Sports in Houston

Houston, Texas has a rich sporting culture and the area residents are active in many spectator and participant sports. Spectators attend events including teams from many of the Major U.S. Professional Sports League and collegiate sports. Participants enjoy activities from running in Memorial Park to sailing on Galveston Bay and Clear Lake.

Major league sports

Houston has teams in nearly every major professional sport, including the Houston Astros (MLB), Houston Texans (NFL), Houston Rockets (NBA), Houston Dynamo (MLS), Houston Aeros (AHL), and Houston Takers (ABA).

Minute Maid Park (home of the Astros) and Toyota Center (home of the Rockets and Aeros) are located in downtown—contributing to an urban renaissance that has transformed Houston's center into a day-and-night destination. Also, the city has the first domed stadium in the United States and also holds the NFL's first retractable roof stadium—Reliant Stadium. Other sports facilities in Houston are Hofheinz Pavilion, Reliant Astrodome, Robertson Stadium, and Rice Stadium.

On October 19, 2005, the Astros advanced to the World Series for the first time in the team's history, subsequently losing to the Chicago White Sox. In 2006, the Dynamo won the MLS Cup in their first year after moving from San Jose, California and in 2007 became the first MLS franchise since 1997 to repeat a championship. The Aeros have won four championships: in the WHA (1973, 1974), the IHL (1999), and the AHL (2003). The Rockets won back-to-back NBA titles in 1994 and 1995. The city's former professional football team, the Houston Oilers, also provided the city with 2 AFL championships in 1960 and 1961, before the merger with the NFL.^[1]

Minor league sports

College sports

Four Division I college athletic programs play within the city of Houston, and a fifth is located in the metropolitan area.

Annual events

Houston hosts annual sporting events such as the PGA Tour's Shell Houston Open, the college football Texas Bowl, and college baseball Houston College Classic. The final official event of the LPGA golf season, the LPGA Tour Championship, was held in Houston in 2009, but moved to Orlando, Florida in 2010. Since 1971, Houston's two NCAA Division I FBS football teams, the Rice Owls and Houston Cougars have faced off in the annual Bayou Bucket. From 1998 to 2001, the old CART auto racing series held a yearly round, the Grand Prix of Houston, on downtown streets. After a five-year hiatus, CART's successor series, Champ Car, revived the race for 2006 and 2007 on the streets surrounding the Reliant Park complex. However, the race was discontinued again in 2008, following Champ Car's merger with the rival Indy Racing League (IRL).

Other major events

Houston has hosted recent, major sporting events, including the 2004 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Super Bowl VIII, Super Bowl XXXVIII, the 2005 World Series, the 2005 Big 12 Conference football championship game, the 2006 NBA All-Star Game, the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships from 2001–2006, and the Tennis Masters Cup in 2003 and 2004.

References