What’s better than watching your favorite football team play? How about experiencing the game inside the Dallas Cowboys’ 12,000-seat indoor Star practice facility, where all the preparation and planning happens?
Now, add a private tour of the facility led by Hall of Famer and Cowboys legend DeMarcus Ware, plus a live concert from Kane Brown, and you’ve got a night fans and veterans won’t soon forget.
That’s the magic behind Crown Royal’s That Deserves a Crown Sweepstakes. As part of the brand’s long-standing commitment to supporting the military community, two veterans recently won the chance to enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime experience at the Star, with Ware himself serving as their guide.
For Ware, the partnership with Crown Royal is about more than football or fanfare; it’s about purpose. The NFL icon sat down with The Quintessential Gentleman to talk about why honoring military service resonates so deeply with him and why this initiative hits close to home.
Ware knows a thing or two about what it means to be consistent and impactful. Drafted 11th overall by the Dallas Cowboys in 2005, he gave the franchise nine dominant seasons defined by grit and grind. In 2008, he was named NFC Defensive Player of the Year, cementing himself as one of the league’s most feared defensive ends and eventually becoming the highest-paid at his position.
By the time he left Dallas, Ware had already made history as the Cowboys’ all-time leader in sacks. He went on to close his career with the Denver Broncos, where he played a pivotal role in their Super Bowl 50 victory against the Carolina Panthers. And in 2023, in the words of Deion Sanders, Ware finally got a jacket he didn’t have to buy, his gold Pro Football Hall of Fame induction blazer.
But beyond the stats, Ware has always been respected for his leadership, family values, and community commitment—traits that shine through in his work off the field today.
MCB: What does it mean to you to bring fans and veterans into this experience, into your home turf?
DW: When you’re at home, you’re comfortable. My main thing is when you bring in people that haven’t been to the Star, that haven’t experienced, they’ve never experienced stardom, you can bring them into your world and make them feel comfortable and sort of let them know that wherever they go, they are a star. It’s like you’re individualizing the talent that’s there, the people that are coming in and letting them know that they’re important. Giving them something that they will never be able to experience ever, which is the star power of the meshed with Crown Royal.
MCB: Crown Royal has a strong commitment to supporting the military community. Why is that mission important to you personally?
DW: My family was in the Air Force. I did a lot in the Air Force. I did a lot in the Army. Some of my friends were Navy Seals that I played football with. And so to see how they had to go and serve and they go and serve and be happy about it. A lot of people don’t see the behind-the-scenes things that they might not come back. Some of them don’t come back. So now, how can I support those same initiatives? When you see the colonels, when you see the admirals, when you see people like me, and you see these are the true stars. Now, I’m trying to flip it a little bit to say that, No, you are the star. You are the one that’s having the ultimate sacrifice. We are the star that has the marketing, but what about the true stars that are keeping us free?
MCB: What I want to ask you first is what made you want to partner with Crown Royal?
DW: I think the word that comes to mind is purpose. They are a purpose-driven company, and they’re doing something bigger than themselves. They’re using all of their assets for our protection because when you think about the protection of our freedom, they’re putting our servicemen and women on a high pedestal and saying that you guys are worth it. And that’s near and dear to me. And so that’s why I teamed up with them and have teamed up with them for so many years, because they are helping out and letting our servicemen and women, our military, but also in the community too, letting everybody know how important they are through the Purple Bag Project.
MCB: What advice would you give the current Cowboys squad about staying consistent through the season?
DW: I would say consistency starts inside of the locker room and it starts with your image of what you see every day. When you’re going through hard times, where do you see yourself? Because there’s going to be some hard times this season and, like now, maybe you’re winning or not winning the games that you think you should. Can you keep your composure? Can you keep the image of who you are in the locker room and not what everybody else is saying? In the locker room of who you are to win football games and knowing that if you, as a team, are giving 100% of what you have to give, that’s what you’ve got and can you own that? That might be a win, that might be an L. But can you hold it the whole season and really watch and see what happens from a team standpoint? I feel like they can win a lot of football games if they just shut out the media on what they think they are and own who you in the image of what you are, no matter what goes on in any situation.
Check out the full interview.
PHOTO CREDIT: Rick Kern // Getty Images for Crown Royal
