Battle Royale

The Union and the Confederacy. Rocky Balboa and Clubber Lang. Jay-Z and Nas. He-Man and Skeletor. These legendary beefs are but cordial misunderstandings when compared to the fierce rivalry between our Dallas Cowboys and the Redskins of Washington, D.C. The bad blood between the two teams actually predates the Cowboys franchise, when a business deal involving Cowboys founder Clint Murchison and Redskins owner George Preston Marshall went sour. When the proposal to start a Dallas expansion team was presented for approval to a committee of NFL owners, Marshall was the lone holdout. Luckily, Murchison had procured the rights to the Redskins fight song and was able to exchange the song's ownership for Marshall's approval. What's less well known is that shortly after establishing the Cowboys, Murchison lost ownership of the team to Marshall in a friendly game of "Hide the Clown." Marshall was on the verge of getting the paperwork notarized that would have changed the team's name to the "Dallas Butt-Punchers" when Murchison challenged Marshall to a gentleman's duel. After engaging in a six-hour knife fight in a remote Himalayan forest, Murchison was able to regain control of the franchise and a steadfast rivalry was born. In this fine tradition, your Dallas Cowboys will no doubt tear the Washington Redskins a new poop chute this Sunday night at Texas Stadium in Irving. Ticket prices range from $48 to $93. Call 972-373-8000 or visit ticketmaster.com.
Sun., Sept. 17, 7:15 p.m.