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Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones Honored With SBA Lifetime Achievement Award

Jerry Jones must have been humbled by winning this year's Lifetime Achievement Award, presented to him for all his efforts at changing the business model of the NFL and creating the Cowboys' megabrand. The normally voluble Jones spoke for around eight minutes, two minutes shorter then NBC's Al Michaels spent introducing him. Jones thanked and credited his family, who he so often lauds and who were with him, including wife Gene, sons Stephen and Jerry Jr., and daughter Charlotte. The three siblings are key Cowboys execs. The only non-family member at his table in fact was Seth Bernstein, an executive with private equity firm New Mountain. The company recently bought a piece of Legends, the hospitality and marketing company in which the Cowboys have a stake. “It is unfair to get recognition for something that I actually had so much fun and privilege doing,” Jones told the audience. He recalled his early days buying the Cowboys in '89 as being akin to a walk-on in football. “I was a walk-on in the NFL, I am serious,” he said, recalling how he learned from other owners. “It lifted my enthusiasm.” Of course, he was also incentivized to work hard, he said to laughter, because the team was losing $100,000 per day. “You see, there is no joy in Mudville to bring it home and round the bases when you are losing your ass,” he said. “The trick is to bring it in with something to go again.” He recounted learning about the value of linking sports with commercial products and the fan passion and profit that generated. When he was ready in the late '90s to buck the NFL sponsorship rules and sign a deal with Nike, a press release did not suffice, Michaels recounted. Jones and Nike chief Phil Knight paraded along the sideline of a "MNF" game in Nike gear. As the Cowboys won 35-0, that gave Michaels plenty of time to discuss the new sponsorship (Daniel Kaplan, Staff Writer).

ALL IN THE FAMILY: The Jones family hit the Red Carpet last night in full stride just before 7:00pm ET with Jerry, Gene, Stephen, Charlotte and Jerry Jr. posing for family photos. Other family and friends were in attendance as well as Cowboys and Legends execs. The family was clearly the attraction in the room, with scores of well-wishers lined up to greet them and later at the event ceremony. A brilliant video, narrated by CBS News anchor and longtime friend Scott Pelley, showcased Jones’ life, from growing up in Arkansas and leading the Cowboys, to entering the Pro Football HOF this August, to receiving the lifetime award last night. Jones was greeted with three separate standing ovations during his speech. The Jones party was one of the last to leave the ballroom, posing for family photos on stage after the event ended and greeting all the well-wishers.

FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES: The affinity between Jones and former NBC Sports Chair Dick Ebersol, who was there as an award presenter, was clear throughout the evening. Jones was seen catching up and sitting with Ebersol at the NBC Sports table before the ceremony. In his speech, Jones singled out Ebersol’s support of the Cowboys’ effort to honor the Salvation Army during the traditional Thanksgiving Day game in an effort spearheaded by Jones Anderson. In presenting the last award of the evening, Ebersol shared the story about when NBC lost out on its rights to carry the NFL in '98, Jones was the first call he received the following day, asking Ebersol to visit and discuss the decision. Ebersol’s point? Life is about relationships, and one must value the people who are with you during the tough days (THE DAILY).

IMPACTING ALL ASPECTS OF THE LEAGUE
: NFL.com’s Judy Battista wrote the Lifetime Achievement Award is “meant to recognize contributions to sport that extend off the field," and there are only a few people who "have had as great an impact on the business of football” as Jones. He has become “one of the game’s most influential owners" during his nearly three-decade-long tenure with the Cowboys and "certainly its most recognizable.” He is “widely credited with a business vision that has led to a great deal of the league’s financial success.” Jones recognized “before almost anyone else the value in building his own brand," and he “helped Fox get the television contract for NFC games -- opening a new avenue for lucrative television rights -- at a time when others were willing to accept a cut in rights fees." Jones also "carved out an agreement with the league that allowed the Cowboys to market its own apparel and he built a billion-dollar stadium that is considered the best in the league.” Jones recently was a “powerful force in the league approving the Rams’ relocation to a new stadium” in L.A. and the Raiders’ move to Las Vegas (NFL.com, 5/24).

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