NFL.com’s Chadiha: Cardinals could become ‘America’s Team’
Apr 13, 2016, 11:17 AM | Updated: 4:39 pm
FILE - In this Jan. 3, 2016, file photo, Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians smiles during an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, in Glendale, Ariz. Nearly every coach and every player heading to the playoffs will insist how beneficial skipping wild-card weekend is. It’s all about the bye in January. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri, File)
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri, File)
For the longest time the Dallas Cowboys were viewed as “America’s Team,” as in most of America supported them.
For anyone who grew up in Arizona and was brave enough to be a Cardinals fan during the ’90s, it was a disgusting and frustrating concept.
But times, they are a changin’, and these days it is the Cardinals who have become a team many across the country like to root for.
Last season they went 13-3 and reached the NFC Championship Game, which helped, and their roster is filled with entertaining personalities.
Then there’s their coach, Bruce Arians, who may be the most outgoing in the game.
Their popularity has certainly grown within the state of Arizona, and according to Jeffri Chadiha of NFL.com, they may very well take the next step and become America’s new team, much in the way the NBA’s Golden State Warriors have taken their league by storm.
What’s not to love about Bruce Arians’ Cardinals?The Arizona Cardinals are the most enjoyable team to watch in NFL these days. They have a high-flying passing attack, fan-friendly stars like Larry Fitzgerald and a head coach in Bruce Arians who has more swag than anybody else in his position. They don’t get enough media attention because of their location, but another strong season will make them more attractive to the masses. Remember, nobody was talking about Golden State until a couple years ago.
In a league where some of the best teams can rub people the wrong way (see: New England and Seattle), the Cardinals have the potential for wide-ranging appeal.
Indeed there is much to like about the Cardinals, and whether or not they take another step toward being a team the country roots for or not, their popularity has certainly grown. It also figures to reach another level after this summer when “All or Nothing,” a documentary-style series about the team, is released by Amazon.
