The Dallas Cowboys are the greatest American football franchise since 1960.

Resolution: The Dallas Cowboys are the greatest American football franchise since 1960.Position: Con (I negate the resolution, and disagree with the notion that the Dallas Cowboys are the greatest team.)Preface:As my opponent has instigated the debate, I will assume the burden of proof lies primarily on my opponent, who must fulfill and back up his/her claim stated in the resolution. Therefore, my job will be to refute and negate my opponents arguments, and essentially provide a counter plan (or simply refute my opponent’s premises) to back up and prove my side. This counter plan will show that the resolution is flawed because there exists another franchise that is subjectively superior to the Dallas Cowboys both prior to and after the 1960s.Introduction:In its infancy, the National Football League was great. Now, infinitely times more popular, the NFL is equally great. This greatness has not come about by lackluster performance and inept teamwork. Conversely, stalwart motivation and professional expertise has contributed in large part towards the success of football in America.The purpose of this debate is to identify which team has had the greatest magnitudinal effect and objectively label them as the greatest team since the 1960s. My opponent has chosen the Dallas Cowboys to represent his side, and I have chosen the dynastical Pittsburgh Steelers to embody my position as the greatest overall team since the 1960s.C1) Hall of Fame.One of the greatest individual achievements in virtually any professional sport, an induction to the Hall of Fame has become relatively repetitive and commonplace for the Pittsburgh Steelers franchise, beginning even before the 1960s. In terms of statistics, the storied franchise is ranked 3rd in regards to Hall of Famers. [1] In total, the Steelers organization has produced 21 Hall of Fame worthy players. [2]These include: 1963 - Bert Bell 1989 - Mel Blount 1989 - Terry Bradshaw 2012 - Jack Butler 2012 - Dermontti Dawson 1966 - Bill Dudley 1987 - Joe Greene 1988 - Jack Ham 1990 - Franco Harris 1987 - John Henry Johnson 1966 - Walt Kiesling 1990 - Jack Lambert 1967 - Bobby Layne 1993 - Chuck Noll 1964 - Art Rooney 2000 - Dan Rooney 2002 - John Stallworth 1969 - Ernie Stautner 2001 - Lynn Swann 1997 - Mike Webster 2009 - Rod WoodsonNote that each of these players were inducted after 1960, refuting my opponent’s claim. Besides these players, categorized by their induction in their respective years, the organization has players with recognized potential to join the 21 in years following.These include, but are not limited to, the following: Ben Roethlisberger Hines Ward Troy Polamalu Casey HamptonOn the other hand, in regards to this statistic, the Dallas Cowboys don’t even make the Top Ten cut. Historically, regarded as “America’s team only have 11 players that have successfully been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Furthermore, the future doesn’t look near as promising in regards to future inductees.C2) Super Bowl.The height of excitement and skill of the NFL season, the Super Bowl, is heralded as the most important factor in determining success and greatness. In regards to this statistic, we find undisputed superiority of the Pittsburgh Steelers. In fact, in comparison to any NFL team, the Steelers have had the most success in regards to the Steelers.In regards to Super Bowl game attendance, the Steelers rank first, along with two other teams: the New England Patriots, and the Dallas Cowboys. However, determining the importance of this statistic is essential to understanding which team under dispute is better: the Cowboys or the SteelersThe Cowboys and Steelers have met three times in the Super Bowl: X, XIII, and XXX. In these meet-ups, the Steelers have won two out of the three (X [3] and XIII [4]). It is also important to note that each of these meetings were obviously past 1960, thus credible per the terms of the debate. Hence, it is established that competitive success in the Super Bowl between the two teams belongs to the Steelers. [5]Furthermore, in regards to overall Super Bowl success (and not simply specific to the two teams under dispute), the Steelers are once again superior. In their 2009 Super Bowl win, the team has surpassed all other NFL teams in terms of total Super Bowl wins: six. [6] This statistic is essential in determining who has had the greatest overall success in post-1960s.The argument for consecutive Super Bowl wins is once again awarded to the Steelers. Although both teams have won two consecutive Super Bowls, the Steelers are the only team to have done it on two separate occasions (IX-X and XIII-XIV). [7] Also note that both of these streaks began with a Super Bowl win over the Cowboys.Furthermore, we see, that on the occasions that they have attended (five), the Cowboys have lost three times, giving them a worse percentage than the Steelers. Specifically, the Cowboys have a .625 percentage while the Steelers have a superior .750. [8] This gives the Steelers a solid and significant edge in regards to Super Bowls.Conclusion:Though both the Dallas Cowboys and the Pittsburgh Steelers could both be reasonably attached to the progress and ultimate success of the National Football League, I believe that there is considerable and sufficient evidence that supports the notion that the Cowboys are NOT the greatest team, and rather that the Pittsburgh Steelers fulfill that position.Rebuttals:Premise I) ValueThe value of a team, while important, cannot directly correlate to “greatness.” Instead, value should be placed on the worth of the talent and skill possessed by the team, rather than simply money. Greatness, in the world of sports, is not based solely on money. In fact, in sports, it is more important that a team has success in sports rather than in the market. Ask the fans, as my opponent brings up. Would they rather their team be worth a million dollars that they will never have, or would they rather their team win the Super Bowl and Tony Romo win the MVP? This premise falls meritless as sports greatness is determined by something other than money worth.Premise II) Winning PercentageI concede (with no option, as it is fact) that the Cowboys have a higher winning percentage than any other team. However, I argue instead that winning percentage is not as important as ultimate success. As I have outlined in my case, the Super Bowl is ultimate success, and that statistic does not belong to the Cowboys.Premise III) PopularityThough my opponent wants to convince you that popularity belongs to the Cowboys, this is untrue. My opponent has challenged me to refute this, and I have. In a poll taken by Sports Illustrated, the Broncos topped the Cowboys as America’s favorite team. [9] This refutes my opponent’s point and backs up the claim that the Cowboys are not the best team. As I have not been required to specify another team, simple refutation is adequate to prove the resolution false. However, in my case I have outlined reasons as to why another team is better as well.Premise IV) ResultAs I have successfully refuted each of my opponent’s points, and shown reasons to prove the resolution false, I have succeeded in falsifying the resolution. Therefore, the Cowboys are not the greatest franchise since the 1960s.Sources: [1] http://en.wikipedia.org... [2] http://www.profootballhof.com... [3] http://en.wikipedia.org... [4] http://en.wikipedia.org... [5] http://steelcurtainrising.com... [6] http://www.huffingtonpost.com... [7] http://www.nfl.com... [8] http://sportslistoftheday.com... [9] http://www.si.com...