If you are a Cowboys fan, you are likely aware that there are certain things that come with the territory. You can expect that supporters of other NFL teams will despise you. You can expect to pay top dollar for merchandise, and to attend Cowboys games in any part of the country. And, you can expect any stadium you visit to be filled with Cowboys fans. Regardless of how well the team performs on the field, all of those things are a reality for Cowboys fans. That leads me to pose a few questions; Is it all really worth it? Is it really as bad as it seems? And finally, how does the cost of being a Cowboys fan actually compare to other NFL teams?
Well, new research from Pickwise revealed which NFL team is the costliest to support and highlighted which fans get the best value for their money. The results may surprise you.
In order to calculate which fanbase spends the most money, the following variables were priced out accross every fanbase in the NFL: ticket prices, cost of one beer and hotdog, cost of a jersey and cap, accommmodation costs. Here is a list of the costliest teams to support based on those items and where the Cowboys rank among them.
| Position | NFL Team | Total Cost* |
| 1 | Las Vegas Raiders | $3,450.26 |
| 2 | San Francisco 49ers | $3,327.47 |
| 3 | Philadelphia Eagles | $3,264.22 |
| 4 | Chicago Bears | $3,218.18 |
| 5 | Green Bay Packers | $3,214.74 |
| 6 | Washington Football Team | $3,202.70 |
| 7 | New England Patriots | $3,168.06 |
| 8 | Seattle Seahawks | $3,165.90 |
| 9 | New York Giants | $3,159.87 |
| 10 | Los Angeles Rams | $3,138.25 |
| 11 | Minnesota Vikings | $3,105.35 |
| 12 | New Orleans Saints | $3,100.26 |
| 13 | Pittsburgh Steelers | $3,056.80 |
| 14 | Dallas Cowboys | $2,981.90 |
| 15 | Denver Broncos | $2,980.78 |
| 16 | Baltimore Ravens | $2,974.09 |
| 17 | Kansas City Chiefs | $2,968.45 |
| 18 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | $2,965.11 |
| 19 | Tennessee Titans | $2,945.87 |
| 20 | New York Jets | $2,942.56 |
| 21 | Houston Texans | $2,934.38 |
| 22 | Carolina Panthers | $2,930.27 |
| 23 | Los Angeles Chargers | $2,915.76 |
| 24 | Miami Dolphins | $2,911.02 |
| 25 | Detroit Lions | $2,890.07 |
| 26 | Atlanta Falcons | $2,864.10 |
| 27 | Indianapolis Colts | $2,861.38 |
| 28 | Jacksonville Jaguars | $2,811.61 |
| 29 | Arizona Cardinals | $2,789.64 |
| 30 | Cleveland Browns | $2,784.03 |
| 31 | Buffalo Bills | $2,771.40 |
| 32 | Cincinnati Bengals | $2,762.54 |
In retrospect, that is not at all as bad as it seems for Cowboys fans. Now lets take a look at which team provides the best value for the money and how that was calculated. In order to determine value, the total cost calculated above was divided by the number of touchdowns scored in the 2020 season. The teams were ranked based on the lowest cost/per touchdown and here is where the Dallas Cowboys rank on that list:
| Ranking: Value for Money | NFL Team | Total Cost* | Number of Touchdowns5 | Cost per touchdown |
| 1 | Buffalo Bills | $2,771.40 | 60 | $46.19 |
| 2 | Tennessee Titans | $2,945.87 | 62 | $47.51 |
| 3 | Green Bay Packers | $3,214.74 | 66 | $48.71 |
| 4 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | $2,965.11 | 59 | $50.26 |
| 5 | Kansas City Chiefs | $2,968.45 | 57 | $52.08 |
| 6 | New Orleans Saints | $3,100.26 | 59 | $52.55 |
| 7 | Baltimore Ravens | $2,974.09 | 55 | $54.07 |
| 8 | Cleveland Browns | $2,784.03 | 50 | $55.68 |
| 9 | Minnesota Vikings | $3,105.35 | 55 | $56.46 |
| 10 | Arizona Cardinals | $2,789.64 | 49 | $56.93 |
| 11 | Indianapolis Colts | $2,861.38 | 50 | $57.23 |
| 12 | Seattle Seahawks | $3,165.90 | 55 | $57.56 |
| 13 | Pittsburgh Steelers | $3,056.80 | 50 | $61.14 |
| 14 | Detroit Lions | $2,890.07 | 45 | $64.22 |
| 15 | Los Angeles Chargers | $2,915.76 | 45 | $64.79 |
| 16 | Houston Texans | $2,934.38 | 44 | $66.69 |
| 17 | Miami Dolphins | $2,911.02 | 42 | $69.31 |
| 18 | Atlanta Falcons | $2,864.10 | 41 | $69.86 |
| 19 | Dallas Cowboys | $2,981.90 | 42 | $71.00 |
| 20 | Las Vegas Raiders | $3,450.26 | 48 | $71.88 |
| 21 | Los Angeles Rams | $3,138.25 | 43 | $72.98 |
| 22 | San Francisco 49ers | $3,327.47 | 45 | $73.94 |
| 23 | Jacksonville Jaguars | $2,811.61 | 37 | $75.99 |
| 24 | Carolina Panthers | $2,930.27 | 38 | $77.11 |
| 25 | Philadelphia Eagles | $3,264.22 | 42 | $77.72 |
| 26 | Chicago Bears | $3,218.18 | 40 | $80.45 |
| 27 | Cincinnati Bengals | $2,762.54 | 33 | $83.71 |
| 28 | Denver Broncos | $2,980.78 | 35 | $85.17 |
| 29 | Washington Football Team | $3,202.70 | 37 | $86.56 |
| 30 | New England Patriots | $3,168.06 | 36 | $88.00 |
| 31 | New York Jets | $2,942.56 | 26 | $113.18 |
| 32 | New York Giants | $3,159.87 | 27 | $117.03 |
Once again, the Dallas Cowboys rank somewhere in the middle of the pack. Now, there are other variables that have not been considered in this study such as wins and championships. These figures are also based solely on the 2020 season which was an anomaly in of itself. Furthermore, true fans measure their loyalty over time and not over the course of one season. Still, the information presented in this study is encouraging for a Cowboys fan such as myself. The next time I attend a Cowboys game, buy yet another jersey, or drop $25 for a beer and a hot dog, I will remind myself that I am at least getting more bang for my buck than Eagles fans are.
