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I'd just like to add that the fact that people are trying to make a case for the Rangers being the more popular team in town speaks volumes about how much the gap between the popularity of the Cowboys and Rangers has narrowed. And obviously it's attributable to both improvement on the Rangers' part and continued crappiness on the Cowboys' part. Also, throughout this debate, I haven't heard anyone mention the Mavs, who won the NBA championship less than 2 years ago. I think that's also telling.

Nice point about the Mavs, however a large part of their lack of staying is based on 2 points of timing: The NBA immediately went into lockout after the Mavs title, so whatever bump winning the championship provided was immediately offset by the lockout. Then when the lockout was over the Mavs immediately went into rebuilding because of the restrictions placed by the new CBA. I have a post on db.com comparing the new Mavs to the Marlins post-world series.

I think that we have to understand there is a difference between the popularity of the Cowboys locally and nationally. I truly believe that on the local level the Rangers are indeed closing that gap and that it has NEVER been smaller than it has been for the last 2 years, and you might even make the case that the gap is not even measurable LOCALLY.

Nationally it is altogether different. The Cowboys are still one of the top 5 teams in the NFL as far as popularity of merchandise and TV following. Where the Rangers barely have a National presence in those categories, they are trying to build their way up to that point and they don't even get to have WS championship merchandise to help the cause.

BTW, did the Rangers make ANY 2012 Playoff merchandise? One of my favorite things to do at RBPIA: Shop the clearance rack for last year's playoff gear.

Gil LeBreton's article in Wednesday's Star Telegram mentions a movement to greet Josh with silence. I can see a lot of Elmer Fudd posters saying, "Be vewwy, vewwy quiet."

Cowboy prowess, Nationwide, goes back to 1966. Packers win 34-27, in goalline stand with 28 sec remaining.
The following year, 1967, Green Bay wins "The Ice Bowl", with a goalline touchdown, no time remaining. Cowboys
become "the ultimate underdog". America found a new hero in Roger Staubach, in 1969. Color TV reigned, with
almost every household owning a TV by 1969. Tex Schramm reinvented the NFL and the Dallas Cowboys became
America's Team in 1978. Dallas was the "Original Showtime", thanks to Staubach and Schramm.

There are some parallels, with our Texas Rangers. Nationwide, the Rangers are becoming the "ultimate underdog".
To overcome 50+ years of Dallas Cowboy dominance is very uphill, but the change is being noted upward. In actuality,
the (1959-60) original Dallas Cowboys were first named "Steers" then changed to "Rangers", but our Baseball American Assoc.
Dallas Rangers won that battle, so NFL Cowboys became the name for the football club.

Just for the record, "Dallas Rangers" isn't anywhere NEAR as cool of a name as "Texas Rangers".