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The Legacy of Sports Teams in Texas

The Legacy of Sports Teams in Texas Texas stands as the country’s largest sporting powerhouse, where the legacy of athletic excellence is as diverse as the vast Texan landscape. From the gridiron gladiators of the NFL to the diamond heroes of MLB, the dynamic kicks of MLS, and the hardwood finesse of the NBA, Texas boasts a roster of teams that have etched their stories into the annals of American sports history. No other state has such a prominent culture of sports where fanaticism reaches as far as the high school level, yet Texas has managed to not only sustain the interest in sports, but grow it and expand it across many different genres over time.

NFL: Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans

With the NFL being America’s darling and Texas being the biggest state, Texas boasts two formidable contenders. Fittingly, The Dallas Cowboys, often hailed as “America’s Team,” have left an indelible mark since their inception in 1960. With a storied history that includes five Super Bowl victories, the Cowboys’ iconic star shines brightly in the NFL constellation.

A relative newcomer to the league, the Houston Texans, established in 2002, have quickly become a force to be reckoned with. While a Super Bowl title has eluded them and there have been some recent issues with quarterbacks, the team seems on the upswing with rookie QB CJ Stroud. According to Betting TX, this is likely the reason why their odds to win the Super Bowl has rapidly dropped over the last couple of weeks.

MLB: Houston Astros and Texas Rangers

The crack of the bat echoes through Texas, where Major League Baseball (MLB) holds a special place in the hearts of fans. The Houston Astros, founded in 1962, have seen their fair share of triumphs and tribulations. The Astros’ journey culminated in a historic World Series title in 2017, a crowning achievement that solidified their status in the MLB pantheon.

On the other side of the diamond, the Texas Rangers, established in 1972, have ridden the waves of baseball fortunes. Despite the absence of a championship, the Rangers have consistently been a force, with several playoff appearances capturing the imaginations of their devoted fan base.

MLS: FC Dallas and Houston Dynamo

Soccer, the world’s game, has found a fervent home in Texas through Major League Soccer (MLS). FC Dallas, founded in 1995, has been a standard-bearer for Texan soccer excellence. With a commitment to developing homegrown talent, FC Dallas has carved a niche in the MLS landscape.

Adding to the Texan soccer narrative is the Houston Dynamo, established in 2005. In a relatively short span, the Dynamo claimed back-to-back MLS Cup titles in their first two seasons, a testament to the franchise’s rapid ascent and the growing prominence of soccer in the state.

NBA: Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, and San Antonio Spurs

Basketball courts across Texas resonate with the dribble and swish of the NBA, where three teams have left an indelible mark. The Dallas Mavericks, founded in 1980, etched their name in NBA lore with a memorable championship victory in 2011, led by the legendary Dirk Nowitzki and has since become synonymous with Mark Cuban. Although Cuban just sold the franchise, the team saw a revitalization and became vastly more successful under his management.

The Houston Rockets, established in 1967, boast a legacy of high-flying moments, with two NBA championships in the mid-’90s and a commitment to excellence that keeps them in perennial contention.

Down in San Antonio, the Spurs stand as a paragon of consistency and success. Founded in 1967 as the Dallas Chaparrals and later moving to San Antonio in 1973, the Spurs have secured five NBA championships, with a distinctive brand of team-first basketball that has become their hallmark.


Honorable Mention: Longhorns, Aggies, Frogs

While most people tend to keep their eyes on sports teams that extend past college, we felt that an honorable mention was needed due to the culture of college sports in Texas. At the top of this list sits the Longhorns, who are perhaps the most historical franchise in Texas college sport history. Next, we have Aggies who have remained a perennial contender in both college football but have also been formidable in basketball as of late. Lastly, the TCU Frogs are easily the least recognizable out of the three and the dismal season the team has experienced in 2023 has not helped their case. Still, with the help of Max Duggan, the team is the latest out of the trio to reach the National Championship and therefore has had the most recent success.

Who are the top UK Horse Racing Commentators?

Who are the top UK Horse Racing Commentators? After listening to thousands of horse racing commentaries I should know a thing or two about the voices to racing. Every country varies in the style of race commentary is presented. For example, racing in America compared with the United Kingdom. I guess we often like what we are accustomed to hearing and that’s why I consider home-grown commentators are the best in the world.

Here are 5 UK horse racing commentators who have called winners and losers.

Malcolm Tomlinson –

Interestingly, Tomlinson is not only a horse racing commentator but an actor who has starred in ‘Casualty’, ‘The Bill’, ‘Grange Hill’ and ‘Cold Feet’. He has an informed approach and a relaxed style building to a crescendo especially in a tight finish. He works for Racing TV and Sky Sports Racing other stints include ITV Racing and BBC Radio Live. Based in East Yorkshire he is often commentating on race meetings at Beverley among other courses.

Richard Hoiles –

I must admit Richard Hoiles is one of my favourite commentators. He has a passion for horse racing and often details insight about horse trainers, breeding lines and statistics. His background in racing started at Shat Tin, Hong Kong, in the early 2000s. In fact, he was recommended to the Hong Kong Jockey Club in 1995 by Australian commentator Jim McGrath, who was a stable for UK racing. These days Hoiles is the lead commentor for ITV Racing. One of his favourite courses is Cheltenham. However, he doesn’t just commentate this side of the pond but South Africa, Canada, Japan and Dubai.

Simon Holt –

Those dulcet tones and often an excited finish to every race. Holt started commentating back in 1988 after being a racing journalist. He was fondly called ‘the languid one’ by the late John McCririck for his mellow voice and a natural, seemingly without effort. Holt made his debut as a race-caller at Newmarket back in 1994 for Channel 4 Racing. In 2000, he was elected as lead. Unfortunately, Channel 4 ended their racing coverage in 2016. To this day he is the voice of racing for Sky Sport Racing covering many race fixtures. Not one to shy away from other sports, he also commentates on lawn bowls at the Common Wealth Games for the BBC.

John Hunt –

Has a very appealing voice and consummate professional. One of my favourites in the horse commentating world. This former policeman followed his love of sport after seeing an advertisement for a trainee racecourse commentator. These days he is a regular in the studio for Sky Sport Racing and BBC Radio 5Live. Hunt has remained loyal to BBC even though he was approached by ITV. In addition to horse racing commentary he also does Match of the Day and other sports including the winter Olympics.

Mark Johnson –

I often hear Johnson commentating on the horse racing, especially Kempton Park. He is well-known in the UK as well as America. In fact, he is noted to be the only person to commentate on both the Epsom Derby and Kentucky Derby. Also, he has been a racing commentator for the last 30-years for Jersey Race Club.

In recent years, there has been a wealth of new commentator to add to household names including Gareth Topham (2012). Other professionals include Darren Owen, Jerry Hannon, Stewart Machin and Mike Cattermole.

Big blow for boxing fans as Tyson Fury dismisses future fight with Anthony Joshua

Big blow for boxing fans as Tyson Fury dismisses future fight with Anthony Joshua There was big news in the boxing world last month when an undisputed heavyweight title fight between Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk was confirmed to finally take place.

The exact details for that blockbuster bout are yet to be made public as Fury prepared to take on former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in a 10-round, officially recognised matchup in Saudi Arabia on October 28.

However, the Gypsy King has suggested that he will be ready to trade blows with the Ukrainian two-weight world champion on December 23, despite that giving him less than two months to properly prepare for the bout.

Whenever and wherever it takes place, Fury vs Usyk is a fight with huge appeal. Both men will put their unbeaten records on the line in a bid to be crowned the king of the Blue Riband division, and it will be massive for the sport of boxing in its current state.

The boxing betting odds for Fury vs Usyk are in the Gypsy King’s favour as well, with the bookmakers making the Briton the heavy odds-on favourite at 2/5. His opponent, who currently holds the WBA, IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring titles, is 7/4, while the draw is 14/1.

If the bookies have priced the fight correctly, and Fury does come out on top to unify the heavyweight division and extend his professional record to 35-1-0, then boxing fans had hoped the 35-year-old would move immediately on to another blockbuster encounter – against Anthony Joshua.

‘AJ’ suffered the second and third defeats of his career at the hands of Usyk, arguably tarnishing his status as one of the greatest heavyweights. However, Joshua isn’t giving up yet and is set to return to the ring to face Fury’s old opponent Deontay Wilder.

Joshua claimed at the United States Grand Prix in Austin that his fight against Wilder could take place on the undercard of Fury vs Usyk, which would make it an immense night of boxing. But, the Gypsy King ruled out the possibility of that happening and branded Joshua ‘embarrassing’ for suggesting it.

The mega-card not happening isn’t the only big blow Fury dealt boxing fans in the build-up to his fight with Ngannou, however. The Gypsy King also ruled out a future bout with Joshua, telling Sky Sports that both ‘AJ’ and Wilder are ‘out in the cold.’

“They’re both out in the cold and they’re both frozen so it doesn’t really matter,” he said when quizzed about facing the winner of the matchup.

While nobody would be bothered if Fury never faced Wilder again, given that the 35-year-old dominated their trilogy, it would be a crying shame should an all-British bout between the Gypsy King and Joshua never take place before the end of their respective careers.

A possible future fight for AJ could be Ngannou, with the Cameroonian claiming he would like to face Joshua after a second bout with Fury.

“I think we’re going to run it back for sure first, then maybe see Anthony Joshua,” he told Sky Sports.

 

Which is the longest recorded tennis match in history?

Which is the longest recorded tennis match in history? The sudden-death tie break to end prolonged sets and matches was first advocated by the Van Alen Streamlined Scoring System, developed by James ‘Jimmy’ Van Alen in 1958. The tie break was finally introduced in 1970, partly in response to a match between Pancho Gonzales and Charlie Pasarell at the Wimbledon Championships the previous year, which had required a total of 112 games – at the time, the highest number of games played in a singles match – to complete. However, at the time of the longest recorded tennis match in history, also played at the Wimbledon Championships, in 2010, the tie break did not apply to the fifth set.

The so-called ‘endless match’ between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut started uneventfully enough, with the players completing the first four sets, 6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-6, in a little under three hours before play was suspended due to fading light. Play resumed the following afternoon and continued for the next seven hours until it was suspended again, for the same reason, with the players tied 59-59 in the final set. Play resumed again the following afternoon and, in just over an hour, Isner finally prevailed 70-68 in the final set, which had last 8 hours and 11 minutes in total. All told, the match lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes and involved 183 games, making it far and away the longest record tennis match in history, in terms of elapsed time and the number of games played.

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