The Dallas Cowboys became known as “America’s Team” in 1978. Back in those days, the Cowboys and Steelers were the best teams almost every year, so they received the bulk of the television coverage.
Because Dallas was always on TV most of the country were Cowboys fans and their players were very distinct and recognizable. This led to them being given the designation of America’s Team.
It has been almost 50 years since they were given the name and things could not be more different. At the time they had already won two super bowls and were establishing themselves as NFL powerhouses.
Fast forward 45 years later and Dallas hasn’t been to an NFC Championship Game in almost 30 years, much less won a super bowl. The team once beloved by the nation has become one of the most hated franchises in sports. Even die-hard fans know their glory days are well behind them.
The New “America’s Team”
On January 20, 2021, the Detroit Lions hired their current head coach Dan Campbell, and he instantly became America’s Coach. A viral clip surfaced from his introductory press conference where he spoke about kicking the other team in the teeth and biting their kneecaps.
Campbell has rejuvenated the city of Detroit and completely flipped the culture around. They are less talented than most teams and they know it. However, they are a scrappy team willing to do all the dirty work required to win a football game.
They had a rough first year under their young head coach, finishing 3-13-1. But this past season, they took massive strides finishing 9-8, just narrowly missing the playoffs.
Campbell stepped into a barren wasteland devoid of any hopes or ambitions and pumped life into a fanbase starving for any form of relevancy. Not only has he brought their fan base back to life, but he has also coached up a team so scrappy and likable that he has the entire country rooting for them too.
While there are no solid numbers to back it up, most of the nation was rooting for the Seahawks to lose in Week 18, giving the Lions a chance to make the playoffs.
Just a quick search of Dan Campbell’s name on Twitter will generate hundreds of tweets about him being America’s Coach. There is something about an underdog story that is just so enthralling.
With absolutely no success for over 60 football fans around the world are excited to see what the future holds in Detroit. We haven’t seen a team capture the nation’s heart at such a feverish pace since the Cowboys in the 1970’s. This is why the Lions may have finally replaced the Cowboys as America’s Team
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