Professional Sports in Dallas-Fort Worth MetroPlex

This well-known National Basketball Association (NBA) professional sports team has excelled in recent years. They won the championship in 2011 beating out the Miani heat for their first and only championship. They also have two Western Conference championship wins and four division titles. Their most well known player is the future hall of famer, Dirk Nowitski and they have one of the best known owners in Mark Cuban. Prior to the Mavericks being started as a new NBA franchise in 1981 the Dallas Chaparrals of the old American Basketball Association (ABA) were located in Dallas. They later moved to San Antonio and are today known as the San Antonio Spurs. The Mavericks play in the American Airlines Center in downtown Dallas.

Dallas Wings (WNBA)

Arlington, Texas, is home to the Dallas Wings, a professional women’s basketball team. The squad competes in the WNBA’s Western Conference. In 1998, The Dallas Wings were established as one of the inaugural WNBA expansion teams named The Detroit Shock. The organization immediately gathered a good mix of newcomers and seasoned players. The decision to move the club to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and have them play at the College Park Center, which is on the campus of the University of Texas at Arlington, was made by the WNMBA League owners in July 2015. And in November 2015, at a news conference held at College Park Center, the team’s owners said they would change the team’s name to the Dallas Wings. The Dallas Wings logo is significantly related to that of the Dallas Mavericks to complement the logos of their NBA equivalent. Due to this, the Wing’s emblem features a horse in the Pegasus style as an homage to the Maverick’s mount and features blue, which also happens to be the Maverick’s color. The Dallas Wings have its dance squad, known as the Flight Deck, which comprises the top hip-hop dancers of both sexes. 

The Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys are often known as America’s team and was founded in the 1960s in Dallas. They gained wide popularity through out the United States with their five Super Bowl titles in the 70s and 90s. They are part of the National Football League (NFL) and play in the National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The Cowboys play in AT&T Stadium which was built for over 1 Billion dollars in 2009. The stadium is known for its Video Board which is 2100 inches and towers high above the field. The Cowboys are considered the second most valuable franchise in sports right behind the New York Yankees baseball organization. The Cowboys are known for honoring their greatest players in the “ring of honor” which encircles the stadium and lists the players names.

 

Dallas Renegades

A professional American football team called the Arlington Renegades is based in Arlington, Texas. The squad is a member of the new XFL and is owned and run by Dwayne Johnson’s Alpha Acquico. It was established initially by Vince McMahon’s Alpha Entertainment under the name Dallas Renegades. Choctaw Stadium is where the Renegades play their home games. Dallas Renegades is one of the eight founding clubs of the XFL, a new professional football league that debuted on February 8–9, 2020. 

As a professional American football team, the Dallas Renegades played their inaugural season in 2020. They participated in games as XFL charter members, one of the eight teams in the league in 2020. Under the direction of head coach Bob Stoops, the Renegades played their home games at Globe Life Park in Arlington with a 48,001 audience capacity. 

The Texas Rangers

The Texas Rangers are a Major League Baseball team located in Arlington, Texas. They play at Globe Life Park. The name was taken from the State of Texas police force the Texas Rangers. The franchise was originally founded in Washington D.C. as the Washington Senators. The team was moved to the Dallas Fort-Worth area in 1971. The Rangers made it to the 2010 World Series against the San Francisco Giants and managed to win one game – the first ever for a Texas team. They also made it to the 2011 World Series against the Saint Louis Cardinals but also lost that year as well. Their most well know historical player is the pitching great, Nolan Ryan who retired as a ranger and later had a stint as the teams President and CEO and helped to lead the team out of bankruptcy.

 

Frisco Rough Riders

The Frisco RoughRiders, commonly called “Riders,” are a Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers in Minor League Baseball’s Texas League. The squad, which has its home in Frisco, Texas, is named after the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment from the Spanish-American War, commanded by former American President Theodore Roosevelt and dubbed “The Rough Riders” by the American press. They had their first game at the Riders Field, which opened in 2003 and has a capacity of 10,316. In 2021, they transferred to the Double-A Central, renamed the Texas League in 2022. The Riders have made it seven times in the Texas League postseason. They have two league championships and five divisional crowns. The RoughRiders won the Texas League championship in 2004, and they won it again in 2022.

FC Dallas

There’s a professional soccer team as well in Dallas FC Dallas (Football Club). They were one of the original 10 charter members of Major League Soccer (MLS). They play their games at Toyota Stadium. FC Dallas is part of the Western Conference. Before becoming known as FC Dallas they were named the Dallas Burn. In 2011 they became the first MLS team to beat the Mexico team in the CONCACAF Championship League.

Forth Worth Vaqueros

The Fort Worth Vaqueros FC is an American amateur soccer team based in Fort Worth, Texas that kicked off in May 2014 during the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) season. The Vaqueros compete in the South Region of the Lone Star Conference. After the team competition, the team’s name was revealed on February 13, 2014, at the Fort Worth Livestock Exchange Building. Fans chose the team’s official logo, which was eventually unveiled on March 20, 2014. The team’s first season was in 2014 at storied LaGrave Field, which drew an average attendance of 2,000 spectators during the 2014 season and hosted 2,700 fans during their inaugural home game. The Panther City Hellfire, a historical Fort Worth moniker, is the primary group of supporters for the Vaqueros.

The Vaqueros have a strong bond with their supporters and actively involve them in developing and expanding the team. Dallas City FC presented the Vaqueros with an immediate rival when they first joined the NPSL. There is a natural rivalry between the two groups due to their near proximity to one another in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The Vaqueros compete in a two-leg cup series versus Dallas City in addition to their conference games. Through social media, DFW-area fans of both teams chose the name of the cup. Dallas City FC defeated the Vaqueros 2-0 in the first leg and 1-0 in the second leg to win the first Trinity River Cup in 2014.