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.
“The Drought”
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.
The ’90s Dynasty
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.
A Rough Patch
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 Johnson, which featured a miserable one-win season in 1989. It resulted in five straight losing seasons, something the franchise had not done since it entered the league as an expansion team in the ’60s.
A person who is at least 53 years old can attest that those nine years of disappointment felt like an absolute eternity. Of course, that misery is exactly what made the return to glory in the ’90s feel so incredibly satisfying. Naturally, younger fans have zero sympathy for them. Only nine years of disappointment? Come on. “Hold my beer,” as those whipper snappers say.
America’s Team
If you hear your grandparents talk about the good old days, you should listen carefully. It was peak fandom, and very few fans of any sports team in history have seen anything like it. You will hear amazing stories about how Landry led the team to 20 straight winning seasons. While that specific span only produced two Super Bowl trophies, the team was making incredibly deep playoff runs left and right. From 1966 to 1982, they participated in the NFC Championship Game 12 times out of a possible 17.
Fans between the ages of 54 and 70 have varying degrees of enjoyment from this success. If you read the previous paragraph again and really marinate in just how remarkable that level of dominance was, you will understand why the older-timers never feel cheated. They have banked enough fan-thrill experience to cover several lifetimes of the average sports fan.
The Early Struggles
Fans over 70 have seen it all, including the horrible start of the expansion team back in 1960. They were left wondering if this team was ever going to amount to anything. They debuted with a miserable 0-11-1 record and never won more than five games over their first five seasons in the league. Of course, things eventually started to turn around, and when they did, boy howdy.
When you break things down, you can simplify the fan experience into a few distinct groups:
- Millennials and Gen Z have had a rough go of things
- Generation X has at least enjoyed the ’90s dynasty to keep their spirits alive
- Baby Boomers remain the biggest recipients of true success
Tell us about your Cowboys memories and where you fall on the fan experience in the comments.
