Houston - Sports

Sports

Houston has sports teams for every major professional league, except the National Hockey League. The city currently hosts three of the four major sports in the United States: The Houston Astros is an MLB expansion team formed in 1962 (as the Colt .45s until 1965), who made one World Series appearance (2005), the Houston Rockets, who was formed in 1967 in San Diego and relocated in 1971 (and have won 2 NBA Championships), and the Houston Texans of the NFL.

Minute Maid Park (home of the Astros) and Toyota Center (home of the Rockets and Aeros), are located in Downtown. Houston has the NFL's first retractable-roof stadium, Reliant Stadium (home of the Texans). Minute Maid Park is also a retractable arena. The Toyota Center also has the largest screen for an indoor arena in the world built to coincide with the arena's hosting of the 2013 NBA All-Star Game. BBVA Compass Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium for the Dynamo, located in East Downtown (EaDo) and is the first soccer specific stadium in a downtown area in MLS. In addition, Reliant Astrodome was the first indoor stadium in the world, built in 1965. Other sports facilities include Robertson Stadium (home of the Houston Cougars football team), Hofheinz Pavilion (Houston Cougars basketball), Rice Stadium (Rice Owls football), and Reliant Arena.

Houston has hosted several major sports events: The 1968 MLB All-Star Game, the 1989, 2006 and 2013 NBA All-Star Game, Super Bowl VIII and Super Bowl XXXVIII, as well as hosting the 2005 World Series and 1981, 1986, 1994 and 1995 NBA Finals, winning the latter two.

Houston was home to the now defunct WNBA Comets from 1997 to 2008. The Comets won 4 WNBA Championships (all consecutive) which is still the most championships of any sports team in Houston, and the biggest title streak in Texas. The AFL/NFL Oilers called Houston home from 1960 to 1998 when the team moved to Tennessee and became the Titans.

The city has hosted several major professional and college sporting events, including the annual Shell Houston Open golf tournament. Houston hosts the annual NCAA College Baseball Minute Maid Classic every February and NCAA football's Texas Bowl in December.

The Shell and Pennzoil Grand Prix of Houston is an annual auto race on the IndyCar Series circuit. The race is held on a 1.7-mile temporary street circuit in Reliant Park. The next event will be held in October, 2013 sponsored by Royal Dutch Shell and using a tweaked version of the 2006-2007 course. The event has a 5-year race contract through 2017 with IndyCar and Shell, using its Pennzoil brand of motor oil, is signed for 4-years as the event's title sponsor.