It would be no exaggeration for me to say that the enduring love affair of my life has been with the Dallas Cowboys. My obsession now exceeds four decades.
I've been married for 31 years to a perfectly lovely woman, and it goes without saying that she and my two sons are the most important things in my life. But it's close.I've often told friends and family members about the time my girlfriend (not yet my wife) complained about my not wanting to do something on a Sunday afternoon because the Cowboys were playing."Is it always going to be like this?" she asked.I quickly replied, "I've loved the Cowboys since I was 7 years old. I've only known you for two years. Don't push it!"As I've moved into, and almost out of, middle age, I find myself as passionate about this team as I was in my teens. I still live and die by their weekly performances. To sit with me during a Cowboys game would provide fodder a psychiatrist could use for years.Over the past few years, I've asked myself over and over the same question: Why? Why do I devote so much energy and anguish to a sports franchise that, more often than not, disappoints me? Frankly, I have no idea.I know I'm not the only one afflicted with this malady. Be it the Rangers, Mavericks, Stars or with whomever you choose to cast your lot, nothing becomes a rallying point for a city or an entire region like the success of a sports franchise.Go to Boyd or Aledo and ask those residents how important the success of their high school teams is in the community. Small towns gain an identity through their high school sports teams. Ever notice how many cars drive throughout Northeast Tarrant county with Southlake Carroll window stickers?While the Star-Telegram constantly gets letters complaining about putting coverage of sports on the front page, the reason it does is simple. It sells.When the Mavericks won their first NBA championship just over a year ago, the issue of the Star-Telegram that came out the next day sold 70,000 more copies than usual. When the Cowboys win Super Bowls (Remember when?) interest in all things Cowboys explodes.Even the Stars' Stanley Cup title run energized the area. Suddenly it was chic to know the difference between icing and offside.Be it T-shirts, mugs, magazines or newspapers, we want a memento of the accomplishment. Why? Because it's OUR team. We feel we have a vested interest.You need look no further than the Rangers' recent World Series appearances. Interest in the franchise is at an all-time high. Ticket sales are setting records, and Rangers merchandise flies off store shelves. The Rangers' TV ratings have smashed previous numbers; on most nights, their games attract more viewers than network programming.As a society, we love sports, and almost all of us possess more than just a passing interest. Heck, even my parents can identify Dirk Nowitzki and Tony Romo.If you don't think sports dominates our culture, ponder this: The highest-rated weekly show on television last year was, what else, Sunday Night Football.I like to think that my obsession with the Cowboys will lessen in time, but I'm not sure it will. After all, the regular season opener against the Giants is just over a week away. Everything else the past few months has been filler now that football season is here.And by the way, please don't call me during the games.My "mistress" has captured my attention for at least another season. Let the anguish and heartache begin.Gerald Page of Richland Hills is a member of the 2012 Star-Telegram Community Columnist Panel. gpage58@gmail.comHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
