Why Cowboys fans are the worst in the NFL

by Rob Tornoe

Published Sep. 20, 2015, 12:37 p.m. ET

Why do Eagles fans hate the Cowboys so much?

As someone who didn't grow up Philadelphia, I don't feel properly equipped to answer that question (though as a Bills fans, I share in the area's personal rage over America's so-called team).

I've drawn many cartoons about Cowboys fans. Here's the cartoon I drew last year after the Cowboys lost to the Eagles on Thanksgiving:

Drew Magary over at Deadspin summed up his thoughts about Cowboys fans in a 2014 column:

You will not find a fanbase that has engendered less sympathy for its current plight. Have you ever been to Dallas? SPOILER: It's America's worst city. Everything people decry about traffic, sprawl, McMansions, and general American vapidity is embodied by Dallas. These are the people who are way too excited to have access to the United Club. It's a tacky town filled with tacky people and they have earned the tackiest team in the history of organized football.

Dr. Joel Fish, a sports psychologist and Eagles fans, told Press of Atlantic City sports writer Dave Weinberg why he thinks animosity over Cowboys fans runs deep:

"I think the rivalry is also fueled by wanting to knock off the top dog, and the Cowboys were the top dogs of the NFL for so many years. Over the years, it's taken on a life of its own. It has staying power, even though the personalities change and the players change. And it still has that. No matter what, there's still something special about playing Dallas and beating Dallas."

I asked Eagles fans who follow me on Twitter why they hated Cowboys fans, and their opinions didn't disappoint.

This seems to be the prevailing view of Cowboys backers - they're the worst type of fair-weather fans who all began supporting the team during their Super Bowl run during the 1990s (or even further back during Tom Landry's tenure). Ask yourself - have you ever met a Cowboys fan in their early 20s?

On a weekly basis, Dallas fans sporting their brand-new-but-made-to-look-weathered Emmitt Smith jerseys flood social media proudly displaying their ability to count past Lombardi trophies. Unfortunately, four seems to be their counting limit, since you never hear a Cowboys fan mention the number 19 - the number of years since the team's last Super Bowl win.

There does seem to be a sense of entitlement present in most Cowboys fans. Despite numerous offseason injuries and rosters filled with the likes of Julius Jones, Patrick Crayton and Darren McFadden, Cowboys fans always seem to think their team is assumed a Super Bowl win.

It's one thing to be cautiously optimistic about the chances your team has. It's another to be delusional. Cowboys fans always seem to fall towards the latter, taking cues from their attention-seeking owner Jerry Jones.

Just yesterday, Jones told the Dallas Morning News that quarterback Tony Romo not getting a Super Bowl ring would be his biggest disappointment. Keep in mind this is the same "happily married" man who has been caught cheating numerous times with women young enough to be his daughter's daughter.

Cowboys fans also seem to be able to twist like a Philly pretzel in defense of the most horrible human beings, as the team's signing of Greg Hardy illustrates:

It also doesn't help that the team's biggest booster is a man who perfectly embodies the stereotype of the typical Cowboys fan - New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

Let's run through the checklist:

Didn't grow up in Dallas? Check.

Is loud, boisterous and annoying? Check.

Displays unrealistic expectations? Check.

Is fixated on team's past success?

Check.

After Christie showed up rooting for the Eagles from Jones' luxury box at the Linc, my buddy Signe Wilkinson crushed him with this deftly-drawn cartoon in the Daily News:

The single best representation of a Cowboys fan I've seen came in the form of a stick figure by my former colleague, Philly Voice's Jimmy Kempski: