The importance of the Cowboys' rise - Howard Bryant, ESPN
Dallas' resurgence has breathed life into a league that values the dull din of parity over the excitement of dynasty, Bryant writes in a very readable article for ESPN Magazine.
For years, the Cowboys have been a punchline, falling somewhere between reality TV and the nighttime soap opera that once bore the city's name. Yet the NFL is a better product when the Cowboys are a good, thriving and-for much of the country-villainous presence. The metrics bear it out, in ratings and in online popularity.