Despite a hostile audience, Jerry Jones is a year-round performer who is the star of his own show

Everything with the Cowboys is a circus right now and the ring leader is the reason why.

Recently, Jerry Jones showed off his acting chops by making an appearance in the Paramount hit TV show Landman. For those unfamiliar, Landman tells the story of the oil rig business that features a lot of mishaps, greed, and a little cartel thrown in for spice. It only seemed fitting for the show to have one of the most widely known real-life oilmen making a cameo in their latest episode.

While Jones’ appearance wasn’t surprising, his performance was. Most of us know that before buying the Dallas Cowboys, Jones made his money in the oil business. In his scene, he goes on for three minutes about how he got started in the oil business and what it has meant to be able to spend his life working with his kids.

Cowboys fans have had a front-row seat to Jones’ theatrics for years. He’s known for trying to be the main character in everything that’s going on. Sometimes his performances are over the top and create controversy because nobody is buying into his nonsense. However, during his scene in Landman, Jones delivers a very genuine and heartfelt message.

To the outside observer, Jones’ performance probably surprised some people. This lifelong salesman nailed the scene as he gave an authentic performance that was very believable. While some will give props to Jerry for an admirable acting job, those of us who have been exposed to him aren’t seeing anything unusual. He can’t go too long without getting emotional and while he had a director and multiple takes to help him from stumbling on his words, we are no strangers to this type of performance.

Jones did a great job in this scene because he was speaking from the heart. He wasn’t playing a character, but rather just being himself. He was sharing real-life experiences and the words came easy for him.

For his day job, Jones is the most polarizing owner in the NFL. The Cowboys organization is always under scrutiny. Year in and year out, he and his son Stephen are vilified for not spending enough money to make the team stronger. They will never win any popularity contests in the state of Texas. On Friday night, they were showing celebrities on the Jumbotron during the Cotton Bowl and the crowd let Jerry have it. Even in his own house, he gets no respect.

Jones makes his bed and has never had trouble sleeping in it. While some of the things he’s criticized for don’t hold water, he’s done plenty to bring negative attention to himself. He fired Tom Landry. He couldn’t get along with Jimmy Johnson so they parted ways. He’s turned America’s Team into a Big Top Circus and makes money hand over fist while crowds of people continuously line up to watch. Good or bad, the Cowboys are the center of attention and always bring in the ratings. And all of this is because of Jerry Jones.

He has set a precedent so strong that sports media outlets will run with every niblet that comes out of his mouth to make a non-story a story. Tours at The Star a distraction – boom, that’s a story. No curtains at AT&T – boom, that’s a story. Firing the coach? Keeping the coach? Wait, don’t tell us because that’s a story too! And if Jerry utters the words “All-in” that blurb’s enough to keep the lights on for an entire season. In-season, off-season, and all-season, Jerry Jones is a year-round performer.

As we brace for what can only be expected as another uproarious offseason, we only have two options. Find a comfortable seat or watch something else. For a lot of us, the thirst for all things Cowboys is like crack. We can’t get off if. All we can do is grab some snacks and hope for a good show.

Jones is always going to be the star of his own show. He bought the Cowboys for $140 million and now they’re worth $11 billion and he’s been right in the thick of things from the beginning. You can’t grow that type of investment and be convinced your meddling is a detriment. And no, it’s not just about the money. Jones is trying to win Super Bowls. While it’s been 30 years, Jones has won three Super Bowls. He did it before, and you have to believe he thinks he can do it again.

It would be nice if the Cowboys could just be a normal team and not be in the news all the time, but that’s not the world we live in. We live in Jerry’s World. The best we can do is put on a brave face, look for the positives, and hope for the best. There will be good times and there will be times of adversity, but regardless of what times we’re in, the Cowboys will always be front and center because of Jerry Jones.