The Dallas Cowboys have never been just another football team. Arguably more so than any other franchise in the NFL, the Cowboys are a cultural force and a perfect manifestation of America’s obsession with what happens on the gridiron. That legacy gets the deep-dive treatment this month in Netflix’s new docuseries “America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys” — a story about ambition, swagger, and the high-stakes bets that built a football empire.
Dropping this weekend (on August 9), the series chronicles Jerry Jones’ 1989 purchase of the then-struggling Cowboys and how that gamble transformed the NFL forever. Under Jones’ watch, the Cowboys became not only three-time Super Bowl champions in the ’90s but also the most valuable sports franchise on the planet. The series blends never-before-seen footage with interviews from players, coaches, and even fans to tell the story of how calculated risks paid off in spectacular fashion. Basically, the series is built around the Cowboys’ inexorable march toward dominance — a period when they went from underperformers to winning multiple Super Bowls. Directed by the Emmy-winning team behind “Wild Wild Country,” Netflix’s docuseries unpacks how Jones reshaped not just a team, but the entire business of sports.
America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys chronicles an NFL powerhouse
Jones’ ownership approach wasn’t just about winning games; it was about building a brand. Essentially, he risked his fortune to buy the team and went on to oust a legendary coach. Jones also revolutionized marketing and revenue streams through aggressive sponsorship deals and stadium innovations. This is a business story, in other words, as much as it is one about sports. Also in the docuseries, viewers will hear from players like Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, Emmitt Smith, and Deion Sanders, while head coaches Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer recount the highs and lows of steering the team through an era of intense competition and media scrutiny.
The series likewise features insights from big-name fans like former President George W. Bush and Nike co-founder Phil Knight, who reflect on the Cowboys’ place in American culture. All of that, combined with archival footage, provides fascinating insight about “America’s Team,” one whose driving force can probably be summed up best by a quote from former quarterback Roger Staubach: “There are no traffic jams along the extra mile.”
With the franchise now worth more than $10 billion, “America’s Team: The Gamble and His Cowboys” shows exactly how the groundwork for that success was laid in the ’90s. And when you’re finished watching, don’t forget about the halftime performers: Netflix also has “America’s Sweethearts,” a docuseries looking at the Dallas Cowboys cheer squad that just returned for a second season.
