Why are the Cowboys so disliked among the NFL community?

The Dallas Cowboys, you either love them, or you hate them, and chances are, if you're not from Dallas or Texas, you hate them. Okay, maybe not, as they are the most popular team in the country, and they have fans all over the place.

Aside from the Patriots, Dallas is the only franchise that football fans either love or hate; there's no in-between.

Here are some reasons why people hate the Dallas Cowboys:

The Dallas Cowboys are "America's Team"

Atlanta Falcons v Dallas Cowboys

Dallas got their nickname during the team's 1978 highlight film, where the narrator John Facenda opened with the following introduction:

"They appear on television so often that their faces are as familiar to the public as presidents and movie stars. They are the Dallas Cowboys, 'America's Team.'"

Originally, Cowboys head coach Tom Landry didn't like the nickname and thought that it would give teams more of a motivating factor in playing harder to beat the Cowboys. After a 20-game winning streak and winning five Super Bowls shortly after being dubbed "America's Team," the Cowboys won five Super Bowls (1972, 1978, 1993, 1994, 1995), and Landry grew to like the name.

Another reason fans don't like the term is because not everyone likes the Cowboys, Dallas doesn't even have the most Super Bowl victories, so how can they claim they are this country's team? There are arguments for the Patriots, Steelers and Packers being called "America's Team," too. The difference is their fan bases don't claim it.

Dallas' popularity

NFC Wild Card Playoffs - San Francisco 49ers v Dallas Cowboys

Whether you live in the state of Texas, Connecticut, or California, you're going to see Dallas Cowboys fans daily. There are only a few teams where that is the case; the Steelers and Packers are the other two teams. Dallas' popularity rose when they became the "Team with Most Consecutive Sold-Out Games," a streak of 160 home-and-away games (including playoffs) that began on December 23, 1990, at Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium and came to an end on December 24, 1999, in a Christmas Eve game against the New Orleans Saints.

Another reason to support their claim is that they are the most-watched team in the league. Seven of the 8 Super Bowl games featuring the Cowboys and the NFC Championship Game between the Cowboys and 49ers, which was the only non-Super Bowl NFL game to be ranked in the Top 45 Primetime Telecasts of All Time.

People hate success

Washington Football Team v Dallas Cowboys

You know the term, "Haters gonna hate"? Well, it applies here. People tend to hate success, and despite not having much recent success, the Cowboys are one of the most successful franchises in all of sports. The Cowboys are the most valuable franchise and have been for the last 15 years. They have five Super Bowl victories, and they are "Dem Boys."