Cowboys' Star Shines Brightly Online
Posted on: Sunday, 26 November 2006, 06:00 CST
By Steve Wiseman
FOR DECADES, THE Dallas Cowboys were known as America's Team.
When few had cable TV and the Internet was a generation away, the Cowboys were dominant. Dallas played five Super Bowls between 1971 and 1979, winning twice.
They routinely were televised nationwide on Sunday late afternoon games or in prime time on Monday Night Football. They always played on Thanksgiving Day.
But they have not played in or won a Super Bowl since 1995. They have not won a playoff game since 1996.
Are they still America's Team?
According to Internet-tracking data, the answer is an emphatic yes.
Hitwise -- a New York-based company that provides online competitive intelligence data -- has tracked NFL Web sites this season to determine the most popular. It's DallasCowboys.com in a landslide.
Among 10 million U.S.-based Internet users, Hitwise determined that Dallas received 20.4 percent of the visits to NFL Web sites over the 12-week period ending Nov. 18. No other team received more than 7 percent.
ChicagoBears.com is No. 2 at 7.06 percent, followed by Pittsburgh (steelers.com) with 6.19 percent, Green Bay (packers.com) at 5.80 percent and Philadelphia (philadelphiaeagles.com) at 5.13 percent.
The Cowboys have been in front all season. When hitwise.com released data through Oct. 14, Dallas held the lead over Philadelphia by more than 1 percentage point. Then as now, traditional powers Pittsburgh, Chicago and Green Bay were in the top five.
In the latest data, Cincinnati, Washington, the New York Giants, Indianapolis and Cleveland round out the top 10.
Notice who is missing? The entire South and West divisions from the AFC and NFC.
The South has an excuse in that many fans may be too preoccupied with college football to devote much surf time to the pro game.
The West, though, is surprising. You would think San Francisco and Seattle would be filled with Web-savvy fans. Oakland was No. 11 on the Hitwise's October data but dropped off the November numbers.
Owens draws a crowd. Dallas' popularity is boosted by its signing of wide receiver Terrell Owens.
Hitwise also tracked the most searched-for NFL players resulting in visits to sports or football sites. Owens, the flamboyant, controversial personality, is No. 1 on the list for the 12 weeks ending Nov. 18.
Atlanta's Michael Vick, New England's Tom Brady, Cincinnati's Chad Johnson and Eli Manning of the New York Giants round out the top five.
But Owens could be in danger of losing his lead. For the week leading up to Nov. 18, Brady won, followed by Vick with Owens third.
Source: The State (Columbia, S.C.)
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