While it’s likely that some within the NFL’s overall apparatus will find a reason to formulate four-letter words about things said and/or written by ESPN employees once the NFL owns 10 percent of the four-letter network, one person will never complain.
Cowboys owner and G.M. Jerry Jones does not care what anyone says about him or his team. He just wants them to be said.
Being talked about means being relevant. Being relevant means being interesting. Being interesting means being profitable.
“I do believe if we’re not being looked at then I’ll do my part to get us looked at,” Jones said at the Netflix premiere of the new docuseries about him and his team. “The beautiful thing for networks or, if you will, streaming companies, is that the NFL is a 365-day-a-year interest factory. A lot of programming, you have to spend as much to promote it as you do to make it. The Cowboys are a soap opera 365 days a year. When it gets slow, I’ll stir it up.
“And so, oh, it’s wonderful to have the great athletes, have the great players, but there’s something more there. There’s sizzle, there’s emotion and, if you will, there’s controversy. That controversy is good stuff, in terms of keeping and having people’s attention.”
While some may think Jerry is taking it too far since that approach tends to undermine his presumed objectives, it could be a mistake to presume that his primary objective is winning Super Bowls. His primary objective could be to retain the title of America’s Team. His primary objective could be to make as much money as possible by making his team as interesting as possible.
The rest of the league benefits from the Cowboys’ notoriety. For each of those Dallas games that millions can’t miss, there’s another team playing. And the higher the Cowboys’ profile, the higher the league’s profile.
As it relates to media coverage, Jerry gets it. Every company that covers the NFL promotes the NFL’s product as no charge to the NFL. The very existence of this outlet, which launched 25 years ago next November, has been to promote the NFL’s product at no charge to the NFL.
That’s been my life, for a long time. Promoting the NFL’s product at no charge to the NFL.
I’m not complaining. I’ve enjoyed it. I still do. And I’ve made more than a little money at it. But I’ve also made more than a little money for the NFL, by promoting the NFL’s product at no charge to the NFL.
The Cowboys have never complained about anything I’ve ever said or written about them. And I’ve said and written plenty of critical things.
Of course, not everyone who relies on The Shield feels that way. Some, if not many, prefer the free publicity on their own terms, heavy on praise and light on scrutiny. For that reason, plenty of folks who work for the league and its teams won’t be thrilled about my next book, which explores topics the league would rather leave unexplored.
But Jerry Jones will love it. Because Big Shield, while an objectively entertaining and compelling story (if you don’t believe me, roll the dice with your 99 cents) and officially not about the NFL, also operates as a 385-page advertisement for the NFL’s 365-day-a-year product.
At no cost to the NFL.
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