In Sunday Ticket testimony, Jerry Jones takes a shot at Bengals

[Arkansas Bengal]

• By
• Mike Florio

  

Published June 18, 2024 07:27 AM

 

 

 

 

Although more people are paying attention to the Sunday Ticket trial, the coverage is still lacking. And what we’re getting only makes us want more.

 

Consider this. Yesterday, Cowboys owner and G.M. Jerry Jones testified in the ongoing Sunday Ticket trial. Jerry Freaking Jones. One of the most influential figures in league history and one of the most powerful owners in all of sport took the witness stand, and it’s virtually impossible to find anything more than one quote from his testimony.

 

But the quote is a doozy.

 

Quick background note. From time to time, I’ll explain the consequences of the NFL losing its broadcast antitrust exemption. If that ever happens, the teams would sell the rights to their home games individually, like Notre Dame does. In discussing that scenario, I’ll explain that the Cowboys would get multiple billions per year for its games. In lieu of naming the teams at the other end of the spectrum, I’ll typically say, “They know who they are.”

 

Jerry has an opinion regarding who one of them is. In defending the broadcast model despite the fact that he would profit handsomely from it, Jones sent a stray in the direction of Cincinnati.

 

“I am convinced I would make a lot more money than the Bengals,” Jones said, via the Associated Press. “I’m completely against each team doing TV deals. It is flawed.”

 

While Jones is accurate, given the immense value of a Cowboys-only package, it was unnecessary to single out the Bengals. He could have just said, “Any other team.”

 

His selection of the Bengals wasn’t random or accidental. Jones and Bengals owner Mike Brown have a longstanding feud regarding revenue sharing. As NFL legend has it, Jones and Brown once got into a heated argument during an ownership meeting over Brown’s refusal to sell naming rights to Paul Brown Stadium.

 

Of course, times have changed since then. The Bengals have become a borderline powerhouse, appearing in two of the last three conference championship games while the Cowboys have appeared in exactly none of the last 28.

 

Jones also might have been motivated by a desire to seem magnanimous, picking the team owned by the man with whom he has battled over sharing cash to make the point that there is a limit to Jones’s greed.

 

But that underscores a bigger point. The sharing of TV revenue has always relied on the owners of the Globtrettor-level clubs willingly handing TV money to the Washington Generals of the league. As the values of franchises skyrocket and as it becomes harder and harder to find people with the money to buy teams, the next generation of owners might not want to share TV revenue.

 

Likewise, the private-equity firms that could soon be buying chunks of NFL clubs might start pressing for a different model, if they believe they would get a better return on their investment if the rights were sold not by the league but by the teams.

 

Jones is due to return to the stand on Tuesday. We’ll continue to look for anything/everything of interest that he might say. Hopefully, he’ll avoid using certain phrases in the presence of the jury.

 

Let me revise that. Hopefully, he will.

 

 

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/in-sunday-ticket-testimony-jerry-jones-takes-a-shot-at-bengals

[|BlackJesus|]

"Bengals have become a borderline powerhouse, appearing in two of the last three conference championship games while the Cowboys have appeared in exactly none of the last 28."

 

... this line is a chef kiss  😙🤌🏻

[|Elflocko|]

If this happens the league is done. 
 

DONE.

 

Nothing destroys, well anything, faster than private equity parasites. 

[claptonrocks]

Jerry Jones is an 81 yr old billionaire

I think this proposition has been laid out by his second and third in command daughter Charlotte and Jerry jr

 

Carpetbaggers they are

 

Stephen is 4th in line as director of player personnel but seems his main task is sitting next to daddy and applauding 

for the sake of his father and inheritance down the road

 

Such a greedy family organization

Hopefully they Never reach another

,SB... ever

 

,'America's team: my ass

 

 

 

[gupps]

The Cowboys would probably be a lot better team if Jones just stuck to signing paychecks instead of trying to be owner/GM/football guru. Where have we heard that before?

 

As far as Sunday Ticket (I've had it every year for about 15 years) I'd much rather have the PPV model,  say $10 a game or maybe even a team package for $150. Maybe add a little bit to a slush fund for small market/sucky team to give them some extra revenue.

[Inigo Montoya]

The whole appeal of Sunday Ticket was for fans who lived outside of the market of the team they supported.  A Giants fan living in the South or West would be willing to pay more for the ability to see their games that weren’t on national television.  If someone wanted it just to have access to any/all games, it also makes total sense to charge a higher price for that kind of product.  I’m sure the plaintiffs are going to argue that it was price gouging but it makes sense to charge more for a product that gives greater access than what is available for free.   

[Jamie_B]

6 hours ago, Elflocko said:

If this happens the league is done. 
 

DONE.

 

Nothing destroys, well anything, faster than private equity parasites. 

 

It's already bad enough you have to have more than one subscription service to watch every game, but fuck this.

[-GoBengals-]

the NFL doesnt realllllly want single team plans, but its not just package greed, it trickles down, for the early games, if the benglas game ends, or is a blowout, ill sww the scores of other games coming to a close and watch the end of 3-4 other games, those eyeballs are HUGE dollars for the nfl numbers and commercial money and so on. plus the fantasy football tie in, if that packers fan just got the packers package, and they have a fantasy football game that close and they ahve burrow on thier team, theyll be way more likely to tune into the bengals game thats not on locally, if they just have the full sunday ticket package, but when making the decision, theyd probably pic the single team not thinking about it.

 

so the nfl would lose probably hundreds of millions of eyeballs on games annually if they offer single team deals. 

 

if they do, it would be something like:

 

Single Team $199.99

All Teams: $249.99

 

make it almost a no brainer, $50 more for like 400 more games.

[Le Tigre]

Jerry can afford to be pro-revenue sharing, because Jerry will gain far more loot in total over the course of a season than any other franchise. As long as there is a Star, Jerry /family is going to reap massively. The Star pulls the eyeballs—plus the advertising/gear/promos/etc. They always have. 
 

Let’s be honest: the Bengals are not in the same solar system with that sort of pull. Neither are the Colts…or the Panthers…or many others. It isn’t so much disrespecting, as stating clear fact.

[texbengal]

16 hours ago, Le Tigre said:

Jerry can afford to be pro-revenue sharing, because Jerry will gain far more loot in total over the course of a season than any other franchise. As long as there is a Star, Jerry /family is going to reap massively. The Star pulls the eyeballs—plus the advertising/gear/promos/etc. They always have. 
 

Let’s be honest: the Bengals are not in the same solar system with that sort of pull. Neither are the Colts…or the Panthers…or many others. It isn’t so much disrespecting, as stating clear fact.

 

This 100%.

 

His football GM "acumen" notwithstanding (if there is much anyway), there's no question Jerry is a shrewd businessman who has made a pantload of money for his team - from daily stadium tours to merchandising to deals with various business partners to... plus he's got tons of valuable real estate (beyond the Star, which is really impressive unto itself) and other holdings. That said, there's also no question that the other NFL owners have made big $ based on some initiatives he's spearheaded (licensing, etc.). 

 

As you state, there's truth in what he says that he would make a lot more $ than the Bengals would... it's a no-brainer. Even as the team on the field hasn't done much for 30 years, the Cowboys have still got a huge following, both here in the US and around the world. I don't see that changing any time in my lifetime. No shame in what he says, and a number of smaller market teams benefit by being part of the larger whole when it comes to revenue sharing. 

[|BlackJesus|]

If the NFL wants to keep it's position as America's #1 sport it needs to preserve the revenue sharing, which is necessary for the salary cap. To his credit, Jerry understand this, that his team is more valuable if the league is more popular overall. 

 

If the NFL becomes like the MLB, team parity and viewership will suffer greatly. Most NFL fans hold the illusion that on any given year they have a chance to win it all (even Cleveland fans). Once that is gone, people will stop sacrificing on $2,500 seat licenses and $14 beers. 

[T-Dub]

These premier franchises have to play somebody, it'd be a pretty short season if they only faced each other.  They still get preferential treatment in some subtle (& occasionally less than subtle) ways.

 

From his perspective though I'd be a little salty having made my fortune and bought myself an NFL team for fun & then having to subsidize this sanctimonious dude who inherited a team and spent most of his life running it like a discount mattress store. I sure wouldn't have much time for his opinions about how the league should do business.

[Inigo Montoya]

14 hours ago, T-Dub said:

These premier franchises have to play somebody, it'd be a pretty short season if they only faced each other.  They still get preferential treatment in some subtle (& occasionally less than subtle) ways.

 

From his perspective though I'd be a little salty having made my fortune and bought myself an NFL team for fun & then having to subsidize this sanctimonious dude who inherited a team and spent most of his life running it like a discount mattress store. I sure wouldn't have much time for his opinions about how the league should do business.

Ironically, I’ve read that MB makes the same argument when revenue sharing is discussed at league meetings.  The big market teams need to play somebody and the league doesn’t want to end up like MLB or the NBA (to a lesser extent).  Creating “have” and “have nots” limits growth and the big markets being willing to share TV revenue back in the ‘60s was a key factor to the NFL’s dominance.  
 

It’s also ironic that MB and JJ are owners who play GM (poorly).  The franchises couldn’t be more different but both have been hurt by the hubris of the guys at the top refusing to simply get out of the way.  

[Le Tigre]

On 6/20/2024 at 10:53 AM, texbengal said:

 

This 100%.

 

His football GM "acumen" notwithstanding (if there is much anyway), there's no question Jerry is a shrewd businessman who has made a pantload of money for his team - from daily stadium tours to merchandising to deals with various business partners to... plus he's got tons of valuable real estate (beyond the Star, which is really impressive unto itself) and other holdings. That said, there's also no question that the other NFL owners have made big $ based on some initiatives he's spearheaded (licensing, etc.). 

 

As you state, there's truth in what he says that he would make a lot more $ than the Bengals would... it's a no-brainer. Even as the team on the field hasn't done much for 30 years, the Cowboys have still got a huge following, both here in the US and around the world. I don't see that changing any time in my lifetime. No shame in what he says, and a number of smaller market teams benefit by being part of the larger whole when it comes to revenue sharing. 

No one markets the name like Jerry. As a golfer, I really appreciate fine courses. Just so happens, Jerry owns one of the nicer courses and facilities there in Grapevine: Cowboys Golf Club. It’s a magnificent course, and the amenities are superb. And he never lets one forget what it represents. These are everywhere on the course: 

 

 

[texbengal]

11 hours ago, Le Tigre said:

No one markets the name like Jerry. As a golfer, I really appreciate fine courses. Just so happens, Jerry owns one of the nicer courses and facilities there in Grapevine: Cowboys Golf Club. It’s a magnificent course, and the amenities are superb. And he never lets one forget what it represents. These are everywhere on the course: 

 

 

Yep, I have a few friends that play there. I’m not a golfer but I’ve heard it’s really nice.
 

There are a number of nice courses in the area (so I’ve been told). 

[Le Tigre]

2 hours ago, texbengal said:

Yep, I have a few friends that play there. I’m not a golfer but I’ve heard it’s really nice.
 

There are a number of nice courses in the area (so I’ve been told). 

More than I would have imagined. My wife has a lot of relatives in DFW, so we visit often. Attempt to try a different course each time down. 
 

I guess I am just astounded at how much the Cowboys are embedded in the local culture—which then spreads everywhere. The amount of ink in the Morning News—even in the off season—is incredible. 

[AmishBengalFan]

Late to the thread, sorry.

 

Whoa guys, slow down.  Go back to the OP and look whose reporting this.

 

Florio.

 

Same dude who falsely reported that the Bengals were facing heavy fines for hiding Burrow's wrist injury because Joey was wearing a wrist sleeve on the flight to Baltimore.  He kept pushing the narrative like a rabid dog for weeks until it was leaked that perhaps his motivation was that he had lost money on the Ravens-Bengals game, at which point the story mysteriously disappeared from his radar.

 

He's allegedly a compromised jack hole. Nothing he writes should be viewed as being objective - especially now, and doubly especially anything involving the Bengals front office.

 

Light up Jerry as much as you want, but consider the source.

[texbengal]

8 hours ago, Le Tigre said:

More than I would have imagined. My wife has a lot of relatives in DFW, so we visit often. Attempt to try a different course each time down. 
 

I guess I am just astounded at how much the Cowboys are embedded in the local culture—which then spreads everywhere. The amount of ink in the Morning News—even in the off season—is incredible. 

 For sure. It’s a religion here… even when they suck they get the most coverage. HS football here is crazy… high schools (like mine) have spent millions on facilities. When the Cowboys had rain at Valley Ranch (before they moved to Frisco) for practice, they used the indoor facility that was at my town’s high school. Some of the stadiums are better than I’ve seen at decent-sized colleges. 
 

Anyway, if you haven’t tried it, I’ve heard Tour 18 is cool. Interesting idea, I guess each hole is modeled after a famous one at another course (Pebble Beach, Augusta, etc.). It’s in Flower Mound.

[Cricket]

4 hours ago, texbengal said:

 

Anyway, if you haven’t tried it, I’ve heard Tour 18 is cool. Interesting idea, I guess each hole is modeled after a famous one at another course (Pebble Beach, Augusta, etc.). It’s in Flower Mound.

“Flower Mound”. Sounds like something that Kate McKinnon’s alien-abducted character on SNL would call her, uh, nether regions.  😎

 

[tibor75]

Mike Brown is still one of most useless men in NFL ownership history.  

 

Jerry Jones is 100% to call out the loser.   

[T-Dub]

17 minutes ago, tibor75 said:

Mike Brown is still one of most useless men in NFL ownership history.  

 

Jerry Jones is 100% to call out the loser.   

 

The Bengals have had far more success in this century, far as that goes. Jones fired the only coaches that ever did anything with his team because he couldn't stand to share the spotlight/credit.

[claptonrocks]

On 6/20/2024 at 10:53 AM, texbengal said:

 

This 100%.

 

His football GM "acumen" notwithstanding (if there is much anyway), there's no question Jerry is a shrewd businessman who has made a pantload of money for his team - from daily stadium tours to merchandising to deals with various business partners to... plus he's got tons of valuable real estate (beyond the Star, which is really impressive unto itself) and other holdings. That said, there's also no question that the other NFL owners have made big $ based on some initiatives he's spearheaded (licensing, etc.). 

 

As you state, there's truth in what he says that he would make a lot more $ than the Bengals would... it's a no-brainer. Even as the team on the field hasn't done much for 30 years, the Cowboys have still got a huge following, both here in the US and around the world. I don't see that changing any time in my lifetime. No shame in what he says, and a number of smaller market teams benefit by being part of the larger whole when it comes to revenue sharing. 

Interesting stuff Tex

Agree.

 

[claptonrocks]

On 6/20/2024 at 11:22 AM, BlackJesus said:

If the NFL wants to keep it's position as America's #1 sport it needs to preserve the revenue sharing, which is necessary for the salary cap. To his credit, Jerry understand this, that his team is more valuable if the league is more popular overall. 

 

If the NFL becomes like the MLB, team parity and viewership will suffer greatly. Most NFL fans hold the illusion that on any given year they have a chance to win it all (even Cleveland fans). Once that is gone, people will stop sacrificing on $2,500 seat licenses and $14 beers. 

 Spot on..

Its not like the Bengals will lose money..far from it.

They all will profit.some teams more than others.

 

[claptonrocks]

2 hours ago, tibor75 said:

Mike Brown is still one of most useless men in NFL ownership history.  

 

Jerry Jones is 100% to call out the loser.   

Nice to see the positive vibes  back from you good Doctor..

[T-Dub]

Somewhat related, saw a trending topic of Dak being traded and after some digging it seems to trace back to an SI piece saying how unlikely it was.. like someone else just ran with the clickbait title.

 

Goes to show how a Cowboys player can eat a taco and the national sports media will turn it into something