Repositioning with an Attitude

The Cowboys, perhaps as much as any team in sports, draws incredible attention to itself due to the flamboyant nature of its owner, Jerry Jones.

The general public frequently perceives sports owners, like many ultrasuccessful businessmen, as cocky and egocentric. Although some of this perception is undeserved, there exists a fine line between confidence and arrogance. Executives that cross the line face the wrath of shareholders, and sports franchise owners are forced to read about their approach to business in the local paper's letters to the editor.

Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and Jones finished first and second, respectively, out of a list of 14 owners, in a 2001 poll in which more than 15,000 people were asked to name the least favorable owners in professional sports. Steinbrenner's and Jones' flamboyance and history of success have drawn their fair share of detractors.

Each owner's flashy management style and approach to ownership has riled fans from coast to coast, but it has also occasionally provided fodder for these fans when such reviled owners talk out of turn.

When Jones, who is the only owner who can be found on the sidelines during every game, announced at the beginning of the 2001 season that the Cowboys would win 10 games, it was seen by some as another ridiculous prediction by a man who is so into himself and his product that he can't see the forest through the trees. The "forest" in this case was another losing season, obscured by the "trees" Jones' grandiose view of his team.

Jones has always believed he was better at putting a team together than anyone else. This supreme confidence resulted in part from his tremendous turnaround of the Cowboys nearly 15 years ago.