
Every team is going to have millions of fans in their area, but jersey sales rely more heavily on the common fan. It isn’t so much about how many Patrick Mahomes jerseys are selling in the Kansas City area as it is about how well they sell in New York, Florida, and California. Does he pull fans from Arkansas, or do they prefer to go with Dallas? These are all different aspects that can contribute to the success of a jersey sale.
Take the LA Dodgers as an example. Despite sharing the same market as the LA Angels, Dodger shirts and hats are seen nationwide. The same can be said about the Yankees and Mets. For every Mets hat I see on the street, there are 10 other Yankee hats.
It is because the Yankees and Dodgers are, in many ways, America’s teams. The same goes for the Lakers in the NBA. There is a sense of ‘trendy’ when wearing Lakers gear even if in Texas, North Dakota, or Spain. Heck, even look at Real Madrid. Despite not really being a soccer nation, people still wear Real Madrid gear here in U.S. When was the last time you saw Crystal Palace gear?
For the past 45 years, the Dallas Cowboys have been the Dodgers, Lakers, or Real Madrid of the NFL. But recent data suggests that has changed.
No Dallas Cowboy Jersey Sales Are in the Top 10
For the NFL, the trendy gear to get is a jersey (for baseball, it’s a hat, and for basketball, it’s generally a shirt or jersey). Normally, a trendy player will take the top spot along with a retired player or an exciting rookie. Throw in the Super Bowl MVP, and from there, it sort of goes to the trendy teams.
Until recently, that meant the Dallas Cowboys. Here is a breakdown of how the Dallas Cowboys have been in the Top 10 of jersey sales since 2016:
- 2016- 1
- 2017- 0
- 2018- 1
- 2019- 1
- 2020- 2
- 2021- 2
- 2022- 3
- 2023 – 0
- 2024 – 1 (so far)
Normally, this may not be any reason for concern. There are 32 teams in the NFL, so on average, every team should get a single player every 3.2 years. This means that Dallas is just fine, right? Again, we are talking about America’s team, and so far this year, the highest-ranked Cowboys player is Micah Parson, sitting at 9th.
The top 20 NFL players in merchandise sales, via NFLPA:
1) Jalen Hurts
2) Jason Kelce
3) Patrick Mahomes
4) Travis Kelce
5) Christian McCaffrey
6) Aaron Rodgers
7) Joe Burrow
8) Brock Purdy
9) Micah Parsons
10) Justin Jefferson
11) Josh Allen
12) Jordan Love
13) CeeDee Lamb… pic.twitter.com/ulK5wbPYF8— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) June 11, 2024
Time to Panic For the Dallas Cowboys?
Not quite. It is a bit concerning that Dallas is coming off of one of their best seasons in the last decade, yet they barely cracked the Top 10, but there is a lot of buzz currently around the Kelce brothers, and of course, the NFL is always promoting QBs.
Dak Prescott is a great quarterback, but he is quiet and not necessarily flashy. He has also been with Dallas for a while, and it’s also common belief that this will be his last season there. So, if you’re a Dallas fan, why would you spend more than $100 on a player’s jersey who may leave? Better yet, why would you now if you haven’t in the past eight seasons that he has been there?
Regardless, this is something to watch. If Dallas ends 2024 without a player in the Top 10 in jersey sales, it may be official that Dallas is no longer America’s team. Instead, it may be shifting to Kansas City, which has one of the most electric quarterbacks, an outspoken tight end dating the most famous singer in the world, and an impossible-to-root-against coach.
