Andrew Mason, writer for DenverBroncos.com, has strong feelings about Pat Bowlen getting the Hall of Fame snub while Jerry Jones was voted in as a finalist for the 2017 class. The candidates were selected by the contributor committee on Tuesday and Bowlen was overlooked for one of two finalist selections. Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue earned the other nomination.
“It’s not that Jerry Jones doesn’t deserve inclusion into the Hall of Fame, at some point, given the contributions he has made to the business of the NFL,” Andrew Mason told Eric Goodman and Les Shapiro recently on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7. “But, I would say that Pat Bowlen’s contributions on the business side were at least equal to that of Jerry Jones, particularly in terms of what he brought to the broadcast committee and the labor committee.”
While Jones has done great things for the NFL, Bowlen was a key driver in increasing revenue for the league while the active owner of the Broncos.
“The biggest driver of franchise value increase is what happened in terms of broadcast revenue and that was under Pat Bowlen’s watch for much of his time as owner of the Denver Broncos,” Mason said. Bowlen purchased the Broncos for $78 million in 1984; Forbes.com calculated their value at $1.94 billion as of July 2016. Jones purchased the Cowboys in 1989 for $150 million. Their value, the highest in the world of professional sports per Forbes, is $4 billion
Bowlen and Jones’ candidacy isn’t just about franchise value, of course. The on-field product matters, as well. Simply put, the Broncos under Bowlen performed better then the Dallas Cowboys under Jones.
“The Broncos have simply done more and done better then the Dallas Cowboys over the long haul,” Mason said. “They have the same number of Super Bowl wins (3) and the Broncos have over twice as many appearances (7). To look at their resume and choose Jerry Jones over Pat Bowlen, that’s really a hard one to figure with all things considered.”
The staff at the Dove Valley consider Bowlen sacred. To hear the disappointing news come across on Tuesday had people down.
“There is frustration, certainly, with the fact that he is not getting in, they believe that his resume warrants him being there. I know it’s a goal of the organization for him to have his place in the Hall of Fame,” Mason said.
“There are openings and there is a possibility, in the future, of getting Pat Bowlen into the football Hall of Fame,” Mason added.
Listen to the full discussion with Andrew Mason, including other thoughts on the Hall of Fame snub, in the podcast below…
https://soundcloud.com/milehighsports/8-16-16-andrew-mason-joins-ad-and-passionately-reacts-to-the-pat-bowlen-hof-snub
Catch Afternoon Drive with Goodman and Shapiro Monday-Friday from 4p-6p on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7 or stream live any time for the best local coverage of Colorado sports from Denver’s biggest sports talk lineup.