PFHOF Profile: Jerry Jones
Sports team ownership is a weird space to be in for many business owners as more often than not they are doing it as a hobby.
That has been the case in the NFL for so long as billionaire business owners buy into a team in order to have that feather in the cap.
They buy a team simply to say that they own a team and for many it is more of a toy than anything else.
Owners might not always understand what is truly happening on and off of the field, despite their assertion otherwise.
The reality is that for so many and for so long NFL ownership was simply something that rich people did.
Things are changing though as ownership has gone from a rich guy having another toy to play with to a way to make some serious money.
That transition is largely due to a number of owners that have treated sports as just another business.
The business of sport continues to grow into something much more serious than it has ever before.
The NFL is leading the way as they are the biggest league in North America where the business of sport has been perfected.
The NFL is dealing with billions of dollars on their TV rights alone and teams are more than just that thing that was fun to have they are actually making money.
Those leaders that helped the business of sport grow into what it has become can be seen in the NFL more than anywhere else.
One of them will be getting the credit for being one of those owners and doing it his own way for decades.
Jerry Jones got into the NFL because he loved the sport of football, much like every other owner in an era where sports teams were a play thing for so many owners.
The difference for Jones though is that he was the type of person that when he committed to something he was all in.
There was no halfway for Jones and that is why when he took over he became the face of the Cowboys.
To some it was and it still is annoying as many believe he is too involved in the football operations of the team.
Since purchasing the team in 1989, he has had the final say for all personnel moves on the team acting like a GM.
Much like Al Davis he received a lot of criticism for this as he hires people to do that job and the people he hires are football people.
Jones may love the sport but he was never in as anything more than a fan before he bought the team so how could he really make the right decisions without the knowledge.
Jones never cared too much about the opinions of others though as he continued to get involved in the football operations.
While doing that he helped, although in a smaller way, the Cowboys to three Super Bowls but more importantly he grew the Cowboys into the biggest team that the NFL had ever seen.
It was partially due to the talent that Jones made sure the team signed and drafted while the other major part was his ability to sell and market the team.
Only a few years into his ownership, the legend of the Cowboys began to grow and they quickly became America’s Team.
Throughout the 1990s the Cowboys were the team in the NFL as everyone knew who they were throughout North America.
They were one of the biggest things in American sports at the time and Jones was able to capitalize on it in a big way.
All of a sudden the Cowboys were everywhere with more merchandise than any other team and far more exposure.
It might not have rubbed everyone the right way as they gained their share of haters but the Cowboys are still one of the most recognizable NFL teams in the world.
That era changed sports and the NFL forever and the Cowboys were the leaders in making that change.
They were the first team to be run like a true business and that has everything to do with their owner.
For that approach and the fact that he remains one of the main voices in every ownership decision, he is entering the Hall of Fame.
He is one of the most committed owners of all time and although it rubs people the wrong way he is heavily involved in the running of his team.
His contributions to becoming one of the biggest teams ever cannot be overlooked whether you like his style or not and for that reason he earns a bust in Canton.
The Sport Addiction 