“Before we get started, we have a few ground rules,” a tour guide announces to eager Cowboys fans at The Star, just hours before a crucial matchup against the Lions. “If a player or coach walks by, don’t yell, don’t talk to them.” The irony? These $40+ tours would soon witness Micah Parsons limping through the facility, sparking whispers about his ankle injury – all while the team prepared for what would become their worst defeat under Jerry Jones.
Jimmy Johnson, Cowboys’ Hall of Fame coach, exposed a telling moment of Jones’s priorities on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” on Saturday. Sometime back when the team’s defense celebrated reaching No. 1 in the league, Jones crashed their private post-game meeting, Saudi Arabia’s Prince Bandar in tow. Johnson’s response? “I looked at them and I looked at the team… I said ‘Nice game I’ll see you Tuesday’ and I walked off.”
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The Cowboys’ current reality mirrors that moment from decades ago. ESPN reports the franchise rakes in nearly $10 million annually from facility tours, with weekend slots selling out at $90 for the “Ultimate Fan Experience.” That’s roughly $1,200 per group of starry-eyed visitors. Those are the ones who get to peek into everything from position meetings to weight room sessions.
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The Star stands as the NFL’s only facility offering such unrestricted access. While the Green Bay Packers deliberately keep their Lambeau Field tours away from player areas, Cowboys stars find themselves sharing hallways with camera-wielding tourists. “Oh s—!” exclaimed one North Carolina fan after spotting Dak Prescott just three feet away during a Thursday tour.
These tours run seven times daily, with additional corporate groups weaving through the facility. Players can’t escape the spotlight even during Saturday preparations. As evidenced by the recent scene of Parsons entertaining his giggling daughter while thirty pairs of eyes were fixed upon them. Looks like he completely ignored their guide’s history lesson about Walter Payton Man of the Year winners.
Players feel like exhibits in Jerry Jones’s show
“It’s kind of like you’re in a zoo and kids are going to see a lion,” former Dallas safety Jayron Kearse told ESPN last week. His candid comparison struck a chord with other ex-Cowboys who’ve experienced the fishbowl environment at The Star.
The New York Post highlighted how this unique setup affects player preparation. “We have 24/7 access to the facility, and it should be a place of solitude,” one anonymous former player revealed. “I come in for extra work at night… and fans are walking through, poking out at you.”
Jones brushes off these concerns with characteristic bravado. “That’s like firing your accountant, or getting a divorce,” he told ESPN, dismissing former players’ criticisms. “You always hear it from the disgruntled people that aren’t there anymore.”
The Cowboys’ 47-9 loss to Detroit last Sunday. This marked their largest margin of defeat in Jones’ tenure – perhaps speaks louder than any tour guide. As cornerback Jourdan Lewis put it post-game, “It’s Jerry’s world… Our job is to go out there and win games, regardless of if you see [tours] as a distraction.” Yet with no NFC title game appearance since 1995, something seems amiss in this particular world.
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Monika Srivastava