Houston fans more crazy about the Astros than the Rockets?

Actually I think if the Astros weren't in the play off chase/ if it's just a regular season game, you get the same type of fan support. We are playing in the NLCS right now, if the Rockets get to Western Conference finals, you'll hear the same thing.

 

Baseball only allows 8 teams into the playoffs, period. When the Astros are one of those eight, it's already as if the Rockets were in the second round. When the Astros are in the second round as they are now, it's as if the Rockets were in the Conference Finals. When the Rockets start getting to the WCF 2 years in a row, their fans will begin to gain the notoriety of the Astros. Both stadiums are extraordinarily accoustically inclined, and both are capable of gaining that edge over fans in the stadiums of their opponents.

But yeah, Arco Arena is renowned for its loudness - not because their fans are crazy in general; but because they're crazy in the playoffs, in particular. Had the Kings not been deep into the playoffs all of these times, the same would not be said, guaranteed.

 

Dude, Houston media is all about the Astros. The coverage difference between the Astros and the Rox is night and day. Even the pitiful Texans get 10 times the attention. Sometimes I wonder if Houstonians turn on the TV and they realize there's a pro bball team in town

 

In Houston people prefer baseball to basketball. That has a lot to do with the physical make-up of our city (we have a more spread-out suburban population so more people have the chance to play baseball) as well as Texas's greater overall focus on football/baseball over basketball. But, hey, it was pretty intense in the TC at game 6 last year. I'll be there screaming even if no one else is.

 

Football will always be big in Texas no matter what. But baseball, go back to the mid 90's and compare the Astro's and Rockets coverage in their respective seasons. The Astro's are in the NLCS, Rockets are in the Preseason. If the Rockets get to he WC finals, do you think spring training would get that much covereage?

 

You know, it's interesting that you brought this up. Before the Astros clinched a playoff berth I almost made a thread on this board asking if any of you guys were actually rooting against the Astros making it into the post season.

My thinking is that if the Astros weren't in the playoffs right now, the Rockets would be getting WAY more attention and the city would be able to build the excitement in time for the regular season opener. However, now that the Astros are in the playoffs and doing well, it's possible that their season runs right up on the beginning of the Rockets season. Even if the Astros lost the next 3 games to the Cards and got knocked out, the city will still be focused on them for at least a week after which is pretty much when the Rockets would start up.

Maybe I just don't really give a crap about the Astros, but I think it's about damn time people started recognizing the work that Les Alexander and Carrol Dawson have put into turning this team around not only for themselves but for the city of Houston.

I just get this feeling that the city is going to take a wait and see approach and not get behind the Rockets until they are like 40-13 at the All Star Break and then everyone is going to jump on the bandwagon and act like they were there from the get go. The buzz needs to spread early so we can support our team 100%. I guarantee that there are still people that bought playoff tickets last year that don't even know we have Stromile Swift. I'm just sick of the way this city supports the Rockets and the Astros certainly don't help! Actually in the long run it might help but only if they win the World Series, because then the city will be foaming at the mouth at the opportunity to take home 2 major sports championships in one year.

Oh, and I didn't mention the Texans for obvious reasons.

 

It's economics folks... The upper bowl in the TC is loud and enthusiastic. Of course the most expensive seat in the upper bowl is $40. For that same coin, in MM, your sitting behind the dugout. Thus, it's much easier for the average fan to afford a baseball game as opposed to a basketball game. The majority of the lower bowl of the TC is filled with corporate types, who generally are not the most rabid fans. Generally, they are always the last to arrive and the earliest to leave regardless of the opponent or score.

 

. .of course they do

why?
I have my suspicions

Rocket River

 

Hello!

Playoff vs. Preseason

 

Last night's San Antonio crowd was more involved than any regular season game's Houston crowd

 

I really question some of you guy's sports IQ when you wonder whether or not the Astros should be getting more attention right now than the Rockets.

You also have to understand that a lot of people are HOUSTON fans first, Astros/Texans/Rockets fans second... thus, they're going to support whichever team is currently in the position to WIN.

The Rockets are not in that position right now... because its the PRE-SEASON. Last year, in the Mavs series, there was still some "novelty" to the current team because they really didn't start playing well till after the all-star break, and there were a ton of changes that a lot of fans never got accustomed to.

I compared the Rockets' season last year to the 92-93 one they had... it set the foundation for the championship years. The Rockets didn't draw very well at the start of 93-94, even with the 15-0 start... but as the season went on, Hakeem ran away with the MVP, they were a #1 or #2 team all season, and the fan support came in the playoffs (minus that one Suns game, which we won't talk about...)

The same thing will happen this year... trust me, there's enough sports intrest in this city in all sports to have the love go all around. Just calm down and enjoy the rest of the pre-season if you don't like baseball... that's about all you can do right now.

 

Well actually, Arco has ALWAYS been one of the loudest arenas in the NBA, even when the Kings were in the lottery every season, pre-Webber and Divac. I'm talking Mitch Richmond days. It's because the Kings are Sacramento's only major sports franchise.

Houston will always be a football town, with the baseball or basketball team a distant second, depending on which team is playing better.

 

I don't know if this was directed toward me at all but I just wanted to clarify that I don't wonder why the Astros get more attention in the post season than the Rockets do in the preseason. I just want the Astros to go away so that the city can focus on supporting the Rockets

 

I wasn't directing anything at anybody in particular... but this last comment that you just made is particularly disturbing.

I don't know of anybody in any city with multiple sports teams that would actually root against one team because they felt it would take attention away from another... frankly, it doesn't work that way.

In Houston, especially, having one team having a good sports year could actually BENEFIT another team by simply getting those competitive sports juices flowing. This city demands/craves the playoff atmosphere to get into these games... and a lot of the people dropping the $$$ going to these Astros games will also drop the $$$ to go to the Rockets games as well (myself included).

Cities like San Antonio and Sacramento may seem more "loyal" to their b-ball teams... but the truth is there really isn't anything going on there (sportswise) the rest of the year. Frankly, that's BORING (and it looks like hick-ville from a national perspective)... and I'm glad I don't live in either of those cities, regardless of their NBA fanaticism.

 

I have an issue with Toyota center too... that high ceiling makes it really difficult to get loud even if the crowd wanted to. MM park, the ceiling is flat - so the sound stays contained

..just a thought

 

The current administration runnning the Astros make it a point to keep players in the organization beyond the end of their careers, and bring Houstonians /Texans home. The current Rockets administration prefer former Knicks, and show guys who have dedicated their entire careers to the organization the door.

 

I think the fans sitting on their hands is more of a reason for the lack of noise... not the architectural integrity of TC.

Also, those panels on the roof of TC are designed to reflect the sound... something MMP does not have.

 

The Astros have never won crap, but the Rockets are the only pro team that matters in Houston's history to win championships (two of them to be exact).

Moreover, Houston baseball fans are very much the 'fair-weather' types. I went to over 10 Astros games this season and EVERY single time (including against the Cards and other good teams) there were thousands of empty seats, and the seats didn't start to fill up more until the team started to turn things around a bit, and even then there were still thousands of empty seats in MMP.

I wouldn't worry about it. I think besides the Texans (they only play once a week), it's been hard to get Houston sports arenas/parks to sell out, unless there is something 'special' going on.

As of right now, the Rockets are only playing pre-season games, while the Astros are in the NLCS, so it's natural the AStros get a lot of media attention.