Fandom is complicated
Like other Mavs fans, I was shaken to the core by the new Saturday Night Massacre known as the Luka Doncic trade. It unfortunately brought back memories of the original DFW version:
That was when Arkansas slickster Jerry Jones used the cover of darkness to sneak Jimmy Johnson into town as the new head coach for the team he was buying. Of course, he did it in public view at Mia’s restaurant, which already showed Jerry’s lack of grasp on optics.
For younger fans who have no memory of this, it had the same stunning effect as the Luka trade. Cowboys loyalists could not believe our coaching rock – Tom Landry – was rudely being shown the door. A kind, decent man wasn’t getting the respect he deserved.
Sound familiar?
I had a friend and work colleague who immediately disowned the Cowboys and never wavered, even when the team won three Super Bowls in four years. He never budged from that stance.
Me? Not a chance.
First, the Landry persona as kind and decent was flawed. Yes, he was open about his Christian faith, but he could be unnecessarily cruel and disrespectful of players. Look no further than Don Meredith, the team’s first franchise quarterback. He came close to beating Green Bay twice for the NFL title and then suffered a humiliating playoff loss to Cleveland. So distraught, he floated the idea to Landry of retiring. Don said he expected Landry to give him support and talk him out of it.
Instead, the coach responded with an icy “do what you feel you have to do.” Dandy Don quit then later reinvented himself in helping launch Monday Night Football.
Fast forward past the Johnson hire to early 1994 after the second consecutive SB win. Jimmy openly flirted with coaching elsewhere. Jerry told reporters that 500 coaches could achieve the same results as Jimmy.
The divorce was seismic, the most shocking breaking news in DFW sports history – well, until Feb. 1, 2025.
Again, many fans swore off the Cowboys. I was incensed with Jones and his family ownership. I was tempted to turn in my fan card, even more so than six years earlier.
I didn’t.
I decided, for better or worse, that I was rooting for the franchise and the uniform and everything that represented in my mind up to that point. Not even Jones could shake me of that core belief, one I held firmly despite of that man.
Did I enjoy that last Super Bowl win under Switzer? Honestly, not as much as the previous ones. But I still celebrated what Aikman, Emmitt, Irvin, Deion, Woodson and Haley had accomplished.
I feel the same about the Dallas Mavericks, who I’ve followed since their inception. I’ve been there for all of it. The ‘80s build culminated with taking the Showtime Lakers to seven games in the 1988 Western Conference Finals. The Roy Tarpley downfall and subsequent wilderness of the ‘90s. The hiring of Don Nelson, the drafting of Dirk and the arrival of Cuban, culminated in the 2006 heartbreak and 2011 redemption.
Will the next Mavs title be as sweet as 2011? Or even last year’s improbable Finals run? Based on my jaded history, probably not. But I will still have a certain level of joy, especially for the players. That includes AD, who has entered our equation with nothing but class and understanding of the fan anger.
Mavericks Fan For Life. I still like the sound of that. For better AND worse.
Henry Martinez is a long time Dallas area sports fan