Houston Sports: Gauging the roller coaster ride of hometown fans

What About Our Fans?

I have no problem with people doubting Houston’s chances of winning a championship. If that means being an underdog in every championship series we’re in, so be it. We did it before and we’ll do it again. Houston thrives on being the underdogs.

But there is a group of Houston Sports fans that do get on my nerves a bit. And those are fans who become negative when we start losing. I’m not saying our fans are the worst because I feel like every other city, we have some of the best loyal fans. You see that in the recent hall of fame inductions of Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell. We see that with Paul’s arrival. People even see that when Deshaun Watson got drafted. There are loyal, dedicated Houston sports fans that support the team through good and bad.

Whenever a team wins, people will say things like “great win” or “that a way to play the game.” But when losses come into play, those people will say “we’ll get them next time,” or “it’s ok. We’ll be fine.”

Writing this article isn’t easy because even when someone is being negative and ready to give up, I have to avoid not being rude and calling that person crazy. Is it tough? No question about it. But I know that even when my teams frustrate me, I’m still around.

Why Feel This Way?

I have to admit I’ve struggled with those feelings as of late. You got to remember Houston Sports fans went through a period from 1999-2014, where Houston had not always had the best success in spite of playoffs, MLS Cups, and World Series appearances. It always seemed like one of our teams would take turns running the city while the others would sit and watch. In the mid-2000s, the Astros rocked the city. The Houston Dynamo won back-to-back MLS Cups in 2006 and 2007. In 2008, the Rockets had a 22-game winning streak and they stole our hearts. By 2011, the Texans were in the playoffs and had Super Bowl credentials on them.

Even though we’ve had teams that had chances to reach the pinnacle, it still hurt when we fell back to earth. But now is where things are heating up. We have not one, not two, but three teams that have legitimate chances of claiming the title for Houston.

We are close to winning a championship for Houston. Like the lyrics to the song “Behold, Behold,” we stand at the door and knock, knock, knock. Instead of hoping that anyone will hear our voice and let us in, we’re going to break through that door and claim the title. It will happen, but we have to endure trials and adversity.