Cowboys’ $12.8B valuation makes Trump’s 1984 comment look wildly off
President Donald Trump once had the chance to buy the Dallas Cowboys, who are now worth billions. The comments he made at the time did not age well.
The Dallas Cowboys hold their spot atop the list of most valuable sports franchises, with their valuation increasing more and more every year. It was recently revealed that they are now worth $12.8 billion, the most valuable NFL franchise by a long shot, with the Los Angeles Rams up second, but trailing by more than $2 billion.
The 2025 @Sportico NFL Team Valuations are out. Average NFL team is worth 20% more than in 2024. 32 teams are collectively worth $228 billion. Key change: Private equity can now buy stakes in NFL teams. Great work by @kbadenhausen & dataviz by @LevAkabas. https://t.co/B1m4ZvJNGY. pic.twitter.com/DjTAH4OIwP
— Michael McCann (@McCannSportsLaw) August 13, 2025
This fact has brought attention back to a quote made by President Donald Trump back in 1984 that really did not age well.
Trump once mocked the Cowboys deal, Jerry Jones gets the last laugh
A decades-old quote from Donald Trump has gone viral again after the Cowboys were revealed to be worth over $12 billion. The moment gaining attention? Trump’s infamous 1984 remark when he passed on the opportunity to buy the Cowboys for $50 million:
“I feel sorry for the poor guy who is going to buy the team.”
That “poor guy” turned out to be Jerry Jones, who purchased the franchise in 1989 for $140 million, and has since turned it into a global powerhouse. The Cowboys’ value has increased nearly 240 times since Trump passed on the deal.
Trump’s involvement with the NFL has been contentious during his presidency - particularly his public criticisms of players kneeling during the national anthem back in 2018. At the time, Jones expressed concern about Trump’s interference, calling it “problematic.”
In hindsight, Trump’s decision not to buy the Cowboys remains one of the most financially significant “what-ifs” in sports history. A new Netflix docu-series titled “America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys” is set to be released next week, and will detail Jones’ Cowboys empire and how he made it into the powerhouse it is today.
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