Me too. But I was talking in terms of what the city would choose. Option A would be undoubtedly a landslide victory, not even close.
Given 500 records, the Texans will sell out all games, the Rockets will sell out most home games, and the Astros will sell out home games against Yankees and Cubs.
We'd sitll be in the NL if we were an Astros town. The rest of the franchises had too much history and fan loyalty. Bud Adams setting the wheels in motion right in the middle of the championship run and then leaving while they were still conference competitive and starting 3 hall of famers every night, along with U of H finally bottoming out at the millennium, made the Rockets the only thing to cheer about for a while.
LOL the rockets would not sell out most home games if they were .500. The year they went 65-17, they still didnt sell out their home games. I love hearing from the zealous baseball haters that think baseball is dying. Baseball is well and alive.
A random article I found. For many months now, we’ve been talking about the NFL as a sport in trouble: falling TV ratings, polarizing protests, Donald Trump’s nasty political diatribes, the terrible effects of concussions — in other words, nothing but controversy. It turns out we’ve been focusing on the wrong sport. The NFL certainly has its issues, but Major League Baseball is the one that’s truly suffering. Attendance is dropping, TV ratings are adequate but nowhere near the NFL’s, the games are too long and extend too late into the evening and kids aren’t growing up to be baseball fans as they were a generation or two ago. There’s no better example of baseball’s problems than what happened Monday night. Going head to head with a midseason NFL game, MLB gave it its best shot: Game 3 of the series to end all series, the Boston Red Sox-New York Yankees American League Division Series from Yankee Stadium, tied at one game apiece. The NFL offered Washington at New Orleans, with the added enticement of record-setting Saints quarterback Drew Brees. While that was intriguing, it had nowhere near the importance of the Red Sox-Yankees game. So, the comparative ratings? The baseball game, which turned into a 16-1 Boston rout, attracted 4.41 million viewers. The football game, also a blowout, a 43-19 Saints victory notable for Brees’ all-time NFL passing yards record and nothing else, averaged 10.6 million viewers. There is plenty more to read than that if you want. Baseball may not be dying but something is happening.
How does this compare to $1 beers before playoff games ? B No way am I ignoring 240 games and year-round games for 16 and 4-5 months
It doesn't matter. The Texans are undeservedly the number one followed team in Houston by s wide margin. Undeservedly because they have been by far the worst franchise of the three major teams by a wide margin.
They are also the YOUNGEST....BY FAR. It took the Rockets 12 years to reach a Finals (including San Diego).....26 years to win a Championship. Astros 43 years to reach a WS, 56 years to win one. Texans are 17 years old.
Not just talking about selling tickets... a lot more people live in Houston now, as well as within the loop/downtown area, than they did 20 years ago. More and more businesses in newer high-rise buildings too. Its not hard to sell out Rockets games (or any sports game) as it once was. I'm talking more about how much of a buzz or passion the Rockets have on this city. I measure that based on how hard it is to get a ticket for a playoff game (not hard at all), or even in its antiquated state, what people are talking about on sports radio. They certainly had attendance issues in the 90's.... but from about 1996-2000, they sold out every single game, and it wasn't easy to get spare tickets. Their attendance was low because the arena only held over 16,000 at max capacity. It also coincided with the death of the Oilers, and pre-MMP, so the stars aligned for them to own the city. I agree, things have changed/turned now. The Astros have that same buzz, and have had it since the playoffs of 2015. They also had a very strong buzz from 2000-2008, so those only saying its because the team won the WS are way off.
Weren't the Rockets minority partners in the TV deal with the Astros? Nation-wide, TV/radio deals for baseball teams are larger... due to more games played. Baseball also tends to be mostly a LOCAL sport, with local fans not really watching other team's games... as opposed to the NBA where its more of a star-watching sport (which would account for twitter or BBS discrepancies). Franchise valuation has more to do with the league's TV deals and finances of all teams. The Astros own the sports pulse of this city, minus 8-10 Sundays in the fall (where every major city is owned by their NFL team vs. any other team).
Demographics and finances play into this. Sure the Rockets sell out, but to whom? Who buys the lower bowl? How many decent/good affordable tickets can the average 2-4 fans (families?) buy? How far in the upper deck? Stros play in the Summer, larger stadium, more affordable tickets, I would imagine that the corporates buy the same amount of seats/suites/whatever for both teams, but one of those teams leaves a bunch of room for everybody else.
Partly. Every NBA city has the corporate fan base issue. But there are some truly passionate NBA cities out there that run circles around what Houston fans generate for the Rockets, despite the Rockets having a team that has had real success the last 3 years. Its not just nostalgia talking... the 90's Rockets owned this city. Up till and even including the Pippen year. Every single game was must-watch, and they dominated the sports conversations day-in/day-out. The late 90's Astros cut into it some... obviously the Oilers leaving left a void... but the Astros moving into a new ballpark, and selling 3 million tickets, did set off a wave of "new" baseball fans at a time when the Rockets weren't very good. When all teams are at their peak... I still see the Rockets not generating as much passionate support as the other two.
I get you. Personally I loved how it went Oilers...ROCKETS...Astros from the early 90's onward. How do you factor in a hometown hero like Hakeem? There was, from the early 80's to the mid/late 90's: HAKEEM. He was a god in this town, everyone loved him, everyone watched him. Then there was Drexler...then there was Barkley...that was good stuff for the fans.
I think if the Rockets get that sort of generational talent again... who has a strong connection to the city... and is lovable, then they can probably get close to some 90's passion (presuming they have a contender). The star players the Rockets have had since the glow years have all had some issues: Francis - not lovable, and ultimately game not really suited for that era. Yao - lovable, transcendent, but size then injury issues kept him from true MVP level domination T-mac - excellent when healthy, but not lovable. Nothing worse then questioning one's dedication/heart. Harden - excellent, dominant, but his personality and demeanor will keep some fans at a distance. He's liked in Houston... just not anywhere else. As annoying as the Warriors run was... having league heart-throb Stephen Curry there accentuated the love affair 100-fold. M Even though the league has enormous talent everywhere... there is an image issue with certain stars that keeps fans from consuming the NBA at its highest level.
People can hate me, but the Francis years were the worst I can think of, and I LOVED Mobley. Yao got everyone energized, then TMac, but damn, health issues. I still love JVG, he's about the only national announcer I like to listen to. Somebody asked earlier which 2 teams you would keep if the other just went away? Don't hate me, but the NBA lost me in the playoffs, so I'll take baseball and football in no particular order, especially if you include college FB, and March Madness is more fun than the NBA Playoffs. Yep, I said it.
You're not far off in markets that have all the three major sports, plus a strong local college team. Even the Bay Area, as hot as they are for the Warriors right now... the 49ers and Giants were already granted royalty/HOF/lifte-time achievement award status' before Steph Curry could wipe his ass. In the end, these teams should be like your kids. Nobody is really going to get rid of one of them... you love them all... but there are certainly times where you're a tad more attached to one of them vs. the other.
"hello mr. dagger"..."well hello sir". "I'm Clay Walker." "great, who's that?" [security ushers mr dagger out of the stadium]
