Sports
January 19, 2023
A Regulatory Feud Threatens to End Thoroughbred Racing in Texas
While the state racing commission jousts with a new federal oversight body, business is cratering at Texas racetracks.
Sports
Vital analysis and news unpacking the world of Texas sports
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Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
Myrtis Dightman Is the Jackie Robinson of Rodeo
The Hall of Fame bull rider is the subject of an upcoming documentary and a Hollywood biopic—but if you ask him he’s “just a cowboy.”
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
How the San Antonio Spurs Made Texas Safe for Basketball
The Spurs electrified a once sleepy city, paved the way for the Mavs’ and Rockets’ success, and won a few games along the way.
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
Nolan Ryan Threw as Hard as He Could for as Long as He Could
The most strikeouts ever. The most no-hitters ever. With those records, Nolan Ryan could afford to take it easy in retirement. But he never left the game behind.
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
Texas Football’s Greatest Rivalry Will Return—But at What Cost?
With the Texas Longhorns set to join the Southeastern Conference no later than in 2025, UT will play Texas A&M for the first time in more than a decade.
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
One of the Greatest Programs in Texas High School Football History Faces Its Final Season
With the city consolidating its school district, Wichita Falls High—and the six-time state champion Coyotes—will be no more.
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
The Astrodome’s Decline From Eighth Wonder to Eighth Blunder of the World
Once a symbol of Houston’s wealth and ambition, the now-empty stadium no longer represents much of anything.
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
The Dallas Cowboys Used to Sell NFL Dynasties. Now They Sell Drama.
It’s been almost thirty years since America’s Team last played in the Super Bowl, yet fans remain hooked on Jerry Jones’s soap opera.
Texas Icons
January 17, 2023
Sixteen of the Most Influential Texas Sports Icons of the Past 50 Years
From Staubach to Mahomes, Darrell Royal to Coach Pop, Lee Trevino to Simone Biles, here are sixteen figures who have defined Texas sports.
Sports
January 10, 2023
What Was the Point of Firing Lovie Smith?
The Houston Texans have sacked their fourth head coach in three years. Perhaps that means the franchise’s woes run far deeper than its on-field leader.
Sports
January 6, 2023
Please, Pretty Please: Everyone Keep Underestimating TCU
The 13–1 Horned Frogs will be no match for Georgia’s talent and size in the national championship game. Just like they were against Michigan.
Sports
January 6, 2023
In Firing Chris Beard, the University of Texas Showed Its Values
The school’s response to Beard’s arrest on domestic violence charges brought a swift end to the basketball coach’s brief tenure.
Sports
December 29, 2022
Managing the Transfer Portal Was Key to TCU Football’s Dream Season
First-year head coach Sonny Dykes put as much effort into retaining TCU’s existing talent as he did recruiting new players.
Sports
December 22, 2022
Craig Way’s Texas High School Football Marathon: Seven State Championships in Four Days
Bally Sports Southwest’s Craig Way wouldn’t trade his annual high school football marathon for a chance to call the Super Bowl.
Sports
December 20, 2022
Farewell to Bijan Robinson, the Best Running Back in College Football
The Texas Longhorns’ NFL-bound All-American deserves to be remembered alongside past greats like Earl Campbell, Ricky Williams, and Cedric Benson.
Sports
December 16, 2022
In San Antonio, the Geriatric College Quarterback Reigns Supreme
Has any QB had a better season than seventh-year Incarnate Word star Lindsey Scott Jr.? Sixth-year UTSA star Frank Harris might have a case.
Sports
December 14, 2022
Mike Leach, the Madman Who Revolutionized Football
The author of ‘The Perfect Pass’ and ‘Empire of the Summer Moon’ reflects on Mike Leach’s coaching legacy.
Sports
December 13, 2022
There Will Never Be Another Mike Leach
The former Texas Tech football coach, revered for his offensive mind and beloved for his one-of-a-kind character, died Monday.
Best Thing in Texas
December 12, 2022
The Best Things in Texas 2023: The Best NBA Coach Ever
Gregg Popovich, of the San Antonio Spurs, became the winningest coach in NBA history, but that’s just one of several eye-popping facts from his extraordinary career.
Sports
December 9, 2022
Can the Free-Spending Texas Rangers Close the Gap With the Astros?
In the past week, the Rangers have added an ace pitcher and the Astros have lost one. Can Arlington’s MLB team pay its way to competitiveness?
Sports
December 8, 2022
Texan Brittney Griner Released From Russian Custody in Prisoner Swap
The Texas basketball star was first detained in February and was recently moved to a Russian penal colony.
Sports
December 2, 2022
Heart Surgery, Foot Injuries, a Demotion to Backup—Max Duggan Overcame Them All
Undefeated TCU wouldn’t be playing for a Big 12 championship and a national semifinal berth without gritty senior quarterback Max Duggan.
Sports
November 24, 2022
This Tiny West Texas HS Has Five Boys. Three of Them Made the State Cross-country Meet.
There’s no stoplight, no stores, and no walk-in businesses in Valentine. But there’s plenty of space to stretch those legs.
Books
November 21, 2022
The Ego Clash That Doomed the Cowboys to Three Decades of Mediocrity
Jimmy Johnson’s memoir, ‘Swagger,’ is another salvo in the catty, decades-long feud between the former coach and Jerry Jones.
Sports
November 21, 2022
The USA Made the World Cup Knockout Stage Thanks (in Part) to FC Dallas
Five USMNT players came through FC Dallas’s system, which is considered the nation's best incubator of world-class soccer talent.
Sports
November 16, 2022
Most Sports Figures Were “Paranoid Assholes” to This Writer. Mike Leach was “Fabulous.”
Author S. C. Gwynne calls his 2009 profile of the pirate-obsessed former Texas Tech coach part of the “golden era” of his journalism career.
Business
November 16, 2022
The San Antonio Missions’ New Superstar Owners Want to Bring the Team Downtown
The real estate developer who engineered a deal to buy the 134-year-old minor league baseball franchise thinks new team ownership can help transform the city’s urban core.
Sports
November 15, 2022
Did Texas Blow Its Chance at TCU Coach Sonny Dykes in 2020?
After the Horned Frogs beat UT Saturday, reports that the Longhorns passed on Dykes for Steve Sarkisian left Texas fans wondering, “What if?”
Sports
November 11, 2022
Why Did the Texas UIL Suspend a Six-man Football Coach for Three Years?
For the second time in history, the oversight body delivered its stiffest penalty—to a tiny central Texas high school with 48 total students.
Sports
November 7, 2022
The Astros Beat the Team That Put Up a Statue of His Dad—and He Loves It
Reflecting on the World Series with Astros announcer Todd Kalas, whose father, Harry Kalas, called Phillies games for almost forty years.
Sports
November 7, 2022
My Life With the Astros
A fan from day one muses on sixty years of joy and heartbreak—and whether winning brings redemption.
Best Thing in Texas
November 2, 2022
CrossFit Star Dani Speegle Handles 215-Pound Logs Like Pick-Up Sticks
The CrossFit athlete and #GirlsWhoEat impresario stole the show at the annual Rogue Invitational in Round Rock.
Sports
November 2, 2022
Aggies Never Lose, But Will Jimbo Fisher Run Out of Time?
Texas A&M is riding its worst losing streak since 2005, and the only thing protecting Jimbo Fisher’s job is his huge guaranteed contract.
Sports
October 31, 2022
Meet the Astros Fans Willing to Spend $80,000 on Custom Baseball Caps
Thanks to a memorabilia boom and another Astros World Series trip, Houston has become a hotbed for rare hat collectors.
Sports
October 26, 2022
I Watched Two Episodes of ‘Drive to Survive’ and Then Covered Formula 1
Gridlock, brand activations, and Austrian funnel cake ruled the weekend’s U.S. Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas.
Sports
October 17, 2022
Yordan Álvarez Is Striking Barry Bonds Levels of Fear in Opposing Teams
With a historic performance last week, the slugger led the Houston Astros to their sixth straight American League Championship Series.
Best Thing in Texas
October 10, 2022
Coach Pop, Manu, and the San Antonio Spurs Bring Smiles to Uvalde
Spurs legends past and present reminded residents that they haven't been forgotten in the months since the shooting at Robb Elementary.
Sports
October 10, 2022
Is Quinn Ewers Texas’s Best Big-Game Quarterback Since Vince Young?
In his return from injury, Quinn Ewers and his burnt-orange mullet led UT to a 49–0 blowout win over the Oklahoma Sooners.
Sports
October 10, 2022
Meet Jak Crawford, the 17-Year-Old Texan Gunning for a Seat in Formula 1
The teenager grew up in the Houston suburbs, where he started driving go-karts when he was six. He now races with some of the best drivers in the world.
Sports
October 7, 2022
The 2022 Houston Astros Have Been a Homegrown Masterpiece
Another 100-win season in the books, a chance to return to the World Series for the fourth time in six years—this franchise is special.
Sports
October 5, 2022
Sonny Dykes Has TCU Football Back in the Mix for a Big 12 Title
With a high-powered offense and a 4–0 start, why can’t the Horned Frogs bag their first conference title since 2014?
Sports
September 29, 2022
Joey McGuire Is Riding High in His First Season at Texas Tech
The Red Raiders coach said he received hundreds of congratulatory text messages after beating Texas, and he's just getting started.
Sports
September 20, 2022
Jimbo Fisher and Texas A&M Staved Off Disaster—but for How Long?
The Aggies saved their season by beating Miami, but after the team’s dreadful start, every game will feel like a referendum on its coach.
Texas Country Reporter
September 14, 2022
This Houston Nun Waited Decades to Root for Her Home Team
In 2007, Texas Country Reporter met Sister Damian, the Houston Astros’ most patient and faithful baseball fan.
Sports
September 12, 2022
Texas Shouldn’t Feel Too Satisfied Over Its Near-Upset of Alabama
A one-point loss to the top team in the country is a promising sign for the Longhorns, but they can still improve on Saturday’s performance.
Sports
September 7, 2022
The Manu, the Myth, the Legend
As San Antonio Spurs great Manu Ginóbili enters the Basketball Hall of Fame, let’s relive every joyous moment of his daredevil career.
Sports
September 1, 2022
Can Houston Football Figure Out a Way to Fill Seats?
The Cougars are nationally ranked and receive millions in university support—so why does UH consistently play in a half-empty home stadium?
Sports
August 30, 2022
The Night the Astrodome Got Rained Out
As rains fall across Texas, remember the 1976 Houston deluge that improbably shut down an Astros game at the famed “weather-proof” Astrodome.
Sports
August 18, 2022
With Chris Woodward and Jon Daniels Gone, the Texas Rangers Bet Their Future on Chris Young’s Thin Résumé
Now that the Rangers have fired their manager and president of baseball ops, their future is in the hands of relative front-office newcomer Chris Young.
Sports
August 16, 2022
For Once, the College Football Hype Train Misses Texas
While the Longhorns were left out of the preseason Top 25 for the first time since 2016, it’s time for number six Texas A&M to put up or shut up.