WSOU

Houston, we have a problem

Date: January 14, 2021

By: Michael Daly

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Jamie Schwaberow/Sports Illustrated

Just a few years ago, Houston was one of the exciting sports towns with all three of their major professional sports franchises making deep runs in their respective playoffs. It was filled with stars on the field and the court and celebrities attended sporting events to cheer on the local teams in Houston. It was a thriving place in the sports world, but everything suddenly changed in the span of a couple of years.

 

In 2017, the Houston Astros won a World Series and officially turned around their franchise from years of misfortune and struggle. The Houston Astros were accused of cheating during baseball games last year, and the team saw a complete overhaul after their scandal shocked the baseball world.

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Elsa/Getty Images

The Astros took a major image hit and they had to deal with an immense amount of criticism and backlash from other teams and players in the MLB. There really is not going back to where the Astros once were in terms of how they were viewed as an excellent team that won a World Series in 2017.

 

The Astros were not the only professional team in Houston who saw a great deal of success turn into utter chaos in less than five years. The Houston Rockets appeared in the 2018 Western Conference Finals and they pushed the Golden State Warriors to the brink of elimination in game seven. From 2015-2020, the Rockets made the WCF two times and they were a constant threat to the Golden State Warriors and the rest of the teams in the conference.

 

Now the Rockets are at odds with their star player James Harden, and he asked for a trade several times since the team hired Stephen Silas as their next head coach. Harden has exhausted all opportunities to leave the city has been a part of since 2012, and he wants nothing more than to exit and start a new journey. He was recently just traded to the Brooklyn Nets in a four-team deal and the Houston Rockets look to start over with John Wall and Demarcus Cousins.

The Houston Texans are not immune to the drama and chaos that has ensued around with the two other major professional sports franchises in the city in the past year. Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson is not happy with the direction of the team following a 4-12 season, despite leading the league in passing yards. He felt left out the team’s general manager hiring process and he declined to answer phone calls from Texans’ management.

 

Former wide receiver Andre Johnson implored Watson to stand his ground, and he criticized the team’s decision-making skills. These issues come on the heels of former general manager and head coach Bill O’Brien trading away wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals for running back David Johnson, a 2020 second round pick, and a 2021 fourth round pick.

Legendary defensive end J.J. Watt could be released or traded during the offseason to save money. Watson’s name has been involved in trade rumors with the Miami Dolphins.

 

The Astros, Rockets, and Texans are all in disarray and have dealt with unwanted issues. The Houston Astros are in the best position of all three franchises because they made it to the 2020 ALCS, and Dusty Baker is in the process of changing the culture, but their image will never be the same. For the Rockets and the Texans, it is a complete mess and years of struggle could be waiting for both teams. There is no other city in America with three franchises that have been involved in as much trouble and drama as these three teams.

Michael Daly is the station manager of 89.5 FM WSOU, and can be reached at

wsoustationmanager@gmail.com.

Posted in: Sports

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