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The “America’s Team” thing is a myth and b.s. in my humble opinion. A 6th Super Bowl title will make the Steelers undisputably the best NFL franchise in the Super Bowl Era. With 12 – yes twelve – NFL titles, including 3 Super Bowl championships, the Green Bay Packers stand alone in terms of the entire history of the league. By the way, the New York Giants have 7 titles (4 NFL, 3 Super Bowls). And the Dallas Cowboys also have 5 Super Bowl wins.

There is no debate. In order to have a debate, there must be two contradictory positions which can each be reasonably argued. That is not the case here. The Dallas Cowboys are America’s Team. Period. End of discussion.

That said, when Bob Ryan of NFL Films first gave the nickname to the Cowboys, Tom Landry didn’t like it or want it. Because he knew it would put a huge target on the team, which is exactly what happened.

But it goes far beyond that. The Cowboys have always been a target. When they came into the league, they stole the southern television market from the Washington Redskins and the limelight from the New York Giants, which of course in media circles is an unforgivable sin. So the Cowboys are always going to be criticized for that.

Moreover, the Cowboys came in with their flashy white uniforms and fancy Blue Stars, which look better on television, as well as their defensive and offensive innovations. They were the new finesse team, as opposed to the old tough teams like the Browns, the Packers, the Colts and the Steelers. This is why the NFL could not allow Dallas to win against Cleveland or Green Bay or Baltimore or Pittsburgh. The fix was in, and the refs made sure of it. (See the Ice Bowl and Super Bowls V, X and XII, if you doubt the Conspiracy. Same thing happened in 94 when the league was simply not going to allow Dallas to win 3 Super Bowls in a row.)

But I think a lot of Cowboy hatred has to do with the assassination of Kennedy in Dallas. This cannot be discounted. Read the players’ accounts of how they were treated at away games in the aftermath. Hotel staff refusing to unload their luggage, the threats and insults hurled at them by opposing fans and players both. Even Staubach, then playing at Navy, when he went up against the University of Texas, was told in no uncertain terms, “You have to beat these guys, they killed Kennedy.”

So there’s a lot that goes into the mix. The Cowboys are America’s Team because they look best on television, which attracts a wide fan base, but also because they got beat, they got robbed, and they didn’t quit. They kept coming back every year until they won, and they kept winning. That defines America, and that defines America’s Team.

They’re hated because they’re popular, because they look good and because they win. But they’re also hated because they displaced some of the older teams, and because a lot of people still to this day blame the city of Dallas for the assassination of Kennedy. It’s a blessing and a curse. But then that’s America, just as much as it is America’s Team.

The “America’s Team” moniker came from NFL films. As a die hard Steeler fan of 38 years all’s I can say is, “We don’t need no steenking America’s Team moniker.” We know where our team stands in the mix of things and we’re dam proud. The Rooney’s put up an honest football team. You know what you are going to get when you go to Pittsburgh. They’ve built an organization that values character and excellence and the love of the game. Jerry Jones is not one to shun the limelight. He is a savvy businessman and does not miss a beat to market his brand. “America’s Team” was a gift for the Dallas Cowboys and Mr. Jones did not miss a beat in using it. Having players like TO and their ilk only puts the spotlight on Dallas more than they would otherwise deserve. I’m sure Jones loves it. Pittsburgh doesn’t need another nickname because they are The Steelers.