In this day, more so than in days past, a big part of the entertainment factor for sports fans is watching the open player market during the off-season.
Look at the fascination with MLB’s Winter Meetings going on right now. Jacob deGrom leaves the New York Mets to sign with the Texas Rangers. Justin Verlander moves from the Houston Astros to replace deGrom with the Mets. And where will Aaron Judge end up?
Hockey fans love it when free agency opens July 1, as NBA fans do during those summer off-season months. NFL fans too, when the new league year starts, in March. It’s an open bizarre, grist for the social media grill.
So in light of all that, team loyalty means a lot. The Dallas sports scene has seen its share of athletes drafted by teams, then developed by them. Then they stay their entire careers.
Players like Hall of Famer Roger Staubach, who played 11 illustrious seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. Dirk Nowitzki played an incredible 21 seasons with the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, winning countless awards, including MVP, with 14 all-star appearances, and a championship in 2011.
At BetTexas, we did a search for who is the most loyal athlete that currently plays in the city of Dallas using a point system that awards two points for each season played with the team, two points for each contract signed, two points for each contract signed for three or more years and four points for any pay structure changes to allow cap space for team.
Unfortunately, Texas sports betting is not legal and it is not a sure bet the state legislature will move to make it law in 2023.
Top 3 Most Loyal Athletes in Dallas
Tyron Smith Leads the Way
According to our research, No. 1 on the list of the three most loyal athletes in Dallas is Cowboys’ 6-foot-5, 320-pound left tackle Tyron Smith, who has played 11 consecutive seasons with the team (multiple All-Pro and Pro Bowler), has had just two contracts, two contracts over three years and five pay structure changes, for 50 points.
No. 2 is Dallas Stars center Jamie Benn, the 33-year-old Canadian with 339 goals and 795 points over 973 games, 14 consecutive seasons with the team, three contracts, three of those contracts over three years and zero pay structure changes, for 40 points.
No. 3 is Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (second-team All-Pro in 2017 and two-time Pro Bowler): nine consecutive seasons with the team, five contracts, three of those over three years and one pay structure change, for 38 points.
