New Year’s Resolutions. The things that we say we are going to do to become a changed person, but we immediately give up on them two weeks in.
The same can be said for sports teams. Every team wants to see success. But sometimes, some hindrances prevent teams from making it over the hump. So I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands and give three teams New Year’s Resolutions so that they can have better success in 2026.
Dallas Cowboys: Get Rid of the “America’s Team” Branding
Back in the 1970s and 1990s, the Dallas Cowboys truly were “America’s Team.” They were led by legendary coaches like Tom Landry and Jimmy Johnson, powered by Hall of Fame talent like Roger Staubauch and Emmitt Smith, and had a front office that understood one thing: winning came first.
Fast-forward to 2026, and “America’s Team” has now become less of a badge of honor and more of a punchline. No Super Bowl or conference championship appearances since 1995, numerous early round exits and an owner who doubles as the team’s president and general manager while consistently proving he’s the biggest obstacle to progress.
If Dallas wants to have any shot at relevancy, the franchise needs to retire the “America’s Team” label until it has earned it back. While they may dominate television ratings, championships aren’t won by being the most popular team in the league, and the on-field results have failed to match the brand for nearly three decades.
Manchester United: Learn the Value of Patience
Yesterday, Manchester United sacked Ruben Amorim from his manager job after 14 months into a three-year contract. That now makes it 10 managers the Red Devils have had in 13 years since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
For nearly a decade, Man United has treated patience like a foreign concept. Constant resets and panic-driven decisions have left the squad unbalanced and the culture fractured and in chaos. The club has got to start realizing the problem is not the man on the touchline, but the institution itself.
Rebuilds don’t come with instant gratification, and truly elite clubs aren’t built on impatience. Unless Man United commits to a long-term vision, no manager, no matter how good they are, will survive long enough to restore the Red Devils’ former identity.
Houston Astros: Get Rid of the Injury Bug
Injuries were not the main reason the Astros missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016, but they certainly played a part in it.
Yordan Alvarez, Jeremy Pena, Jake Meyers, basically the entire pitching staff. It seemed like every month, a new injury would arise, and when a player became available again, they would get injured again. All the while, the medical staff feels like they forgot how to do their jobs.
If Houston wants to get back to its winning ways, the health of the players will be a main factor.
