I spent four years in Texas attending UT. During that time, I witnessed a strong rivalry between Houston natives and Dallas natives. Some of the greatest rivalries between two cities, organizations, or teams have years of history battling on the field and off with their fans. Ones that immediately come to mind are Boston Red Sox versus the Yankees, or Texas Longhorns versus the Oklahoma Sooners. It always makes me laugh when teams like the Mets think they have some kind of rivalry with the Yankees or that the Texas Longhorns really care about Texas A&M (which we don’t, and only feel embarrassed when we lose to them).
But Houston and Dallas? Here are two cities that only share one division in the four major sports. They have never really been at their peak in the same decade in the same sport ever. For the longest time, the Dallas Mavericks were just the joke of the league, in the same way the Nets are now. And let's face it, the Astros and Rangers basically have the same history of never being relevant for long periods of time in the MLB, and barely have any memorable competition against one another. Houston has no hockey team, and the NFL comparison right now is pretty one-sided. As much as I grew up hating the Dallas Cowgirls, I can’t deny that they have had great success under the flashy Jerry Jones. Houston is still recovering from losing their Oilers to Tennessee, but there's hope that the young talent on both sides of the ball can finally get them into the playoffs this year. There better not be a lockout because I can’t wait to see what Andre Johnson will do next (who I still think is the best WR hands down in the NFL).
So now we have Dallas in the NBA finals once again against the most talented and hated team in the entire league. Yet Rocket fans around the world have created their own Dallas hater wagon, looking to their 2006 hero Dwayne Wade to once again keep the Mavericks from a championship.
I was always puzzled by this, but I realized it’s the same way Met fans will root for the Red Sox just because they don't want the Yankees to win. Or the way the Minnesota ViQueens cheer on the Bears to beat the Packers. But Yankee fans could care less if the Mets win because they know they are not in the same league when it comes to historic greatness. What I don't understand is that the Rockets are clearly overall the better franchise over the Mavs. So why are Houston fans so threatened by a single title by the Dallas Mavericks? Maybe the 2005 playoffs when Houston took the first two games in Dallas but lost the series still hurts, but honestly who cares since the Mavs failed to even make the finals that year. What it boils down to is that Houston cannot afford to lose their one trump card. With the Cowboys far superior than the Texans, the only defense to the Dallas fan trash talking is a retort that the Mavs have never won a title. So although I hate the Heat and wish the rest of the world would join me, Houston fans, I understand. And as a Chinese American, I hope one day Yao can bring the Rockets another title.
But Houston and Dallas? Here are two cities that only share one division in the four major sports. They have never really been at their peak in the same decade in the same sport ever. For the longest time, the Dallas Mavericks were just the joke of the league, in the same way the Nets are now. And let's face it, the Astros and Rangers basically have the same history of never being relevant for long periods of time in the MLB, and barely have any memorable competition against one another. Houston has no hockey team, and the NFL comparison right now is pretty one-sided. As much as I grew up hating the Dallas Cowgirls, I can’t deny that they have had great success under the flashy Jerry Jones. Houston is still recovering from losing their Oilers to Tennessee, but there's hope that the young talent on both sides of the ball can finally get them into the playoffs this year. There better not be a lockout because I can’t wait to see what Andre Johnson will do next (who I still think is the best WR hands down in the NFL).So now we have Dallas in the NBA finals once again against the most talented and hated team in the entire league. Yet Rocket fans around the world have created their own Dallas hater wagon, looking to their 2006 hero Dwayne Wade to once again keep the Mavericks from a championship.
I was always puzzled by this, but I realized it’s the same way Met fans will root for the Red Sox just because they don't want the Yankees to win. Or the way the Minnesota ViQueens cheer on the Bears to beat the Packers. But Yankee fans could care less if the Mets win because they know they are not in the same league when it comes to historic greatness. What I don't understand is that the Rockets are clearly overall the better franchise over the Mavs. So why are Houston fans so threatened by a single title by the Dallas Mavericks? Maybe the 2005 playoffs when Houston took the first two games in Dallas but lost the series still hurts, but honestly who cares since the Mavs failed to even make the finals that year. What it boils down to is that Houston cannot afford to lose their one trump card. With the Cowboys far superior than the Texans, the only defense to the Dallas fan trash talking is a retort that the Mavs have never won a title. So although I hate the Heat and wish the rest of the world would join me, Houston fans, I understand. And as a Chinese American, I hope one day Yao can bring the Rockets another title.
4 comments:
your view comes from a very biased standpoint simply because your sources or the people you talk to hate dallas, and the things you see are the ones who are really really against Dallas. you'll see the comments on fb or twitter from angry houston fans and those are the ones you'll latch on to just because they say that they are. you're just like the media where they'll focus on the things that in order to get a story.
you're right in that there's been a lot of dallas-hate going on from houston people and its lame. i'll admit it. 2005 hurt a lot, but come on, that was over 6 years ago. if anything, we should be pissed at our own roster for not even bothering to show up for the game. a 40 point blowout is unacceptable in all sports, especially in an elimination game 7.
for those of us who are true SPORTS fan, we recognize the achievements that Dirk has accomplished and we acknowledge his talent and that he in fact does deserve a championship. dont get me wrong, i do not LOVE the dallas mavericks. but i also do not HATE them either. i love seeing talent and those who are team players. i love watching dirk destroy whoever is guarding him in the 4th quarter. he has proven that once again, no one on miami can even touch him. i love jason kidd making an incredible block on someone bigger than him then running down court and making a 30 foot alley-oop pass. i love the fact that dirk was willing to take less money to STAY in dallas, loyalty goes a long way and Dallas recognizes that about dirk.
dont compare us to the yankees, redsocks, packers or bears. nothing about houston sports can compare with those teams. what houston does have is 2 championships in the 90's which is over 15 years ago and we haven't been close since. is it too much to ask for us to hold on to our 1 thing that defined houston as a great sports city? even then the argument lies that houston only won because jordan was "Retired" which means that our championships were only a fluke. there's no point in arguing that since olajuwon and jordan are both retired and well over their prime.
the texans will probably never achieve the same greatness as 6 superbowl championships like the cowboys, although we did much better than the cowboys did last season. the rockets are looking like a 7th seed playoff team AT BEST for the next few years, the astros are still rebuilding, and our WNBA team doesnt even exist anymore. (but who watches the WNBA anyway....)in all honesty, houston sports just dont have a lot going for them...but houstonians love their sports teams, and will cheer them on like any other city. but with 2.1 million people in the city...there's really not enough people who care about sports or dallas for that matter, it's all just marketing and advertisement, and it worked, it reached those rocket fans who love the rockets and hate the mavs...dallas has always been a far superior city when it comes to sports, i mean they even made an espn.com/dallas because they have the 4 major sports teams.
although your post is true to an extent, i feel as though you've misunderstood where we houstonians come from. not all of us hate dallas, the ones you've run into are probably the bigger advocates though
now to turn my hate to the Spurs.........jk, but not really... =]
Thanks for the comment Jeremy its great to hear a new point of view, I have to admit Houston fans are very loyal to their teams even when times are hard.
And I have to say I wish Jordan made it past the Magic in 1995 so we could have seen the Dream verse Air Jordan, but I have a feeling the Rockets would still have won.
I feel like most Houston people don't hate Dallas or the Mavericks in this case. I mostly hear that they hate the fans, which leads to them rooting for the Heat. I can't say that I like every Dallas fan either, but there have to be some Houston fans who are just as obnoxious and annoying.
Astro and Rangers will now be in the same division, future rivalry?
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