The fact that you thought Dallas had a team since the 60's, and didn't realize the Stars were from Minnesota (where they should have never left), indicates that you're not really qualified to give an opinion on this subject.
Houston is easily a large enough market to have all 4 franchises. If you believe otherwise, you're either biased or naïve.
Of course they are. If they're all good. The hockey team would struggle here in the down years. Only team that won't is the Texans.
If you believe the city can't support 4 teams unless they're good all/most of the time, then you're making my point about Houston being subpar sports-wise. There's simply too many resources here for that to be a justified reality.
Who is arguing that Houston "isn't" a front-running sports town? They'll support the hell out of you when things are going good... they won't when things flounder... and they'll disappear when things are god-awful. The whole point of this thread is that the Astros are "good", thus why isn't Houston selling out MMP every night? And everybody has pretty much given ample explanation of why, and reasons as to not get all panty-waded over it. Houston will support a winning hockey team... but will struggle to support a losing one (much like the other front-running sun-belt cities).
Front-running and subpar aren't necessarily interchangeable. You're the one arguing the city is a front-runner... I'm saying Houston is straight-up a "subpar" sports town. And it's not necessarily the fans fault only. Don't blame the messenger. Glad the attendance was better tonight.... I swear!!
Are you from Houston? Have you lived elsewhere in your lifetime? Houston is as front-running as they come... and while that's not necessarily a "good" thing, the level of support they provide a "winning" team often exceeds what most other front-running cities tend to offer (Dallas/Arlington being first/foremost among them), and most definitely meets what any long-established "great" sports city gives its winning teams. They've actually become even more football crazy with time... with that sport being one that they don't even need a winning team to support in droves. And truly, at heart, EVERY sports city is a front-running city... its just that some of the "best" sports towns happen to have teams that are consistently good (Boston, Chicago). Its also been pretty easy to get Lakers/Knicks tickets now vs. when they're good.
Get it through your thick skull... I'm not arguing whether Houston is front-running or not. Attempting to prove that point means nothing in this conversation. I'm saying the city is straight-up a subpar sports city. Doesn't mean I'm going to disown the city's teams and cheer for somebody else. It only means I think Houston could/should do better. Numbers can prove that particular "thought" is more factual than just a mere opinion.
Saying Houston is sub-par is pretty pointless remark because at this point, given that die hard fans are less and less as alternative entertainments are becoming increasingly available. Is Houston on the level of Boston or NY or Chicago? No. But they’re not any worse than any other random city with sports teams. Miami? Dallas? LA? As if any of these fans care about their teams when they’re not winning. Honestly you can’t get more generic a sports city than Houston. But it will always be better than average city because of the high population.
It's not pointless.... you just don't like hearing. However, it is pointless to blame increased alternative entertainment when 10 years ago, when said entertainment was less available, Houston was still subpar.
Of the cities with similar population... Washington or Dallas. Really, Texas is lacking. The amount of people here vs number of pro teams isn't good. California 39,000,000 pop 15 teams 1 team/2.6 million Florida 20,000,000 population 9 teams 1 team/2.22 million New York 20,000,000 population 8 teams... not even counting the Devils (who wouldn't exist without NYC) 1 team/2.5 million Texas 27,000,000 population 8 teams 1 team/3.38 million I could go on..... IL, OH, PA all do better than Texas And Texas has far more money than all those places!!! It sucks looking at the MLB scoreboard and seeing Cali with all those games, then seeing Texas with a puny 2 matchups.
How so? The Astros goal was to build a team that can compete for years, not just a small window. I think we absolutely accomplished that. Not many people expected us to compete this year, and we will only improve going into the next seasons. The Astros could be contenders for a long time, which is really exciting.
Haven't the Texans sold out like 100 consecutive games? And it's not like Houston sports have been very kind to H-Town fans over the last decade or so. I think Houston just wants teams to be competitive and then the city will get behind them. If any Houston team is going deep into the playoffs, I have no doubts the hype will be real. Speaking of, I can't think of a time recently where Houston sports have looked better. Rockets will contend for at least a few more years, Astros look to be in great shape for a while, and the Texans are on the up trend. Plus we have so many big name, marketable players (JJ Watt, Foster, the Beard, D12, Altuve/ Springer/Keuchel/Correa). Compare that to a few years ago, when the Rockets seemed doomed to mediocrity, the Texans were similar for the most part apart from two good seasons, and the Astros were horrendous. Who were the big name Houston athletes around that time? Andre Johnson (who was most known for how unfortunate it was for such a great player to waste away on a bad team) and... Berkman? Pence? It's pretty awesome how far all our teams have come, and how bright the future looks. Now its time to bring NHL to Houston!
I consider both those cities to be every bit as front-runnerish as Houston. The same "sub-par" qualities you see as a sports town here exists in those places too, and frankly at their best, I'll take Houston over either of them. (DC will always be second fiddle to Baltimore amongst baseball fans there... And there are several converted ravens fans who once were redskin fans. Pretty weak). I also have no clue what point you were trying to make with your population listings and bold typing. Seemed like you put a lot of effort into it though...
