Sports in Dallas

The City of Dallas and the Dallas metropolitan area is home to teams in six major sports: the Dallas Cowboys (National Football League), Dallas Mavericks (National Basketball Association), Texas Rangers (Major League Baseball), Dallas Stars (National Hockey League), FC Dallas (Major League Soccer) and Dallas Wings (Women's National Basketball Association).

Dallas area major college sports programs include Patriots baseball of Dallas Baptist University located in southwest Dallas, and the Mustangs of Southern Methodist University, located in the enclave of University Park. Neighboring cities Fort Worth, Arlington, and Denton are home to the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs, University of Texas at Arlington Mavericks, and University of North Texas Mean Green, respectively.

Dirk Nowitzki with the Mavericks

Major league sports

American Football

Nearby Arlington, Texas is the new home to the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. Since joining the league as an expansion team in 1960, the Cowboys have enjoyed substantial success, advancing to eight Super Bowls and winning five.[1] Known widely as "America's Team", the Dallas Cowboys are financially the most valuable sports franchise in the United States, worth approximately 2.3 billion dollars.[2] They are also the most valuable sports organization in the world. [3] In 2009, the Cowboys relocated to their new 80,000-seat AT&T Stadium in Arlington, which was the site of Super Bowl XLV.[4] The college Cotton Bowl Classic football game was played at the Cotton Bowl through its 2009 game, but has moved to AT&T Stadium.[5]

Multiple different teams were referred to as the "Dallas Texans". The Dallas Texans (NFL) played the National Football League for one season in 1952. Another version of the Dallas Texans was a charter member of the American Football League IV in 1960, before becoming the Kansas City Chiefs in 1963.

Basketball

The city is home to the Dallas Mavericks. Their original arena was the now demolished Reunion Arena, but now they play at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks won their first championship in 2011 led by their German superstar Dirk Nowitzki[6] . The Mavericks have enjoyed having one of the largest fanbases in the NBA, consistently ranking in the top 5 over the last few years in attendance. The Mavericks had a streak of 12 consecutive playoff appearances from 2001-2012 and 15 appearances in 16 years from 2001-2016, only missing the playoffs in 2013 when they finished with an even 41–41 record and out of the playoffs as the 10th seed.

Women's Basketball

Another major team to play in Arlington is the newly-christened Dallas Wings, a WNBA team which relocated to the North Texas market in 2015 from Tulsa, OK where they were known as the Shock. The Dallas Wings will play in the College Park Center inside the University of Texas in Arlington (UTA).

Baseball

Also in Arlington is Globe Life Park,[7] home of the 2010 and 2011 American League Champion[8] Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball. The franchise was established in 1961 as the Washington Senators, and, after the 1971 season, moved to Arlington and became the Rangers in 1972.[9]The Rangers are building a new retractable-roof ballpark, Globe Life Field, across the street from their current park, and plan to open the new venue in 2020.

Lacrosse

The Dallas Rattlers of Major League Lacrosse became the first professional lacrosse team to call the state of Texas home in November 2017 when the league announced its franchise from Rochester, New York would be relocating to Frisco and The Ford Center at The Star.[10] The Rattlers were one of the six founding members of Major League Lacrosse.

Ice Hockey
Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center.

Dallas is the home of the National Hockey League's Dallas Stars since their relocation in 1993. The Stars have won the Stanley Cup in 1999, plus the Western Conference championship three times, two President's Trophies as the top regular season team in the NHL, and eight division titles. The team plays its home games at the American Airlines Center.[11] The team helped popularize hockey in the region, with Valley Ranch in Irving going from just one sheet of ice when the Stars arrived in 1993 to almost 30 in 2010.[12]

Lower Levels of Hockey

The Allen Americans, founded for the 2009–10 season, play in the Central Division of the ECHL. Their home arena is the Allen Event Center located in Allen, Texas, approximately 30 minutes northeast of Dallas. The junior hockey Lone Star Brahmas (formerly the five-time defending champions Texas Tornado) of the North American Hockey League play at the NYTEX Sports Centre in North Richland Hills.

Association Football (Soccer)

The Major League Soccer team FC Dallas, formerly the Dallas Burn, used to play in the Cotton Bowl, but moved to Toyota Stadium (formerly Pizza Hut Park) in Frisco upon the stadium's opening in 2005.[13]

Previously, the Dallas Tornado played the North American Soccer League from 1968 to 1981, winning the 1971 championship.

The Dallas Sidekicks, a former team of the Major Indoor Soccer League, used to play in Reunion Arena, as did the Mavericks and Stars before their move to the American Airlines Center.[14] The Sidekicks currently play at the Allen Event Center in the Major Arena Soccer League.

Table

Major league sports teams in the Dallas-Fort Worth area:

Club League Sport Venue First season in DFW Championships in DFW
Texas Rangers MLB Baseball Arlington Stadium 1972–1993
Globe Life Park 1994 – 2019
Globe Life Field 2020 – future		 1972[lower-alpha 1] 0 World Series Titles
2 American League Titles – 2010, 2011
Dallas Cowboys NFL Football Cotton Bowl 1960–1970
Texas Stadium 1971–2008
AT&T Stadium 2009 – present		 1960 5 Super Bowls – 1971, 1977, 1992, 1993, 1995
8 NFC Titles – 1970, 1971, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1992, 1993, 1995
Dallas Stars NHL Hockey Reunion Arena 1993–2001
American Airlines Center 2002 – present		 1993[lower-alpha 2] 1 Stanley Cup – 1999
3 Western Conference Titles – 1999, 2000, 2020
Dallas Mavericks NBA Basketball Reunion Arena 1980–2001
American Airlines Center 2002 – present		 1980 1 NBA Title – 2011
2 Western Conference Titles – 2006, 2011
FC Dallas MLS Soccer Cotton Bowl 1996–2002, 2004
Dragon Stadium 2003
Toyota Stadium (Texas) 2005 – present		 1995 0 MLS Cup Titles
2 U.S. Open Cup – 1997, 2016
Dallas Wings WNBA Basketball College Park Center 2016–present 2015[lower-alpha 3] 0 WNBA Titles
0 Western Conference Titles[lower-alpha 4]
Dallas Rattlers MLL Lacrosse The Ford Center at The Star 2018–present 2018[lower-alpha 5] 0 Steinfeld Cups[lower-alpha 6]
Dallas Jackals MLR Rugby Globe Life Park in Arlington 2022 2022 TBD
  1. Franchise founded in 1961 as the second Washington Senators, based in the US capital.
  2. Franchise founded in 1967 as the Minnesota North Stars, based in the Twin Cities.
  3. Franchise founded in 1998 as the Detroit Shock; relocated for the 2010 season to Tulsa, Oklahoma as the Tulsa Shock.
  4. Does not include three WNBA titles and four conference titles won in Detroit.
  5. Franchise founded in 2001 as the Rochester Rattlers. Original franchise dissolved in 2008, with the staff and roster transferred to a new Toronto team but the team's history remaining behind for a new Rochester team. The history of the original Rattlers was accordingly inherited in 2011 by the relocating Chicago Machine.
  6. Does not include one Steinfeld Cup won in Rochester.

Other sports

American football (XFL)

The Dallas Renegades are members of the XFL and play home games at the Globe Life Park in Arlington.[15]

Arena football

Another version, the Dallas Texans competed in the now-defunct Arena Football League from 1990–1993, after which the AFL team was the Dallas Desperados from 2002–2008. In 2010, the Dallas Vigilantes began playing in the American Airlines Center as a part of the restructured Arena Football League.

Horse racing

About halfway between Dallas and Fort Worth, horse-racing takes place at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie.

Rugby

Rugby union is a developing sport in Dallas as well as the whole of Texas.[16] The multiple clubs, ranging from men's and women's clubs to collegiate and high school, are part of the Texas Rugby Football Union.[17] Currently Dallas is one of only 16 cities in the United States included in the Rugby Super League[18] represented by Dallas Harlequins.[19]

The Dallas Dragons, a rugby league team formed in 2010, are part of the AMNRL's Western Expansion.

Dallas Jackals Rugby, the first professional rugby team in DFW was announced on June 5th 2020. The Jackals join Major League Rugby as the 14th team to join the league. The Jackals were set to begin their Inaugural Season on March 20th at Globe Life Park in Arlington, former home of the Texas Rangers, but due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the organization pushed their Inaugural Season to 2022.

Cricket

Cricket is another sport that is popular among diaspora from South Asian countries. Local universities such as SMU, University of Texas at Arlington and University of Texas at Dallas have their own cricket clubs that are affiliated with USA Cricket.

Ultimate Frisbee

The Dallas Roughnecks compete in the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL). The team played its first season in 2016 finishing 14–0 and being crowned the AUDL champions for that season. The team competes at The Colony Five Star Soccer Complex in The Colony, Texas.

Overwatch

The Dallas Fuel competes in the Overwatch League. The Fuel were one of the league's 12 founding teams. During the inaugural season the fuel finished 10th overall with a record of 12 wins and 28 losses.[20]

Other sports

Other teams in the Dallas-Fort Worth area include the Fort Worth Cats and the Grand Prairie AirHogs, minor league baseball teams. The Dallas Diamonds, the two-time national champions of the Women's Professional Football League, play in North Richland Hills.[21][22] McKinney is home to the Dallas Revolution, an Independent Women's Football League team.[23] The Dallas Bluestorm was a charter of the United National Gridiron League, a proposed minor football league that had planned to begin play in 2010.

As reported by Olympic news outlet Around the Rings, Dallas was looking at a 2020 Summer Olympics bid. Those in favor of Dallas said that it should be chosen because no major stadiums would have to be built for the games.[24]

College sports

Dallas has no major Division I college sports program within its political boundaries, although it has one program within its city limits—the Mustangs of Southern Methodist University are located in the enclave of University Park. The only Division I team that plays within the political boundaries of Dallas is the baseball program of Dallas Baptist University (Patriots), which plays in Division I despite otherwise being a Division II member. Neighboring cities Fort Worth, Arlington, and Denton are home to the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs, University of Texas at Arlington Mavericks, and University of North Texas Mean Green respectively.

Toyota Stadium in Frisco has hosted the NCAA Division I Football Championship, the title game of the second-tier Division I FCS, since the 2010 season, and will continue to host this event through at least the 2024 season.

Recreation
A local league baseball game at Reverchon Park

The city of Dallas maintains and operates 406 parks on 21,000 acres (85 km2) of parkland. Its flagship park is the 260-acre (1.05 km2) Fair Park, which hosted the Texas Centennial Exposition in 1936. The city is also home to Texas' first and largest zoo, the 95 acres (0.38 km2) Dallas Zoo, which opened at its current location in 1888.[25]

The city's parks contain 17 separate lakes, including White Rock and Bachman lakes, spanning a total of 4,400 acres (17.81 km2). In addition, Dallas is traversed by 61.6 miles (99.1 km) of biking and jogging trails, including the Katy Trail, and is home to 47 community and neighborhood recreation centers, 276 sports fields, 60 swimming pools, 232 playgrounds, 173 basketball courts, 112 volleyball courts, 126 play slabs, 258 neighborhood tennis courts, 258 picnic areas, six 18-hole golf courses, two driving ranges, and 477 athletic fields.[26]

As part of the ongoing Trinity River Project, the Great Trinity Forest, at 6,000 acres (24 km2), is the largest urban hardwood forest in the United States and is part of the largest urban park in the United States.[27] The Trinity River Audubon Center is a new addition to the park. Opened in 2008, it serves as a gateway to many trails and other nature viewing activities in the area. The Trinity River Audubon Center is the first LEED-certified building constructed by the City of Dallas Parks and Recreation Department.

Dallas also hosts three of the twenty-one preserves of the extensive (3,200 acres (13 km2)) Dallas County Preserve System. Both the Joppa Preserve, the McCommas Bluff Preserve the Cedar Ridge Preserve are all within the Dallas city limits. The Cedar Ridge Preserve was formerly known as the Dallas Nature Center, but management was turned over to Audubon Dallas group, which now manages the 633-acre (2.56 km2) natural habitat park on behalf of the city of Dallas and Dallas County. The preserve sits at an elevation of 755 feet (230 m) above sea level, and contains a variety of outdoor activities, including 10 miles (16 km) of hiking trails and picnic areas.

Just southwest of Dallas is Cedar Hill State Park, maintained by the Texas Parks and Wildlife state agency. A 1,826-acre (7.39 km2) urban nature preserve, the park is located on the 7,500-acre (30 km2) Joe Pool Reservoir, and offers activities such as mountain biking, birding, camping and fishing; swimming is allowed at the swimming beach only.[28]

To the west of Dallas in Arlington is Six Flags Over Texas, the original franchise in the Six Flags theme park chain. Hurricane Harbor, a large water park owned by Six Flags, is also in Arlington.[29]

References
  1. Pro-Football-Reference.com, Franchise Encyclopedias, https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/
  2. "The Business Of Football". Forbes.com. 2007-09-13. Retrieved 2013-05-11.
  3. "#1 Manchester United". Forbes. June 30, 2007. Retrieved May 23, 2010.
  4. Tynes' field goal as time expires spoils Cowboys' home debut, ESPN
  5. "Cotton Bowl to move to new stadium in Arlington". ESPN.com. February 28, 2007. Retrieved January 15, 2008.
  6. New York Daily News, Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks win NBA championship, close out LeBron James, Miami Heat in Game 6, June 13, 2011, http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/dirk-nowitzki-dallas-mavericks-win-nba-championship-close-lebron-james-miami-heat-game-6-article-1.131454
  7. "Rangers Ballpark in Arlington | texasrangers.com: Ballpark". Texas.rangers.mlb.com. 1994-04-01. Retrieved 2013-05-11.
  8. "2010/2011 ALCS Champion". Mlb.mlb.com. 2013-03-12. Retrieved 2013-05-11.
  9. "Rangers Ballpark in Arlington | texasrangers.com: Ballpark". Texas.rangers.mlb.com. 1994-04-01. Retrieved 2013-05-11.
  10. MLL announces Rattlers relocation to Dallas
  11. North to South: A Brief History of the Dallas Stars
  12. "The 35 Biggest Moments in Modern Dallas History". Dmagazine.com. Archived from the original on 2011-05-20. Retrieved 2011-09-16.
  13. FC Dallas Archived 2006-02-01 at the Wayback Machine – About Archived 2007-07-02 at Archive.today. Although FC Dallas has not yet won a MLS Cup, they won the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 1997. Retrieved on October 20, 2006. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on February 1, 2006. Retrieved 2014-01-28.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. "Dallas Sidekicks". Dallas Sidekicks. Retrieved 2013-05-11.
  15. Heinz, Frank; Barr, Alice (December 5, 2018). "XFL Dallas Team to Call Arlington's Globe Life Park Home". NBCDFW.com. NBCUniversal. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
  16. PROFESSIONAL RUGBY COMING TO ALLEN, TEXAS, Feb. 18, 2013, http://griffinsrugby.com/feb13pressrelease
  17. "Rugby Football Union". Texasrugbyunion.com. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
  18. USA Super League Website
  19. Harlequins Official Website
  20. "The Overwatch League: Standings". The Overwatch League. Retrieved 2018-12-04.
  21. Dallas Diamonds Archived 2013-10-12 at the Wayback Machine – Information from home page. Retrieved on October 20, 2006.
  22. "Stadium". Dallasdiamondsfootball.com. Archived from the original on 2013-05-25. Retrieved 2013-05-11.
  23. "Dallas Revolution". Dallas Revolution. Archived from the original on 2013-05-23. Retrieved 2013-05-11.
  24. "Tokyo Mayor Confirms Bid Desire; Dallas 2020 Rumbling". Aroundtherings.com. 2011-06-17. Retrieved 2013-05-11.
  25. DallasZoo.com – General Information. Retrieved on September 28, 2006. Archived December 26, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  26. "Facilities". Dallasparks.org. Archived from the original on 2013-04-05. Retrieved 2013-05-11.
  27. "The Great Trinity Forest-Dallas". The Great Trinity Forest. City of Dallas Trinity River Corridor Project. Archived from the original on January 16, 2009. Retrieved September 12, 2009.
  28. "Texas Parks and Wildlife online". Tpwd.state.tx.us. December 4, 2009. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
  29. Barker, Evelyn; Worcester, Lea (2011). Images of America: Arlington. Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia Pub. p. 124. ISBN 9780738579818. OCLC 679919858.
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