Winning sports towns; Boston, New York, Dallas, and more Losing sports towns, Chicago, Philadelphia, SAn Friscisco houston Why? Houston owners spend as much money as the best winning towns. We have new state of the art arenas. SWhy do we lose? Our basketball teams cant shoot. Our football team cannot rush the passer. The baseball team just sucks. I offer a reason. Those winning cities would run the Houston teams out of town. They just do not tolorate losers. I grew up in Kentucky where basketb all was king. On the day the basketball team won the SEC championship one year the newspaper was screaming fire the coAch cause he had lost too many games. My contention is we are too accepting of losers in this town. We fill the stadiums regardless if they win or lose. If we want a winner we have to demand a winner starting with the Astros. Wayne
You say NY is a winning sports town...how 'bout those Knicks? How many titles have the Mavs won in Dallas? How many playoff games have the Rangers won in their franchise history? The last time Dallas Cowboys were winning a ring was the last time the Houston Rockets were. Boston has historically been known as a loser's town...including the Curse of the Bambino. Chicago as a loser?? Hmmm..don't tell that to the 2005 WS Champ White Sox...or the 6 ringed Bulls San Fran's a loser? Yeah...the 49ers have more rings than every team in the league but Dallas...who you listed as a "winner." Now I'll flat out give you Philly. Aside from the 76ers many, many moons ago, that city has been consistently frustrated for about 30 years.
Dallas is a winning sports town? ...and didn't Chicago just win the World Series a few years ago...guess only the Cubs count.
I think you're overreacting because you're too close to the situation. Chicago Sucks? The White Sox won the WS in 2005. The Bulls have 6 titles. The Blackhawks have 3. The Bears have 9 and went to the Super Bowl in '06. All total, the city has 23 total championships. But maybe you meant recent success. Dallas winners? The Mavs have never won a championship. The Rangers haven't even made the playoffs since 1996. The last time the Cowboys won a championship was the same year the Rockets last won theirs. If, however, you want to count hockey, the Stars won the cup in '99.
OK, now I think a rating system in the hangout would be worthy, pls!? would have helped me in wasting those couple of minutes . . . DAMNIT!
Houston has been successful outside of the Texans(will change soon) Astros - WS and 04 Playoff success Rockets - No 1st round wins but 50+ games for 3 of past 4 years. Dynamo - Won the MLS cup twice I think Comets - 4 time WNBA champs right?
Reactionary sentiment such as this and the always classic "as long as the fans keep buying tickets, the owners will keep putting out bad products" are second only to my personal favorite "i've been a fan of this team since 1975 and this is the first year i will not renew my season tickets." Get a grip.
America's 10 Most Miserable Sports Cities 10. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn. Teams: Vikings (NFL), Twins (MLB), Timberwolves (NBA), Lakers (NBA), North Stars (NHL), Wild (NHL) Title round record: 8-8 (13th) Semifinal round record: 16-17 (17th) Total seasons/early playoff-round exits (or baseball 2nd place): 160/46 (19th) Total seasons/championships: 160/8 (10th) Years since last title: 17 (16th) Teams lost: 2 (Lakers, North Stars) Take away the powerhouse Minneapolis Lakers of 1947 to 1960, and the Twin Cities' record in final round play drops to 2-7. The Vikings lost four Super Bowls between 1969 and 1976, while hockey's North Stars and Wild have no Stanley Cups to show for 19 combined playoff appearances. 9. Philadelphia, Pa. Teams: Eagles (NFL), Phillies (MLB), Athletics (MLB), 76ers (NBA), Warriors (NBA), Flyers (NHL) Title round record: 14-18 (18th) Semifinal round record: 32-21 (11th) Total seasons/early playoff-round exits (or baseball 2nd place): 338/73 (12th) Total seasons/championships: 338/14 (12th) Years since last title: 25 (21st) Teams lost: 2 (Athletics, Warriors) The A's five World Series titles are the most championships by any team in Philly's history--and they left town in 1955. Just call the rest of the city's sports landscape "Bridesmaids 'R' Us." Since 1980, Philadelphia's four mainstays--the Eagles, Phillies, Flyers and Sixers, are a combined 1-for-10 in the finals. 8. Cleveland, Ohio Teams: Browns I (NFL), Browns II (NFL), Rams (NFL), Indians (MLB), Cavaliers (NBA), Barons (NHL) Title round record: 7-9 (17th) Semifinal round record: 16-9 (10th) Total seasons/early playoff-round exits (or baseball 2nd place): 212/40 (3rd) Total seasons/championships: 212/7 (16th) Years since last title: 44 (24th) Teams lost: 3 (Rams, Barons, original Browns) Browns owner Art Model broke many hearts by Lake Erie when he moved the club to Baltimore in 1996 for a sweetheart stadium deal. The expansion version that replaced the team hasn't given fans much to cheer about yet. Meanwhile, it's 60 years and counting since the Indians last World Series victory, including seven post-season stumbles since 1995. 7. Denver, Colo. Teams: Broncos (NFL-AFL), Rockies (MLB), Nuggets (NBA-ABA), Avalanche (NHL), Rockies (NHL) Title round record: 4-6 (20th) Semifinal round record: 10-11 (19th) Total seasons/early playoff-round exits (or baseball 2nd place): 113/31 (18th) Total seasons/championships: 113/4 (14th) Years since last title: 7 (9th) Teams lost: 1 (original Rockies - NHL) The Nuggets deprived the local faithful of the last American Basketball Association title in 1976, when they were upset by the New York Nets. The Broncos' four Super Bowl losses tie them with Buffalo and Minnesota for the most ever, though wins in their last two took away some of the sting. 6. Houston, Texas Teams: Texans (NFL), Oilers (NFL-AFL), Astros (MLB), Rockets (NBA) Title round record: 4-4 (12th) Semifinal round record: 5-8 (23rd) Total seasons/early playoff-round exits (or baseball 2nd place): 126/40 (21st) Total seasons/championships: 126/4 (18th) Years since last title: 13 (13th) Teams lost: 1 (Oilers) Losing the NFL's Oilers in 1996 was no doubt severe emotional blow to football-crazy Texas fans. Baseball's Astros are still looking for their first championship since their birth in 1962; they're batting 0-for-9 in the post-season. 5. San Diego, Calif. Teams: Chargers (NFL-AFL), Padres (MLB), Rockets (NBA), Clippers (NBA) Title round record: 1-7 (25th) Semifinal round record: 3-3 (12th) Total seasons/early playoff-round exits (or baseball 2nd place): 87/10 (1st) Total seasons/championships: 87/1 (23rd) Years since last title: 45 (25th) Teams lost: 2 (Rockets, Clippers) San Diego teams have actually fared pretty well during early rounds of post-season play, though the Chargers' 1963 American Football League crown was the only time the city took it all. Last season's late meltdown by the Padres stands alongside the Chargers' 1982 American Football Conference championship "ice bowl" loss to Cincinnati as the town's biggest disappointments. 4. Phoenix, Ariz. Teams: Cardinals (NFL), Diamondbacks (MLB), Suns (NBA), Coyotes (NHL) Title round record: 1-2 (21st) Semifinal round record: 3-7 (25th) Total seasons/early playoff-round exits (or baseball 2nd place): 82/28 (23rd) Total seasons/championships: 82/1 (22nd) Years since last title: 7 (8th) Teams lost: 0 The Suns have lost six times in the NBA's Western Conference finals, and twice in the NBA finals, without a ring. 3. Buffalo, N.Y. Teams: Bills (NFL-AFL), Braves (NBA), Sabres (NHL) Title round record: 2-6 (22nd) Semifinal round record: 6-6 (12th) Total seasons/early playoff-round exits (or baseball 2nd place): 83/33 (25th) Total seasons/championships: 84/2 (21st) Years since last title: 43 (23rd) Teams lost: 1 (Braves) Everyone knows about the Bills' four straight Super Bowl losses from 1991-94. But at least the team took two American Football League titles. The NHL's Sabres, meanwhile, are going on 38 seasons without a Stanley Cup, coming up empty in six final-four appearances. 2. Seattle, Wash. Teams: Seahawks (NFL) Mariners (MLB), Sonics (NBA) Title round record: 1-3 (23rd) Semifinal round record: 4-7 (24th) Total seasons/early playoff-round exits (or baseball 2nd place): 105/28 (16th) Total seasons/championships: 105/1 (25th) Years since last title: 29 (22nd) Teams lost: 0 (So far) Losing baseball's expansion Pilots in 1970 doesn't count--the deal to move to Milwaukee in season two was already in place. But if the NBA's Sonics depart for Oklahoma City, Seattle will inherit the top spot. 1. Atlanta, Ga. Teams: Falcons (NFL) Braves (MLB), Hawks (NBA), Thrashers (NHL) Flames (NHL) Title round record: 1-5 (24th) Semifinal round record: 6-9 (23rd) Total seasons/early playoff-round exits (or baseball 2nd place): 142/41 (20th) Total seasons/championships: 142/1 (25th) Years since last title: 13 (14th) Teams lost: 1 (Flames) Atlanta sports teams have just one championship to show for 15 final-four appearances. Its hockey and basketball teams have, combined, two conference-finals appearances in 57 combined seasons. http://www.forbes.com/2008/04/08/sp...0408sportsmisery_slide_2.html?thisSpeed=30000
I do not accept the idea that a fan is someone that defends, upholds supports a team no matter what happens. I guess that is a player. Im not a player. First of all im a taxpayer who helped build the sports stadiums. My point is simple. Houston deserves better. I think Houston wil get better when we insist on teams and players who are winners. The playoff Rockets last year were not winners. So they won 22 games in a row, big deal. They did not win 4 games in the playoffs. The Texans might someday be the winner we re looking for. The owner is great and the financial support seems to be there. To win at football you have to be a Jimmie Johnson type to whom winning is the botom line. The pathetic sight of grass growing under the feet of the opposing quarterback because somehow we do not have a pass rush is unacceptable. The principle of football is every second the opponent has the football is filled with pain and heartbreak. That is a winning team. Im not a fan. Im a partisan of Houston sports. I want them to win. Wayne
Noone made any claims of this strawman. The presumption that there is somehow a causal connection between the fans and a team's success is ludicrous at best.
