Like it or not, Dallas Cowboys fans have a reputation among other teams fanbases as complainers. Whether or not that is true is irrelevant. It is perception which determines opinions instead of facts. According to a recent study conducted from mibets.com, where more than 2000 NFL fans were surveyed, the Dallas Cowboys were voted as the fanbase who complains the most. The “most annoying habit” of Cowboys fans, according to those surveyed in this study, was complaining about the referees. Being a Cowboy fan myself, and one who rarely uses poor officiating as an excuse, I strongly object to these results; but, I can also understand why Dallas Cowboys fans ranked #1 on this list for 2 years running. Actually, there are two reasons that I can think of.
The first is simply because the Dallas Cowboys are “America’s Team”. Much to the disappointment and anger of every other fanbase in the NFL, this is not just a moniker. The Dallas Cowboys are the most popular team in the NFL, they have the most widespread fanbase, and therefore there are a great many of them…everywhere. That is why the Cowboys have the most complainers among their fanbase, the most fair weather fans, the most idiotic fans, and the most disrespectful fans. It is also why they have the most intelligent fans, the most loyal fans, and the most fans that actually complain the LEAST about referees. Simply put, there are more types of ALL Dallas Cowboys fans; because, there are more Dallas Cowboy fans in existence. It’s reasonable to assume that there’s an equal portion of Dallas Cowboys fans that complain about the referees as there is for any other fanbase. Let’s just say 20 percent for the sake of simplicity. Well, there are going to be far more Dallas Cowboys fans who complain than any other team because 20% of our giant fanbase is greater than 20% of any other fanbase. Those 20% of Cowboys fans that complain will make the most noise based on sheer numbers and the end result is that they will appear to be the most annoying fanbase. The silent majority of us do not garner any of that negative attention and we fly under the radar; but we are guilty by association when we put on our Cowboys gear or reveal who our favorite football team is in conversation.
The first reason is a simple enough explanation and many would attribute Cowboy hate to that alone; but, there is another reason as well. It may be that Dallas Cowboys fans complain more about the referees because they actually have something to complain about. The Dallas Cowboys are the most penalized team in the NFL this year after 12 weeks of football. Most of the teams that rank slightly below them in that category have played 12 games (The Cowboys have played only 11). The majority of the fans surveyed in the study above would probably chalk that up to poor discipline, and it is fair to assume that has something to do with it, but Cowboys fans who have paid attention all season long know that there is a bit of double standard when it comes to how Cowboys games are officiated.
DISCLAIMER: Here is the part where, contrary to my previous assertion that I rarely complain about officiating, I will proceed to…complain about officiating.
No Cowboy fan needs reminding of the numerous questionable calls (and non-calls) that have impacted games for their team this season. Such as, the missed offensive pass interference on Chris Godwin in the season opener and the PI on Anthony Brown against the Raiders. Neither call was egregious, but both decided the game in the favor of the Cowboys opponent, and both were preceded by highly questionable officiating decisions earlier in the game that didn’t go the Cowboys way (Lavante David not called for throwing his helmet in Tampa Bay, Roughing the Passer called on Micah Parsons against the Raiders, and an early fumble being ruled an incomplete pass VS Raiders). There are countless others, but the as the old adage goes, never allow one or two bad calls to determine the outcome of the game. The team is expected to rise above a few bad calls and I totally agree with that philosophy. For most of the season, the Cowboys have been able to do that. For weeks it seemed that Dak Prescott couldn’t buy a rushing touchdown. Clear and obvious touchdowns were reviewed and taken off the board for reasons unknown. Whether Dak was leaning over the goal line or lying halfway-across the goal-line with the ball completely over the line, the touchdowns kept getting overturned. In one instance, Dak was ruled to have had his forward progress stopped before he reached over the goal line with the ball. That decision puzzled Cowboys fans all the more when weeks later they witnessed Teddy Bridgewater get rewarded with a touchdown against them in the exact same situation. Those decision had very little overall impact in those games, but they were indicative of a pattern of inconsistency with those type of calls and the only common denominator being that the Cowboys got the short end of the stick.
The injustice goes beyond the calls on the field for the Cowboys. Week after week, year after year, the league disciplinary process seems to be heavily weighted against the Dallas Cowboys. It may have stemmed all the way back to 2017. That was when Ezekiel Elliott‘s 6 game suspension coincided with an incredible 10 game stretch where the Cowboys didn’t benefit from a single holding call, all while Zeke was battling Roger Goodell in court to overturn his suspension. It seems to Cowboys fans that Goodell has had it out for the Cowboys ever since. This season, CeeDee Lamb of the Cowboys has been heavily fined for an untucked jersey and socks not being pulled up high enough, among other things, meanwhile Harrison Smith gets away with this:
Most recently, Dallas Cowboys fans were up in arms following Trysten Hill receiving a 2 game suspension for this:
Cowboy fans are not justifying Tyrsten Hill’s actions, even though the Raiders lineman John Simpson was clearly being the aggressor in the video. What is upsetting to Cowboys fans is that Giants WR Kadarius Toney was given a far more lenient punishment for this incident which occurred AGAINST the Cowboys:
As the numerous examples provided illustrate, Cowboys fans may be complaining a little more these days than usual, but there are good reasons for it. At the end of the day, what most Cowboys fans that I know do NOT do, is use any of it as an excuse.
*Photo by Joe Glorioso All-Pro Reels https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode