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Shocking report points to possible Texans fan revolt

Texans Deshaun Watson, Cal McNair
Why would anyone pay to watch this team? Composite image by Jack Brame.
Here’s how Texans ownership put their fans in the worst possible position

To say the Texans have had a whirlwind offseason would be an understatement. Not only did they release JJ Watt, the best player in team history, but their franchise quarterback has been embroiled in a couple of controversies. Deshaun Watson has made it known he wants out and has 22 civil suits pending. Not to mention they didn't have any first or second round picks, and proceeded to make only five picks despite having eight because they traded up twice. Add that to some questionable roster moves, and there's a recipe for a disastrous season on the horizon.

Enter the season ticket fiasco. Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle wrote an article explaining how much of the waiting list is no longer waiting. It painted the picture of fans evidently being fed up and are finally fighting back against the organization where it truly hurts them: the bottom line. This is a team that sold their 91% capacity of season tickets before even playing a game! They've had a waiting list longer than a CVS receipt for 20 years! Now, the fans are fed up because the organization appears to still be a laughingstock despite getting rid of Bill O'Brien.

My only question is: will this strategy actually work? Will fans being noncommittal on buying season tickets have the desired effect on the way the team is run? Cal McNair is still in charge. Janice McNair, Cal's mom, won't do anything to embarrass her son publicly, such as removing him from power. Jack Easterby is firmly entrenched in a leadership role and the McNairs apparently love him. He helped get Nick Caserio hired, so there's a certain debt of gratitude there. David Culley is a placeholder coach in my opinion. So how will this strike against supporting the team actually make a difference?

With the television deal and revenue sharing in place, NFL teams won't lose money. They'd have to gamble it away and use the rest on hookers and drugs before they come close to losing money. Not saying that the Texans are a strung out junkie of a franchise, but they aren't exactly the picture of stability. It helps that they're in a business that's fool-proof. Fans sending a message of disinterest will cause the organization to think differently, but it won't hit them as hard as people would like. They can still operate as if nothing else matters because they know the money will keep coming in. Look at the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions. Two NFL teams that have been horrible for a number of years, but are able to maintain despite a losing history over the last 10-20 years or more. The Clippers, Kings, and Timberwolves have managed to survive in the NBA despite their poor performances. So have the Tigers, Orioles, and Diamondbacks in MLB despite their bottom of the barrel showings.

While I hope the downturn in season ticket renewals/buys forces the Texans organization into changing their way of operating, I don't think it'll have the desired impact. Single game ticket sales will increase because opposing fan bases will buy some of them, especially ones that travel well or are close regionally. There's also the week-to-week fans that will buy tickets just to have an outing due to being locked down for most of the past year or so. The pandemic has caused some crazy things to happen. I personally have been a victim and beneficiary of this on a number of fronts. Ultimately, this won't change how the Texans operate as an organization. It'll be status quo on Kirby because the NFL is almost impossible to fail at (A.K.A. losing money). Fans can do as they please, but the team will always win. Here's to hoping Caserio can put together a roster worth competing soon. Otherwise, this team will be more Browns South than Patriots South.


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The Astros beat the Rangers, 5-4. Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images.

Zack Short hit a walk-off RBI single in the 11th inning after Christian Walker tied it with a sacrifice fly and the Houston Astros beat the Texas Rangers 5-4 on Saturday night.

Short hit a 1-1 pitch to right field off Hoby Milner after Robert Garcia (1-5) walked two to load the bases.

Texas took a 4-3 lead when Adolis García hit the first pitch from Bennett Sousa (3-0) for a single — scoring automatic runner Marcus Semien.

Kyle Higashioka hit a solo home run off Josh Hader with two outs in the ninth to tie it 3-3. It was the first blown save for Hader after 25 straight to begin the season.

Jose Altuve hit his 17th homer — a two-out solo shot in the first off Jacob deGrom to tie it 1-1 after the Rangers scored an unearned run on Framber Valdez’s wild pitch.

Yainer Diaz homered for the 14th time for a 2-1 lead in the fourth. Mauricio Dubón hit his sixth homer off Jacob Webb for a 3-1 lead in the seventh.

Semien hit his 11th homer to cut it to 3-2 in the eighth.

Valdez allowed an unearned run on four hits with 10 strikeouts and no walks in six innings. The Astros have won his last 12 starts with him getting the win in nine of them.

DeGrom allowed two runs on four hits and a walk in six innings with eight strikeouts.

The Rangers struck out 19 times — two short of the club record for an extra-inning game.

Key moment

Short entered as a pinch runner in the ninth and was just 4 for 17 before his game winner.

Key stat

Houston hasn’t lost a season series with division rival Texas since 2016.

Up next

Rangers RHP Nathan Eovaldi (6-3, 1.62 ERA) starts Sunday’s rubber game opposite Astros RHP Hunter Brown (9-3, 2.21).

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