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TRANSCRIPT
Running head: DALLAS COWBOYS 1
The Dallas Cowboys
Lew Patton
Capella University
DALLAS COWBOYS 2
Abstract
According to Forbes Magazine, the Dallas Cowboys are the most valuable team in the National
Football League (Badenhausen, 2017). Even though they are a very successful sports
organization and business, they continue to have problems keeping some players from being
suspended by the NFL due to violations of the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, which
details what players can and can’t do regarding a variety of topics including drug abuse, and
spousal abuse. These suspensions by the NFL handicap the Cowboys because if the players are
suspended, they can’t play and contribute to the team. From this project I will be assessing the
problems with the players and their difficulty in abiding by the CBA and I will be making
recommendations to the Cowboy’s ownership on how to identify problem areas before the
players are offered contracts to the team, as well as how to handle issues after the players are
with the team. In addition to making strategic recommendations for success, I will also
demonstrate traits such as leadership, technology, globalization, cultural diversity, ethics, and
integrity as part of this project. I will discuss actionable steps to provide solutions to not only
prohibitive drugs, but domestic abuse issues as well.
Introduction
The Dallas Cowboys have been headquartered in Dallas, Irving, and Frisco Texas since
the club’s inception in 1960. The corporation includes the Dallas Cowboys football club of the
National Football League, AT&T Stadium in Arlington Texas, The Cowboys headquarters at the
Star Complex in Frisco Texas. These three entities all work together to put the football team on
the field for the sports fans of American football. The Cowboys have a unique global strategy
that includes Cowboys merchandise such as team jerseys and other Cowboys brand merchandise.
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As a premier sports franchise, the Dallas Cowboys have inherited the nick-name of America’s
Team. The Cowboys have intense global competition not only from other NFL teams, but other
sports in general as in world soccer for example. The Cowboys are so popular, fans are known to
talk about games as far back as 50 years ago (Shribman, 2017). Many people have tried to
explain why the Cowboys are so popular (Doyle, 2017).
While the Cowboys have enjoyed enormous success on the field, the Cowboys have been
one of the most penalized team in the league due to their league suspensions due to drug and
spouse abuse issues. It appears many of these problems may have been avoided if there were
some criteria or grading system on whether or not to choose or draft the player that had issues to
begin with.
How can the Cowboys move forward and streamline their selection process and draft
players that meet some ethical requirement and integrity for staying out of trouble and adhering
to the NFLPA’s (National Football League Players Association) Collective Bargaining
Agreement?
All NFL players are many times regarded as heroes by children in America, and that
standard is probably of higher proportions for players of the Dallas Cowboys. It would seem
natural that players can be viewed as having great leadership skills, so it just seems logical that
The Cowboys should be at the front of the line when talking about leadership qualities as players
and people in general. The problem is, the proof is just the opposite. The Cowboys many times
lead the league in players being in trouble with the league. There needs to be some sort of
solution to this problem, something that I hope to accomplish with this project.
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The CBA is the guideline that the player’s union and management have agreed upon for
the way players are held accountable and how they are treated by management (NFLPA, 2011).
The NFLPA (the National Football League Players Association) is a collective bargaining unit
authorized to work with management of the league to make certain the players are represented,
and administrative actions are taken care of for the players. Management and the union agree to
abide by these guidelines of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Examples of this agreement may include agent and contract information, drug program
resources, off season rules, personal conduct policy, and many other features and benefits which
will be discussed further in the project. How this relates to the Cowboys specifically is, there
have been many players that have abused the personal conduct policy and performance
enhancing drugs that resulted in the league penalizing the players and having to discipline them
with suspensions.
The NFL has developed a new Personal Conduct Policy that applies to all NFL personnel
— owners, coaches, players, other team employees, game officials and league office employees.
The policy was developed after discussions with more than 150 experts from across the country
— including domestic violence and sexual assault experts, advocates and survivors, law
enforcement officials, academic experts, business leaders, current and former players and the
NFL Players Association (NFLPA, 2011).
Executive Summary
The Dallas Cowboys have been headquartered in Dallas, Irving, and Frisco Texas since
the club’s inception in 1960. The corporation includes the Dallas Cowboys football club of the
National Football League, AT&T Stadium in Arlington Texas, The Cowboys headquarters at the
DALLAS COWBOYS 5
Star Complex in Frisco Texas. These three entities all work together to put the football team on
the field for the sports fans of American football. The Cowboys have a unique global strategy
that includes Cowboys merchandise such as team jerseys and other Cowboys brand merchandise.
As a premier sports franchise, the Dallas Cowboys have inherited the nick-name of America’s
Team. The Cowboys have intense global competition not only from other NFL teams, but other
sports in general as in world soccer for example.
Technology
One of the factors on why the Cowboys are worth so much money was the construction
of AT&T Stadium. AT&T Stadium is a technology miracle. The stadium includes more
than 3,000 Sony LCD displays throughout the luxury suites, concourses, concession areas and
more, offering fans viewing options that extend beyond the action on the field.
– It also features the largest high-definition television in the world. The 160 x 72 foot (49 m × 22
m), 11,520-square-foot (1,070 m2) scoreboard surpasses the 8,736 square feet (812 m2) screen
that opened in 2009 at the renovated Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. The total cost
was $40 million USD (Twisted Sifter, 2009). The stadium also offers guests Text Messaging
Service, whereby guests can send texts to get assistance from AT&T staff personnel at the
stadium. A guest can send up to 160 characters from their cell phones to get many kinds of
assistance from medical to directions within the stadium. Additionally, guests can report other
kinds of issues and inform security personnel if need be regarding safety and security issues at
the stadium. As a service to guests who are hearing impaired or visually impaired, AT&T
Stadium has been equipped with a highly advanced assistive listening system and mobile
captioning device. The service provides real-time captions and assistive listening for all public
address announcements, and it provides a choice of audio description in English and Spanish for
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the play-by-play action. The handheld device is available for check out at all Guest Services
Centers.
Revenue
The Dallas Cowboys worth as an organization really sky-rocketed in 2009 after the
opening of the new AT&T Stadium in Arlington Texas. As you can see by the chart below, the
organization was worth 280 million in 2008, then the next year when the new stadium opened,
the organization’s worth jumped to 420 million dollars. Much of the money used to build the
stadium came from the citizens of Arlington as a tax increase.
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The Cowboys organization has benefitted in many ways to make it worth one of the most
lucrative franchises in the world by having the Dallas Cowboys football team, AT&T Stadium as
a money making venue, the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders organization, the practice facility in
Frisco Texas as the headquarters and practice facility, licensing products as in shirts, hats and
other fan wear.
SWOT Analysis
The following is a SWOT analysis for the Dallas Cowboys
The following SWOT analysis will give a snapshot of the Dallas Cowboys internal and external factors.Strengths WeaknessesFan Loyalty Player suspensionsBrand value League finesTelevision exposure Team ownerPopularityFinancial resourcesOrganizational culture
Opportunities ThreatsAdvertising League competitionSelling the brand League policiesTeam endorsements Public perceptionDiversificationTapping global fan bases
Company Analysis
Background and Overview
The Dallas Cowboys began as an expansion football team in 1960 in Dallas Texas.
Nearly a decade after a one-year failure of the Dallas Texans, Clint Murchison Jr. and Bedford
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Wynne were awarded an expansion franchise in the NFL at the annual league meeting in Miami
Beach. The Cowboys were to play as a “swing team”, playing every other team one time during
the first season, although listed in the Western Division standings. On September 24th the
Cowboys hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Cotton Bowl in their first official game. The
Cowboys would go on to lose their first ten games before earning a tie with the Giants in New
York in the next to last game of the season. The Cowboys would go on to lose their final game of
the season to close out their inaugural season winless at 0-11-1 (Dallas Cowboys, 2002)
After the rough start of that first season, the Cowboys became “America’s Team” after
winning several Super Bowls and getting a strong brand after the Cowboy culture began to
steadily increase which coincided with the team’s success.
Leadership
Many of the players on the early teams became instant successes and public heroes such
as Roger Staubach who attended the Naval Academy. Roger Staubach was born on February 5,
1942 in Cincinnati Ohio, and became a Heisman Trophy-winning football player before
eventually joining the Dallas Cowboys. During his time as team quarterback, the Cowboys won
two Super Bowls and made it to the playoffs several times. Staubach retired from the NFL in
1980, later doing sports commentary and heading his own real estate firm (Roger Staubach
Biography.com, 2014).
Because Staubach was a military man, and a Heisman award winner, he was the obvious
leader when he came to the Cowboys. He had all the credentials to be a fan favorite and a trusted
team mate for the players. Staubach was also a family man and devoted his free time to his
family which also portrayed great leadership skills as well.
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Capabilities, Resources, and Structure
The Dallas Cowboys Football Club is led by Owner and General Manager Jerry Jones.
Under his leadership, the Cowboys are a global, diverse, and growing entity. Jerry Jones’ net
worth is $5 billion dollar according to Forbes magazine. Jones' Dallas Cowboys have been on the
top of Forbes list of most valuable NFL teams for 11 consecutive years (www.forbes.com).
"The Dallas Cowboys fans are the greatest fans on Earth. But I love Jag fans, I love Eagle fans, I
love Redskin fans, Massilon High School fans, Canton McKinley fans...you're here tonight
because you love the game, I am here because I love it too." (Jones, 120)
The Dallas Cowboys are a logistical success due to the great planning of the staff and the
schedule of games and practices. The Cowboys train in California, play home games in Irving,
and visit 8 other teams in 8 other cities. To get players there and equipment is a logistical success
due to the great organization like the Dallas Cowboys.
Jerry Jones purchased the Dallas Cowboys in February of 1989 for 140 million dollars.
Obviously, Jones had a plan after the purchase by hiring his college room-mate at Arkansas,
Jimmy Johnson. There were many Dallas Cowboys fans who revolted at the firing of the
previous coach Tom Landry, a home town hero. Landry had been the only coach the Cowboys
had until the day Jones bought the team.
Jerry’s wife’s name is Gene, and even though she has nothing to do with the football side
of things, she is still part of the business side of the Cowboys. She provides art pieces for AT&T
Stadium and is instrumental in bring different items to the stadium in an artistic imagination.
Gene started the art collection at 19 pieces at the stadium and it has now grown to nearly 80
pieces today. Many times during television broadcasts, the subject of the game includes the
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artwork at the stadium, and Gene’s name always comes out as the person responsible for these
paintings.
Gene and Jerry met while they were in college at the University of Arkansas. Jerry
describes Gene as his “best friend, and she is the backbone of the Jones family.” Mrs. Jones was
the individual chosen to present Jerry to the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton Ohio last year.
The Jones’ have three children that are part of the Dallas Cowboys executive team.
Stephen Jones is the oldest child and he is the Chief Operating Officer/Executive Vice
President/Director of Player Personnel.
He oversees the management operations for all aspects of the Dallas Cowboys and AT&T
Stadium, while also supervising the team’s scouting and player personnel department. His work
involves managing the organization’s 400-plus employees, while also handling all of the club’s
salary cap and all major player contract concerns. He is also active in the recruitment - and
management - of all major events that come to AT&T Stadium and The Star in Frisco. Jones’
experience as a major college football player, and his years as one of the NFL’s top executives,
were instrumental in his appointment to the League’s prestigious Competition Committee. His
active involvement in stadium management, design and development has also landed him a spot
on the NFL’s New Stadium Committee (Biography - Stephen Jones, 2017).
Jerry Jones Jr. is the youngest child in the Jones family. He is the Executive Vice
President/Chief Sales and Marketing Officer. As Executive Vice President and Chief Sales and
Marketing Officer, Jerry Jones, Jr. is a key member of the Dallas Cowboys front office,
overseeing the club’s entire sales and marketing efforts. Jones was instrumental in the design and
planning of AT&T Stadium, viewed as one of the world’s truly unique sports and entertainment
venues, as well as the team’s new state-of-the-art training complex - The Star - which opened in
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Frisco in 2016. Since opening in 2009, AT&T Stadium has played host to Super Bowl XLV, the
2010 NBA All Star Game, the 2014 NCAA Men’s Final Four, the annual Goodyear Cotton
Bowl, the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship Game in 2015,
WrestleMania 32 and numerous other major events on top of being the home of the Dallas
Cowboys (Biography - Stephen Jones, 2017)
Charlotte Jones Anderson is the only daughter of the Jones’. She is also an employee of
the Dallas Cowboys business. Her position is Executive Vice President/Chief Brand Officer.
Charlotte Jones Anderson, Dallas Cowboys Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer,
oversees all business operations and strategies and applications surrounding the team’s brand as
it is presented to fans worldwide. Working in the executive office since 1989, Anderson’s
experience has propelled her forward as one of the most innovative and versatile executives
among women in professional sports and executives as a whole.
Anderson’s vision and direction leads the Cowboys in brand marketing, fan engagement,
stadium design, entertainment, licensed apparel, cause marketing and community relations.
Recently, Anderson played an instrumental role in the design and development of The Star in
Frisco - the new Dallas Cowboys World Head- quarters, training facility and event center located
in Frisco, Texas that opened in the summer of 2016. The 91-acre mixed-use development serves
as the team’s headquarters and a destination for shopping, dining, nightlife, athletic fitness, event
and hotel options (Biography -Charlotte, 2017). As you can see, not only are the Jones family a
close family, they are also a very tight business organization. It has shown to be an effective
team. In most teams, there is a General Manager who takes the responsibility for drafting
players, meeting with player representatives to establish contracts, and everything related to
business for the player and his representatives. It would appear that with Jerry Jones working in
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that capacity, that there may be times where a player has talent, but may have a shady
background as it relates to improper drugs and other personnel factors.
As a football team, the Dallas Cowboys are mired in mediocrity. In the 19 years since
they last won the Super Bowl, their regular season record is a middling 146-142. The team made
the playoffs seven times during that span, with only two wins to show for its efforts. The
prognosis for the 2014 season is more of the same.
As a business, however, the Dallas Cowboys are extraordinary. Forbes values the team at
$3.2 billion, ranking number one among all NFL teams, and there are few signs of slowing
growth. Win or lose this season, the Cowboys will still be a profitable and healthy business by
year’s end (Rein, 2014).
Globalization/Demographics
In 1994, a preseason game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Houston Oilers garnered
a crowd of 112,246 at Mexico City's Estadio Azteca. In the only regular season game held in
Mexico, there was a then-record NFL attendance of 103,467 at Azteca. There is a growing
amount of NFL merchandise being bought in Mexico, and the NFL is really hurting itself by not
tapping the key market that exists in Mexico (JORDAN, 2010).
The NFL could do a better job of getting in to Mexico and Germany, but they just need to
get the teams on board to accomplish this. There is money to be made in different countries, but
with the cost of travel and the time differences for American television, it’s a tough sale right
now. There probably needs to be much better effort in gaining Mexico in to the fold as their time
zones are the same at the United States.
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Ethics
One of the cornerstone pieces of a great corporation is the perception that the company
operates in an ethical manner. Ethics plays a very big part in business. Many times the business
world works by contracts of all kinds. In the case of the Dallas Cowboys, the management team
has an agreement in place with its players, as all teams do, whereby the management performs
actions for the players and in return the players perform actions for management. This way, both
parties know what to expect from each other. If one party or the other refuses to adhere to their
end of the contract, that is construed as unethical. Imagine if management refused to pay the
athlete? That would be classified as unethical on the part of management.
As previously noted, the players must abide by the Collective Bargaining Agreement of
the NFL. The NFLPA (the NFL Players Association), agreed to the CBA with management so
that management will know what to expect from the players. One slice of the CBA is the
Personal Conduct Policy (NFL, 2014).
Players are expected to be able to conduct themselves in an ethical way so management
can rely on them to play football. If a player puts illegal drugs, performance enhancing drugs, or
anything else that isn’t supposed to be there, they have violated the personal conduct policy.
They are subject to being disciplined by the league and suspended as punishment.
Corporate and Business Strategy
The most important business strategy for the Cowboys at this point is to just get the
players off the suspended list and on to the field to play games. The Dallas Morning News
recently tabulated all of the NFL suspensions since 2014 and the Cowboys are by far the most
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suspended team, both in terms of the number of suspensions (15) and total games suspended
(100). In fact, no other team has lost more than 55 player-games to suspension (Nudelman, 2017)
The Cowboys have a history of great ethics and in dealings with its players and everyone
in the organization. The recent history of recent players for the team dispels that history. The
Cowboys have many more suspended players than any other team in the league. It makes it
appear as though the Cowboys will sign anyone if they can help the team. This is damaging to
the brand and potential sponsors who want to ride the Cowboy brand.
Integrity
When the Cowboys first entered the league back in 1960, and until Jerry Jones purchased
the team in 1989, the Cowboys were largely viewed as a very ethical team with much integrity.
Coach Tom Landry was not shy about professing his Christianity. This led to the beginning of a
very large fan base in America and one of the reasons the brand is as large as it is today. The
Cowboys were always viewed as the “good guys.” Their uniforms were usually always white.
Then, Jerry Jones purchased the team and fired Tom Landry. Many people today will admit that
that was the day they stopped being Cowboys fans. Jerry has complicated the brand by placing
players on the team that weren’t that wholesome. It appeared quite frankly, that Jerry Jones
would do anything to bring in a player with talent. The Cowboys have to be very careful to
watch themselves to make certain they appear as though they show a great amount of integrity.
The fact that so many players recently were identified as players that were penalized by the
league isn’t much of surprise. Many of the players that were suspended had past occurrences of
violations in their personal and college lives. It doesn’t take much effort to identify these players.
The fact that Jerry drafted them hoping that their abilities as football players outweighed basic
ethical values was evident in the team’s recent past.
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Obviously, one of the actionable steps would be to correct this.
Strategic Recommendations
One of the most strategic recommendations is for Jerry Jones to hand over the keys to
someone that can make unbiased decisions on drafting players that may have checkered pasts.
It’s very easy to determine if a player had issues in college. Simply get in touch with the college,
the coaches in colleges and ask the questions as to work ethics, what kind of student the player
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was, just basic background information. Questions need to be asked instead of sweeping things
under the carpet.
Another strategic recommendation is to try and incorporate the fans in Mexico in to the
team base. The Cowboys should go to Mexico in the off-season and pay the people of Mexico a
visit. Give something back to their communities. Grow the base there. There is so much
untapped opportunity there in Mexico, as well as Great Britton, but Mexico is so much closer, it
would be so much easier to grow the brand there.
Actionable Steps
Jerry Jones needs to hire a true General Manager that is in charge of drafting players that
will play football and not be suspended by the league. There are far too many player suspensions
and there needs to be an absolute corporate policy not to hire players that have had issues in the
past. Jerry has made too many errors in his selection of players. There needs to be
communication and collaboration to decide which players are the best fit for the Cowboys. There
also needs to be someone in charge of Human Resource Management to do thorough back
ground checks on Cowboys personnel to make certain there are few character issues.
I recommend some sort of case management regarding domestic issues with players. The
Cowboys need to have someone on staff that can speak to anyone in the Cowboys organization
about counseling employees about possible spousal abuse issues. Perhaps a psychologist or other
professional person that can treat player’s issues regarding relationships. The most important
recommendation I can give is to have someone to help with issues outside of football.
Hiring a General Manager should be the number one priority of Jerry Jones, and that
would mean giving up some control to his beloved Cowboys. The fact remains that the Cowboys
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are doing something wrong, and whether Jerry can ultimately own up to that fact and see where
he is a distraction instead of an asset will be seen. Jerry need to know that he can’t save players
that abuse the system. He can’t save the world and he needs to recognize that fact. The Cowboys
have so much potential, if they could just change their business strategy just a little, it could offer
much better results. The fans would appreciate it as well.
I would also recommend that the Cowboys organization trademark their own
merchandise. The Dallas Cowboys brand is such a strong brand, there are a lot of opportunities
there. I would recommend setting up the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders as their own company so
that that can benefit from the Cowboys brand as well. I would think the cheerleaders could book
many events even in the off-season to spread the brand and gain additional Cowboys fans. The
Cowboys have barely scratched the surface in going around the globe with their brand. I would
recommend trying to schedule more games in England, as well as trying to start a new league in
Mexico to have a team in Mexico for the Cowboys brand. Jerry Jones should attempt a new
league in Mexico and try to establish the Cowboy brand there as well.
Another recommendation to expand the Cowboys brand is having their own television
network. Having their own TV network would allow the Cowboys to expand their brand even
further by showing historical games and having big named guests and former players making TV
appearances. Another idea and recommendation for the Cowboys is to use AT&T Stadium for
more local football games. Currently, state high school championship games are played at AT&T
Stadium. The Cowboys could once again give back to the community by hosting more high
school football games and other high school sports as well.
I would recommend overcoming negative public perception with more events for the
community. This way, public perception of Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys will become
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more positive. The complete local demographics are represented within the Cowboys
organization.
Cultural Diversity
The Dallas Cowboys are at a critical stage of their business strategy concerning stopping
the player suspensions due to illegal drugs and spouse abuse charges that violate the personal
conduct policy of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. As in any business, the employee must
be at work to produce results. The manner in which Jerry Jones drafts his players is
unsatisfactory and basically paying for players to be suspended from the league and watch from
the sidelines. It’s as if he is paying players to be suspended. That doesn’t work in successful
organizations, and it needs to stop with the Cowboys. Here is a list of suspended Cowboys of
record.
Date Player Pos. Games Violation Notable8/11/2017 Ezekiel
ElliottRB 6 Personal
conductNFL concluded Elliott used physical force against a girlfriend on three occasions in July 2016. His case remains under appeal.
7/28/2017 Damontre' Moore
DE 2 Substance abuse
Arrested on suspicion of DWI in December 2016 while a member of the Seattle Seahawks.
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6/28/2017 David Irving DE 4 Performance-enhancing drugs
Failed a drug test for a banned over-the-counter substance.
4/21/2017 Shaquelle Evans
WR 4 Substance abuse
Was a member of the practice squad and was quickly released.
1/5/2017 Randy Gregory
DE Indefinite Substance abuse
Missed drug test. Gregory had well-publicized marijuana habit while at the University of Nebraska.
12/2/2016 Rolando McClain
LB Indefinite Substance abuse
Missed drug test led to third NFL suspension.
9/19/2016 Randy Gregory
DE 10 Substance abuse
Missed drug test.
6/30/2016 Rolando McClain
LB 10 Substance abuse
Tested positive for use of opiates.
6/30/2016 DeMarcus Lawrence
DE 4 Substance abuse
Tested positive for use of amphetamines.
2/19/2016 Randy Gregory
DE 4 Substance abuse
Tested positive for marijuana use.
11/10/2015 Joseph Randle
RB 4 Personal conduct
Flashed a gun during an argument with an ex-girlfriend.
8/28/2015 R.J. Dill OT 4 Performance-enhancing drugs
Tested positive for use of testosterone replacement therapy
DALLAS COWBOYS 20
7/2/2015 Rolando McClain
LB 4 Substance abuse
Failed drug test for marijuana use.
4/22/2015 Greg Hardy DE 4 Personal conduct
Highly publicized domestic violence case in 2014 while with the Carolina Panthers.
9/2/2014 Josh Brent DT 10 Personal conduct
Intoxication manslaughter charge in December 2012\. Brent retired in 2013 but returned and served the suspension in 2014.
8/28/2014 Jakar Hamilton
S 4 Substance abuse
Missed drug test constituted a second violation.
8/12/2014 Orlando Scandrick
CB 2 Performance-enhancing drugs
Tested positive for use of "molly," or ecstasy
“Since 2014, the Cowboys have had more players suspended by the NFL than any other team”
(Sports DayDFW, 2018)
When it comes to cultural diversity, the Cowboys have a large fan base from Mexico.
With its proximity to Mexico, many fans are Mexican. Additionally, many Hispanics in the state
of Texas are huge fans of the Cowboys.
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According to Mexican NFL representative Francisco Olive, Mexico has more than 28.3
million NFL fans, and 9.9 million of them are self-reported hardcore fans. And as it turns
out, many of them seem to be diehard Cowboy fans.
OYE! Intelligence software was utilized to provide an analysis on NFL Hispanic fans
conversation prior to the start of the 2017 NFL pre-season. OYE! reports deliver insight on what
English, Spanish, and bilingual speaking Hispanics have to say about a particular topic. Data
analytics provide an effective way to monitor trends and behavior among online users. In the
case of sports, it can provide insights toward relevant topics of conversations, sentiments towards
one team or another; as well as providing a spark to create relevant, in-culture marketing
campaigns based on this data (Enriquez, 2017).
Conclusion
As with any successful organization, there are issues that needs to be fixed. In order for
the Cowboys to strengthen their brand, they are absolutely going to need to make a decision on
how they draft players regarding their personal conduct policy. They need to align themselves as
an organization with the NFL and advise potential players what the expectation is regarding
personal conduct. In order for the Cowboys (or any organization), to grow their market, there
needs to be better strategic thinking regarding the ethics of the organization.
Managers must acknowledge their role in shaping organizational ethics and seize this
opportunity to create a climate that can strengthen the relationships and reputations on which
their companies’ success depends. Executives who ignore ethics run the risk of personal and
corporate liability in today’s increasingly tough legal environment. In addition, they deprive their
organizations of the benefits available under new federal guidelines for sentencing organizations
DALLAS COWBOYS 22
convicted of wrongdoing. These sentencing guidelines recognize for the first time the
organizational and managerial roots of unlawful conduct and base fines partly on the extent to
which companies have taken steps to prevent that misconduct. (Paine, 1994).
Players who have drug or alcohol issues, domestic abuse issues need to understand that
they will receive no monetary compensation if they violate personal conduct policies of the NFL.
They should also have a policy in place that additional team sanctions could result if the NFL
finds that they have violated said personal conduct policies.
The General Manager needs to be held accountable for the kinds of players he brings to
the team. Fans pay good money to see the team play, and the fans must have some sort of
guarantee that the ticket they purchase to see the game will include all players, not just the ones
who are not on suspension. This will increase the fan base to the way it was years ago when there
were better ethics within the organization. Most people want to know the teams they support are
good examples for their kids to follow. Nothing makes a fan more disturbed than knowing they
paid hard earned money to go see a sporting event where the player is suspended for beating up
his significate other.
Nothing upsets a customer more than to find out that a sports figure who makes millions
of dollars annually, being suspended for something that fan would never do himself. It comes
back to ethics. If the player can’t be held accountable to the law as the fan is, then the fan will go
elsewhere. There is no magic for the fan if the player is suspended by the league.
An integrity strategy is broader, deeper, and more demanding than a legal compliance
initiative. Broader in that it seeks to enable responsible conduct. Deeper in that it cuts to the
ethos and operating systems of the organization and its members, their guiding values and
DALLAS COWBOYS 23
patterns of thought and action. And more demanding in that it requires an active effort to define
the responsibilities and aspirations that constitute an organization’s ethical compass. Above all,
organizational ethics is seen as the work of management. Corporate counsel may play a role in
the design and implementation of integrity strategies, but managers at all levels and across all
functions are involved in the process. (See the chart, “Strategies for Ethics Management.”)
(Paine 1994)
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Finally, the Dallas Cowboys are a very successful organization with a great brand. They
just need to get back to the basics and their fans will be happy. The Cowboys need to stay out of
ethical dilemmas. If they can do that and focus on football instead of violating policies, then the
fans can live with that. Just draft players that can abide by the personal conduct policy and stay
out of trouble. The team needs to recognize that as a business, just because they don’t win the
Super Bowl every year, fans will still show up to games, buy their merchandise, and everyone is
happy. There is no need to hire people that give the Cowboys a bad image or bad reputation. It
just isn’t worth it. The brand is worth much more. Companies want to advertise with the
Cowboys. Don’t give them a reason not to. Bring back the “America’s Team” moniker and make
it stick. I would recommend the league extend its games in to Mexico and Germany to extend the
NFL’s reach. Since the Cowboys are the most popular team, suggest to the league that the
Cowboys will volunteer to take an active part in addressing that need. Who knows? Perhaps the
NFL Commissioner will think about penalizing the next Dallas Cowboy. Bottom line is return
to ethical behavior as a team and squash the appearance that the team will do anything for a
football player.
DALLAS COWBOYS 25
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DALLAS COWBOYS 26
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