Inside the $9B Cowboys Empire: Meet Charlotte Jones, the Woman Behind the World’s Most Valuable Sports Franchise
The Dallas Cowboys, often referred to as America’s Team, hold a prestigious position as the world’s most valuable sports franchise. With an empire valued at a staggering $9 billion, much credit is due to Charlotte Jones, daughter of team owner Jerry Jones.
In a recent interview for Bloomberg Originals’ Power Players series, Charlotte Jones gives viewers an exclusive glimpse into the inner workings of the Cowboys empire. While comparisons have been drawn between the fictional Roy family from HBO’s Succession and the real-life Joneses, Charlotte clarifies that the similarities are mere coincidence. She even amusingly recounted an encounter with one of Succession’s characters, Shiv Roy, at a premiere, where she jokingly claimed to be a real-life version of the character. Shiv’s response, however, was less enthusiastic.
As the driving force behind the Cowboys’ success, Charlotte Jones takes viewers through the business strategy that has propelled the franchise to its current status. One of the most significant contributions is the $1.3 billion AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with its iconic mega-screen and prominent logo on the roof. The stadium offers a remarkable 380 luxury suites, approximately 100 more than any other venue, providing Texas’s elite with the ideal setting for business and entertainment on game days.
But it doesn’t end there. Charlotte’s most noteworthy achievement is undoubtedly The Star, a 91-acre campus in Frisco, Texas. This all-encompassing Cowboys compound serves as the team’s headquarters, practice facility, office park, and a dream-like hub for fans. It boasts Super Bowl trophies and rings on display in the main lobby, and even hosts companies for offsite meetings overlooking the practice field. Keurig Dr. Pepper, a longtime sponsor of the Cowboys, has even chosen to establish its headquarters here. No other team can claim such a close-knit relationship between fans, neighbors, and the team itself.
Interestingly, Charlotte confesses that her father, Jerry Jones, required convincing when it came to The Star project’s magnitude. Despite her success in building the Cowboys brand, the team hasn’t achieved Super Bowl victory in over three decades. Nevertheless, hope is alive and well at The Star, as the Cowboys started the season with two impressive victories and remain among the top contenders for the Super Bowl.
For us, every season that doesn’t end at the Super Bowl is a failure, Charlotte states definitively, emphasizing the team’s ultimate goal of claiming the prestigious Lombardi trophy.
As the adored America’s Team, the Dallas Cowboys undoubtedly owe a great deal of their success to Charlotte Jones and her visionary leadership. With her continued stewardship, the Cowboys empire seems poised for even greater achievements, both on and off the field.
