Whether it's flirting with Bill Belichick and Deion Sanders as potential head coaches, goading Micah Parsons in contract negotiations, or - even while mired in an embarrassing 30-year slump - putting his Dallas Cowboys in a Netflix docuseries, Jerry Jones can't help but shove his team and himself into the spotlight.
Jerry is a Hall of Fame owner, but a once-in-a-lifetime promoter. He's P.T. Barnum, Don King, Billy Graham, and Dana White, all morphed into the 82-year-old multibillionaire face of the most valuable sports franchise on the planet.
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Critics say it's Jones' ravenous appetite for attention that has been the downfall of the Cowboys, who last played in a Super Bowl in 1996. But Jones merely pats himself on the back, pointing to the fact that his franchise remains wildly popular and unprecedentedly profitable despite not being productive on the field in three decades.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones waves to fans before the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones waves to fans before the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field. / Melina Myers-Imagn Images
"If we're not being looked at, then I'll do my part to get us looked at," Jones said at Monday night's "blue carpet" event in Hollywood to promote the Netflix series debuting August 19.
"The Cowboys are a soap opera 365 days a year. When it gets slow, I'll stir it up."
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Let's face it, Jones would rather be anything other than ignored and irrelevant. It's why he doesn't shy away from cameras and notepads in the middle of his ugly contract dispute with Parsons.
Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders talks with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones before a game in 2023.
Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders talks with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones before a game in 2023. / Tim Heitman-Imagn Images
To Jerry, indeed, there's no such thing as bad publicity. That's something the co-executive producers of America's Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys discovered during the show's filming.
"The biggest revelation for me was upon meeting Jerry and realizing his flair or drama and storytelling," said co-director Chapman Way in an interview with the Dallas Morning News.
"I think you’re always nervous as a documentarian or a journalist. ‘Are they going to really dive into this stuff? Are we going to be walking on eggshells?’ Upon meeting Jerry, he understands story. He understands drama and conflict. For us it was kind of a dream for us to work with a main subject who understands that. We maybe came in a little bit more safe and timid -- and Jerry kind of blew the doors open."
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To fans, the Micah mayhem is troubling. To team legends, it's a distraction. But to Jerry, it's grand theater that keeps the Cowboys top of mind and tip of tongue in a season in which most experts expect them to be only an average football team.
"It's wonderful to have the great athletes and players," Jones said. "But there's something more here ... there's sizzle, there's emotion and there's controversy. That controversy is good stuff, as far as keeping people's attention."
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones signs autographs before the game against the Washington Commanders in 2024.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones signs autographs before the game against the Washington Commanders in 2024. / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
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