Playing to Win: Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys

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When Jerry Jones bought the Cowboys franchise in 1989, it was a struggling, last-place team in a mediocre league. Losing millions in operations with the continued prospect of diminished revenue, and coming off a three-win season under legendary coach Tom Landry, "America's Team" had fallen far from its pinnacle of success in the 1970s and early 1980s. The NFL was not faring much better, either. Television networks threatened to pay less for broadcast rights amid money-losing contracts while fans stayed away in droves, leaving thousands of seats empty. Despite threats on his life due to controversial moves like firing Landry and Jimmy Johnson, Jones completely turned the franchise around, winning three Super Bowls and enriching not only the value of the franchise (now the most valuable in all of pro sports) but the entire league with record-setting television contracts. Oh, and by the way, he built a new $1.2 billion stadium. Parlaying unrestricted access into a compelling behind-the-scenes narrative, author David Magee reveals football vignettes and insightful management morsels from arguably the most colorful and influential owner in all of professional sports. More than biography, Playing to Win is the story of an epic struggle to be the best on the biggest sports stage in the world. Jones is often charming, but can also be overbearing, resulting in a love/hate relationship with fans like no professional team owner since football's Al Davis in the 1960s or baseball's George Steinbrenner in the 1970s. Voted "Enemy No. 1" in three states by Sports Illustrated one year and Sportsman of the Year by The Dallas Morning News in another, the owner thrives on attention and occasionalcontroversy. But Playing to Win shows above all else that an insatiable desire to win is what drives Jerry Jones, the Dallas Cowboys, and ultimately, the NFL.