Most people can recognize the state of Texas for its solid and committed sports enthusiasts. It is the second-most populous state in the United States, and it is home to various national sports league teams and other professional sports.
Football, soccer, basketball, baseball, ice hockey, IndyCar, Formula One, and Nascar are just a few of the sports that Texans enjoy. The state is home to 10 major league sports teams and holds the United States and international most significant motorsports events.
As mentioned above, here are the popular sports in Texas.
Football
Football is the most prominent sport in Texas and the rest of the South. It’s also one of America’s most popular sports in general. Many Texans are devoted to American football and closely follow their high school and college teams, leading social and recreational activities.
The Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans are two NFL franchises based in Texas. The Dallas Cowboys are among the most successful teams in the National Football League, having won five Super Bowls and reaching the Super Bowl eight times. It has earned them the nickname “America’s Team” and admirers from throughout the country. It’s worth mentioning that many people who aren’t familiar with football or American sports nevertheless hold a favorable opinion about the Dallas Cowboys.
Basketball
Basketball is also very famous in Texas, and the Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, and San Antonio Spurs are three NBA teams of the state. These three have won championships, but the Spurs, who have won at least 50 games in the last 18 seasons and five NBA titles, are undoubtedly the best professional sports team in Texas and one of the best NBA teams in history. The Houston Rockets, on the other hand, made history as the first team from Texas to win the NBA finals.
The Texas Legends, Austin Spurs, and Rio Grande Valley Vipers are also three G League teams based in Texas. Texas is also home to the WNBA’s Dallas Wings, an essential component of the area’s booming sports industry.
The state is also home to Texas Western Miners (currently UTEP Miners) team, who triumphed in NCAA University Division Basketball Tournament in 1966. It also has the Baylor Bears, who also won the 2021 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament. The Texas Tech Lady Raiders, Texas Longhorns, Texas A&M Aggies, and Baylor Lady Bears have all won championships in women’s collegiate basketball.
Baseball
Baseball is a well-known sport in Texas, second only to football. Texas has a strong baseball presence, with two Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises, the Houston Astros and the Texas Rangers, debuting in 1962 and 1972, respectively.
Texas boasts one of the most renowned baseball teams in the South, having fans from within and outside the state. The Houston Astros are among the most prominent sports teams in Texas right now. In 2017, the Astros became the first Texan team to win a World Series.
Texas’ baseball teams’ reputation might change depending on how successful they have been in prior years. The Astros have been a strong team in the Major League and the American League for several years.
Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is also quite popular in Texas, particularly in the smaller cities. The El Paso Chihuahuas, Sugar Land Skeeters, and Round Rock Express are the three teams playing in Triple-A West, the ultimate successor to the Triple-A Pacific Coast League, as of the 2021 reorganization of MiLB.
Ice Hockey
Ice hockey isn’t a sport that many people think of when they think of Texas. However, it has gained its reputation since the Minnesota North Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL) relocated to Texas in the early 1990s, becoming the Dallas Stars in 1993.
The Stars qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs in their first season in Dallas and remained formidable for the rest of the decade, winning the Stanley Cup in 1999. Texas was given a franchise in the International Hockey League one year after the Stars transferred to Dallas, but the league folded in 2001 caused by financial concerns.
The Houston Aeros, who competed in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1973 to 1978, were the leading professional ice hockey team in Texas before the Stars’ arrival. The franchise was renowned for having Gordie Howe, a hockey icon who was enticed out of retirement by the chance of playing together with his sons, Mark and Marty.
Between the 1992 and 2014 seasons, Texas was home to 15 various minor league ice hockey teams competing in the Central Hockey League.
Horse Racing
From 1905 through 1915, tens of thousands of people flocked to Dallas and Fort Worth to see horse racing, frequently linked to the state fair calendar. Early on, Dallas created a Jockey Club. When it first opened in 1905, the Fort Worth Driving Club, exclusive for owners of Standardbred trotters and pacers, had 101 members. Trotters competed in a park in Fort Worth, but each kind of racing drew thousands of spectators in both towns.
In 2004, the Breeders’ Cup, the pinnacle of the American Thoroughbred racing season, was held at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, a Dallas–Fort Worth suburb.