NFL Fans Are Anointing A New “America’s Team” After ESPN Host Floated The Suggestion

 

An American Flag on a football field before the game.

American Flag on Football Field (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
NFL fans are buying into the idea that the Dallas Cowboys have been’ replaced as “America’s Team” following a bold statement from an ESPN analyst.

The Cowboys have held the “America’s Team” moniker since the late 1970s. That nickname has caused widespread debate among football fans for decades, since the Cowboys are also among the most hated teams in professional sports.

During her “First Take” appearance, ESPN’s Courtney Cronin stated that the Cowboys no longer hold the “America’s Team” moniker. Rather, she believes that nickname belongs to Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs:

“They (the Cowboys) haven’t been America’s team since the last time they won a Super Bowl (1995). You know who America’s team is? The Kansas City Chiefs…you’ve got a dynasty…The Cowboys were that back in the ’90s…

What we’re witnessing right now: All-time greatest play from someone like Patrick Mahomes…you can throw Travis Kelce in the mix there too. What makes them America’s Team is the consistency…the ability to do it no matter how many pieces are changing in and out.”

Cronin noted that the Cowboys have recorded three straight 12-win seasons but haven’t endured any playoff success in that period. Cronin cited their stunning 48-32 home loss to the seventh-seeded Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card Round.

Obviously, there’s no way clear-cut way of telling which NFL team has the most fans in America. You’d have to pull every fan in the country to draw a firm conclusion, which isn’t possible.

But the Chiefs’ dynastic run (three Super Bowls in the last five years) has certainly grown their popularity and global following. Taylor Swift’s relationship with Travis Kelce has booted the team’s popularity as well as television ratings.

If There Is An “America’s Team”, It’s The Chiefs

Some folks are understandably on the side of “There is no America’s Team”. But if you had to assign the moniker to one franchise, it has got to be the golden standard of modern football.

The New England Patriots had a compelling case for that nickname during the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick days, but their global following has waned in the post-dynasty days. With Kansas City dominating the football world, there’s no questioning that they’re truly deserving of the “America’s Team” moniker more than the other 31 teams.