In the Spotlight: Dallas-Fort Worth Professional Sports Teams

As someone who grew up in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, winning is everything. Us sports fans don't care about our favorite teams making it to the playoffs. We do care, but anything less than a championship is considered a failure. Yes, we have very high expectations for our teams. This logic is also true for high school sports teams. Especially Friday night football. Attending these was like being at church and we do take them very seriously. I'm still waiting for the Dallas Cowboys to win their first Super Bowl in 30 something years. In this story, I'll be highlighting some of the teams from the area and how well they've performed over the years. The teams of focus for this story are the Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers, Dallas Stars, FC Dallas, Dallas Mavericks, and Frisco RoughRiders.

Dallas Cowboys

Speaking of the Cowboys, where do we start? They haven't been to the playoffs since 2023, where they lost to the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round. The last time they were in the Conference Championship was in 1995 where they won the title. During that span, they had 13 playoff exits and four playoff wins. That's embarrassing and as I've stated in my previous Dallas Cowboys story, Jerry Jones has been ruining this team since he bought the team. Firing Jimmy Johnson is one of the reasons why I heavily dislike him. Had Jimmy Johnson remained as head coach, we would've won multiple Super Bowl titles. For now, we're stuck with a delusional, out of touch owner who has to wear multiple hats in the organization.

Dallas Stars

I'm not much of a hockey fan, but this team has been doing well over the last several years. The Stars were previously known as the Minnesota North Stars from 1967 to 1993. They've been known as the Stars since the 1993-1994 NHL season, which they relocated to Dallas from Minnesota. The Stars have one Stanley Cup, which they won back in 1999. They've been playing at American Airlines Center since 2001, but last month, Plano announced plans of building a new arena there. The cost of it is estimated to be $1 billion. The lease at AAC expires in 2031, which is also home to the Dallas Mavericks. The new arena is expected to be open sometime in 2031.

Dallas Mavericks

Just like the Dallas Stars, the Dallas Mavericks will also have a new place to play their games. According to numerous sources, construction of it took place at the site of the former Valley View Mall near the Richardson border in the middle of 2025 and is estimated to be completed in late 2027. The opening of the new arena will occur in early 2028, after the 2031-2032 NBA season. Remember that theirs and the Stars leases at the American Airlines Center expire in 2031. Founded in 1980, the Mavericks have a total of three Conference titles and five division titles. Plus, they have one NBA championship to show for it and was their first in franchise history since winning it back in 2011. They previously played at Reunion Arena from 1980 until 2001 and they've been playing their games at the AAC since.

Texas Rangers

This American League West team is trying to make it to the Postseason since their 2023 magical season, where they captured their first World Series title in franchise history. Also, they hope to win the division for the first time since 2016. It all depends on if they'll accomplish one of those goals this season. They currently play at Globe Life Field, which opened in 2020 after playing at their previous spot for 25 years. Besides the one World Series title they won back in 2023, they have three American League pennants, seven American League West titles, and two Wild Card berths. The Rangers had to go through their share of struggles to make it to the Postseason, but 2023 will always be the year Rangers fans will remember for the rest of their lives. The team will celebrate 60 years being in Arlington in 2032.

FC Dallas

To be honest with everyone, I've never been a huge fan of soccer. However, my youngest brother and sister were interested in it and played it since they were little. The World Cup is currently going on and sadly, the US Men's team has since been eliminated from the tournament. From 1996 to 2004, FC Dallas was known as the Dallas Burn. To be fair, I've been to a few of Dallas Burn games. At the time, they played their games at Dragon Stadium, home to Carroll Senior High School in Southlake, which is a northern Fort Worth suburb. My parents forced me to go to these games, even though I didn't want to. I couldn't relate to it and when you have Liberian parents, they force you to like things that you have zero interest in. They currently play their games at Toyota Stadium in Frisco. They haven't won an MLS Cup yet, but whenever that day comes, I would buy a jersey. Side note: I low-key liked the Dallas Burn uniforms more than FC Dallas.

Frisco RoughRiders

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know that they're a Minor League team, but I'm going to include them on this list. The Frisco RoughRiders are part of Minor League Baseball's Texas League. They're the Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. Founded in 2003, they currently play at Riders Field (formerly Dr. Pepper Ballpark) and have been since their inception. They've won two league titles and six division titles. Notable players who were promoted to the big leagues include former Rangers such as Elvis Andrus, Derek Holland, Ian Kinsler, and Chris Davis. I've been to a couple of minor league games, but in Arkansas, which is where I currently reside. I'll have a link to a story regarding that down below. I've never attended a 'Riders game, but that's one of my bucket list items I'm aiming to accomplish.

My Experiences Attending Minor League Games | Unbalanced