‘Three-time Super Bowl-winning President’: It has a nice ring to it! Donald Trump’s earlier days were filled with ambitious business ventures, and one of them nearly involved owning an NFL team.
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Almost four decades ago, long before he set his sights on the White House, Trump set his sights on America’s Team: The Dallas Cowboys. This happened in the 1980s, when Trump was an aggressive young businessman always looking to expand his empire.
Though his career also has a few bankruptcies, he found success more often than not and wasn’t shy about chasing bold opportunities. At a time when NFL teams were a fraction of their current value, Trump made a serious attempt to buy into professional football. But it wasn’t meant to be.
In 1984, as per the Round Up, Cowboys owner Clint Murchison Jr. put the team up for sale, asking for around $50 million. With a net worth of $200 million at the time, Trump had the means and interest to go for it. But he reportedly balked at the price, believing the NFL wasn’t a worthwhile investment.
Murchison turned him down. Many believe Trump’s offer fell short of the asking price. Rather than push harder for the deal, Trump walked away, and did so with a now-infamous parting shot, saying the franchise wasn’t a good investment.
“I feel sorry for the poor guy who is going to buy the Dallas Cowboys. It’s a no-win situation for him because if he wins, well, so what, they’ve won through the years, and if he loses, which seems likely because they’re having troubles, he’ll be known to the world as a loser,” Trump had stated.
Bum Bright ended up buying the Cowboys in 1984, not Trump. But his tenure was short-lived. Just five years later, Bright sold the team to Jerry Jones for $140 million, a move that would change the trajectory of the franchise forever.
After an initial period of struggle, Jones turned the Cowboys into a powerhouse both on and off the field, capturing three Super Bowl titles in the 1990s and building a global brand in the process.
On the field, success has been elusive for the Cowboys over the past three decades. But off the field, they have never stopped winning.
Their valuation continues to skyrocket year after year, and today, they hold the title of the most valuable sports franchise in the world, worth a staggering $10 billion. Not a bad return on a $140 million investment.
Meanwhile, Trump, despite his repeated attempts, still doesn’t own a sports franchise. Long before he was President, he chased multiple NFL teams.
In 1981 and again in 1983, Trump attempted to buy the Baltimore Colts, reportedly offering $50 million through a group bid. That was before the team relocated to Indianapolis. Needless to say, the Irsay family held firm and still owns the Colts.
Trump’s interest didn’t stop there. In 1988, he inquired about purchasing the New England Patriots. And most notably, in 2014, after the death of longtime Buffalo Bills owner Ralph Wilson, Trump submitted a bid of $1 billion for the franchise, well above its $840 million valuation at the time. But Terry Pegula outbid him, buying the team for $1.4 billion.
Whether Trump would have replicated Jones’ success with the Cowboys is impossible to say. But what is clear is that he missed out on owning a franchise that became both a cultural icon and a financial juggernaut.
