Jerry Jones’ Name Was Used to Inspire Philadelphians to Vote Against Donald Trump
In sports, few forces are as powerful as rivalry; from college to the pros, nothing inspires a team and a fan base by facing off against their biggest enemy. While the city of Philadelphia collectively dislikes plenty of people and teams, few inspire a visceral reaction like Jerry Jones and his Dallas Cowboys.
Although the Eagles beat the Cowboys on Sunday night, Jerry Jones’ name returned to the scene on Tuesday. With Election Day looming, one group invoked the rich Texan, hoping it would inspire Philadelphians to vote against Donald Trump.
Jerry Jones is unpopular, both in Texas and across the country
Most of the men and women who own professional sports franchises are pretty anonymous; they usually sit in their luxury box, give a token quote here and there, and go about their day. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, however, does things his own way.
Rather than simply lording over the franchise from on high, Jones is also Dallas’ general manager. While that could work in theory—there’s no potential for miscommunication when one man is making the decisions—it’s only led to a lack of accountability. Since Jones won’t fire himself or take a step back, the Cowboys have been stuck spinning their wheels.
That lack of results and ineffective management hasn’t made Jones the most popular man. Ahead of the 2020 election, a UMass-Lowell poll found that 23% of Texans had a favorable opinion of the owner; that might not seem too bad, but 33% of responders had an unfavorable opinion.
While there’s no data for residents of other states, it’s safe to assume that Jerry isn’t a beloved figure anywhere outside of Texas, either. Between his willingness to step into the spotlight and seeming embodiment of the ‘rich old man’ stereotype, it’s unlikely that anyone without a specific affiliation with the Cowboys wants to see Jerry Jones any more than they have to.
Inspiring Philadelphia to vote against Donald Trump
In the city of Philadelphia, few teams are more hated than the Dallas Cowboys. One group hoped that that dislike could drive Pennsylvanians to the polls on Election Day.
On Tuesday, Rural America 2020, “a 501(c)(4) non-profit that advocates for policies that benefit agriculture and rural America,” hired two planes to pull banner over the City of Brotherly Love. According to their tweets, one simply reminded citizens to “VOTE LIKE YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT.”
The other, however, tried to speak to Philadelphia’s sports fandom. That banner told the city “DONALD TRUMP [LOVES] JERRY JONES & THE COWBOYS.”
How does Jerry Jones feel about Donald Trump?
It’s safe to assume that most Philadelphians would dislike Jerry Jones, regardless of his political affiliation. With that being said, though, we do know a little bit about his feelings toward Donald Trump.
While Jones has never directly said that he supports Trump, the two men did take up similar positions about players kneeling in protest during the national anthem. The Cowboys owner also called Trump “the hardest worker you’ve ever seen,” and publicly sent his well wishes after the president.
As of Wednesday morning, it’s yet to be seen if Rural America 2020’s efforts paid off. If nothing else, though, it looks like the Philadelphia Eagles won’t have a problem beating Jerry Jones and his Cowboys in the standings this season.
