Around the world, everyone knows that everything’s bigger in Texas. This is so well known that it’s written on bumper stickers, mugs and even t-shirts. The Texas State Capitol is 14 feet taller than the United States Capitol in Washington DC. Dallas/Fort Worth Airport is larger in area than Manhattan in New York. The state of Texas itself is actually nearly as big as Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Czechia, half of France, and half of Italy combined.
Another thing that is bigger in Texas is sport. Texans love their sport, no matter what it is: football, basketball, soccer, ice hockey, baseball, Nascar, IndyCar, and Formula One, Texas has it all. The state is home to ten sports teams in the major leagues, and hosts rounds of US and international top flight motorsports. For fans of these sports looking to add to the excitement, they are able to place bets on games from anywhere with mobile apps from companies like Fox Bet.
Formula One
Formula One has had a troubled history in the United States. The 2005 US Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was a disaster, with just six cars competing as the rest of the grid were not allowed to race due to risks that their tires may explode on the banked turn. Shortly after this incident, the sport took a break from the US but returned in 2012 with the first race at the Circuit of the Americas. Doing things differently, the top three drivers wore cowboy hats instead of baseball caps on the podium and a lot of Texas style entertainment was provided to fans over the weekend. The new US Grand Prix was well received and is now a favourite amongst fans around the world
Photo by Alexander Londono, License
Football
Texans love football. It doesn’t matter if it’s NFL, college football, high school level, or just a friendly game organised amongst friends in the park, Texans live and breathe the sport. Texas is home to two NFL teams; only Florida and California have more. Texas’ first major sports team was an NFL team, although it was unable to survive financially and it folded after one year. The Dallas Cowboys are one of the most successful teams in the NFL, having reached the Super Bowl on eight occasions and won on 5. This has earned them fans from right across the United States and the nickname of “America’s Team”.
Baseball
Closely behind football, baseball is another popular sport in Texas. The state has two teams in Major League Baseball, namely the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers, debuting in 1962 and 1972 respectively. Success came late for these teams though, both only reaching the World Series for the first time in 2010, with the Astros becoming the first Texan team to win in 2017. Minor league and college level baseball are also popular amongst Texans with seven minor league teams across the state.
Ice Hockey
Ice hockey is perhaps not a sport that many would associate with Texas. However it has grown in popularity since the early 1990s when the NHL team, the Minnesota North Stars, moved to Texas to become the Dallas Stars. The team made the Stanley Cup playoffs during their inaugural season in Texas and finally won the cup in 1999. One year after the Stars moved to Dallas, Texas was also granted a franchise in the International Hockey League but the league collapsed in 2001 due to financial issues. Texas was home to 15 different minor league ice hockey teams, all playing in the Central Hockey League between the 1992 and 2014 seasons. However, only the Allen Americans continue to play today having joined the East Coast Hockey League in 2014.
Everything is bigger in Texas, and the state’s love of sport is certainly huge. With 10 major league teams and rounds of major national and international motorsport championships, Texans are spoilt for choice when it comes to deciding what sports to follow. No matter what your favourite is, Texas has you covered from football to basketball, hockey to baseball and Nascar to Formula One: it’s all bigger in Texas.