Blogging The Boys
If you want to understand true existential dread, just look at the history of the Dallas Cowboys over the last three decades. We are constantly reminded that this team hasn’t experienced any meaningful success since the mid-’90s, and honestly, that is a brutal pill to swallow.
This franchise has a long history, but depending on how long you have been around for the ride, that history means completely different things to people of different ages. If we were to make the assumption that people start truly remembering their football experience around the age of 10, what has it actually been like for fans of different ages? Today, we will break down the fan experience by age groups to gain a better sense of exactly what this fanbase has endured.
If you are 40 years old or younger, our hearts go out to you. The sheer amount of disappointment you have faced cannot be overstated. Fans in this group have every right to feel genuine frustration because all they have to hang their hat on is five measly playoff wins. Five. That unsettling stat goes all the way back to 1996. Worse yet, none of these playoff wins have extended past the wild card round.
We remember them beating Tom Brady’s Buccaneers a few years ago or Dak Prescott flying head over heels to secure a win against the Seahawks. And let us not forget Tony Romo leading a fourth-quarter victory over the Lions that contained that controversial pass interference no-call where the refs picked up the flag.
As good as those wins felt at the time, it is the spectacular letdowns that stick with us the most. The Dez no catch. The late-game Romo blunders. The disappointed first-game exits despite “bye”-passing the wild card round. They all hurt, and we’ve seen a lot of it.
While the drought encompasses a massive chunk of the time, the next group is a lot thinner. Those between the ages of 41 and 44 have at least seen their team win a Super Bowl. The team rose to fame quickly when Jimmy Johnson took over in 1989. He built a powerhouse squad that ultimately went on to win three Super Bowls in four years, even though he was not personally around for the last one.
So, if you are 44 years of age, you are sitting in much better shape than someone just four years younger. You have the legendary run of the ’90s with a small VHS tape library to occupy some memories and keep you warm at night.
The next age group of significance includes people from 45 to 53 years old. These fans were fortunate to witness the greatness of the triplets, but they also had to suffer through the painful, declining years of Tom Landry. From 1983 on, Landry’s teams only made the playoffs twice and lost right away both times. This era also included the rocky transition to...
