Keeping Them Cowboys Mediots Honest

If it’s about the Cowboy’s and is published in a public forum, chances are, my eyes don’t miss it.  Regardless of my opinion of the writer, which varies from one media outlet to the next, I give each article a fair shake, not so much as a result of them being deserving, but by virtue of my ardent insatiable Cowboy information addiction.  In my daily dose, I must weather quite a bit of negative speculation; which I’m okay with for the most part, considering that in many cases in the past it has been deserved.  But sometimes the media’s opinion will take a quote and completely twist it around to make the news more interesting and more marketable.  I further believe they do this because it creates an opening for them to write more articles on the same subject either posting a retraction or to further prove their assertion, with, in the end, helps them meet whatever quota their bosses demand of them.

Last year, this issue, in my mind, was an epidemic, which led to Jerry Jones finally imposing a mandate that gagged the whole of the organization from speaking to the media during the early part of the off-season; Jerry being the only exception to the rule.  I, personally, applauded this move.  The media, obviously, was pretty upset about it.  But when you take words out of the owner’s mouth such as, “I was told he was healthy enough to play” said in regards to Marion Barber, and turn it into “Jerry Jones calls Marion Barber a wuss,” you have to know there will be consequences.

Nevertheless, it’s a new year, and the mediots are at it again.  With it sprung in my head an idea:  There should be some forum that makes an effort at keeping these particular  media members honest.  Just as they notoriously paraphrase  the various gum-bumping of members of the Cowboys organization, so shall I do what I can to paint the picture that was originally intended by the benefactor of said quote.

The latest quote receiving negative attention is Jerry Jones assertion that he believes the Cowboy’s team will play to the level of the new stadium; that these player’s will feel a slight push towards winning  surrounded by a structure that could only be described as elite compared to it’s peers Texas Stadium  and the Cotton Bowl, as well any other stadium ever built in the world.  While the following doesn’t exactly twist Jerry’s word’s, it is worthy of correction.

In Jean-Jacques Taylor blog entry “Jerry Jones has lost his mind,” he contends that the stadium will have absolutely no effect on the players or the outcome in the game.

Jerry Jones is a marketing genius, but he has lost his mind if he thinks Cowboys Stadium will make a single bit of difference in the team’s performance this year.

It won’t.

Just like the emotion of the final game at Texas Stadium didn’t help the Cowboys beat Baltimore last December. And just like the raucous crowd the night “The Triplets” were inducted into the Ring of Honor didn’t help the Cowboys beat the hated Redskins.

I suppose it’s fairly easy to take this out of context; not much reaching is necessary to do so.  And, granted, the last thing I want anybody within the organization vocalizing is lofty expectations, such as the Cowboy’s being Super Bowl bound in 2009.  But I think what Jerry was trying to relate to the media is that this team is going to fight to make us forget 44 to 6, 9 and 7, and 12 years without a play off win.  And this stadium, built with the teams storied history and prior dynasties in mind, is going to motivate them all the more to ensure their play reflects the excellence that their predecessor’s demanded of themselves.

Furthermore, the interior of Cowboy’s stadium creates an atmosphere ripe for a fanatic frenzy.  As you walk from your car to your seat, having been inundated with Cowboy’s lore and past glory, I would imagine you won’t be able to  resist screaming at the top of your lungs as the Cowboy’s take the field, move the ball, and destroy the opposing team’s various ball carriers and signal callers.  JJT seems to believe that the price of the ticket will ultimately create a golf crowd, highlighted by the occasional clinking of glasses, as the fans toast various well-performed plays, considering his quote:

Actually, Jerry should be concerned that there will be so many corporate butts in the stands that it’ll be a quieter venue Texas Stadium, known for being a wine-and-cheese crowd.

Yeah, okay.  If you say so, Jean.

Those “corporate butts” at the end of the day are still human, and chances are they are still fans, and therefore are not immune to getting drawn into the hype that just sitting in that stadium must create.  Also, I would further predict that the ability to see every detail of the game in high definition via that 60 yard long big screen will help fuel the excitement.  Make no mistake, the media may need to yell their questions at the top of their lungs in the wake of a football game, as they question the ringing ears of players from both sides of the field.

But, hey, that’s just me speculating from a positive angle.  As the season progresses, I’m sure the media will afford me plenty of opportunities to offer up a corrected translation of what was actually said vs. their misguided misinformation.