As one of the most established and one of the most popular professional football teams to ever play in the NFL, there is no denying the appeal of the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys currently play in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference (NFC) as part of the National Football League (NFL). They joined the NFL in 1960 as an expansion team and since then have become one of the most watched football teams in the league.
Their home games can be seen from the famous Cowboys Stadium, found in the outlying suburb of the Dallas Fort Worth metropolitan area known as Arlington, Texas. The state-of-the-art stadium opened in 2009 as one of the largest professional football stadiums ever built. The size of this stadium proved to be well worth it as the stadium almost always sells out for all home games. The team’s popularity has lead them to hold the current NFL record of consecutive home sell-outs which consisted of 160 sold-out out regular and post-season games; dating back to 1990.
This streak has not only lead to high ticket sales but to national recognition as well for their value to professional American sports. In 2012, Forbes Magazine listed the Dallas Cowboys as the highest valued sports franchise in United States history. They were also ranked as the #2 most valuable sports franchise in the world after Manchester United and are considered to be worth more than $2 billion.
Although they are also considered to be the highest grossing team in the NFL by generating around $269 million each year in revenue; it is not commercial success alone that makes the Dallas Cowboys such a strong entity in professional sports today. They are also one of the most successful teams in terms of wins and play off success. They have only missed the play offs two years in their time as an organization; in 1974 and 1984. They are currently tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for having the most Super Bowl appearances in the NFL with eight total appearances; and have the most NFC Championships in the NFL as well. They are also the only NFL team today to have 20 straight seasons with a winning record. With success like this and a legendary name that is synonymous with winning, it is easy to see why the Dallas Cowboys are one of the world’s favorite professional football teams.
