Why I’m A Fan Of The Houston Texans

Welcome to the refreshed Battle Red Blog. To celebrate the new look and feel of our sports communities, we’re sharing stories of how and why we became fans of our favorite teams. If you’d like to share your story, head over to the FanPosts to write your own entry. Each FanPost will be entered into a drawing to win a $500 Fanatics gift card. We’re collecting all of the stories here and featuring the best ones across our network as well. Come fan with us, won’t you?

Several of you have previously shared how you became a fan of the Houston Texans. Today, I want to know why you became a fan of the Texans. I’ll start the show.

I was still in college when the Texans came to be in 1999. As fate would have it, I returned to Houston a year before the inaugural season to attend trade school. My father, knowing I was coming back to town, thought it might be a good idea to invest in season tickets, with the idea that he and I would attend home games when we could. It sounded like a solid plan to me, considering it (1) wouldn’t cost me money I didn’t have and (2) involved football. I’m easy like that.

But I wasn’t totally on board. At that point in my life, I was far more into college football. I watched games on Sundays, but not with anywhere near the fervor that I did on Saturdays. I figured the Texans would be a fun hobby that took a clear backseat to my beloved Horns.

As my dad happened to be out of town on September 8, 2002, I attended that first Texans game with a buddy of mine. You probably remember that night. Needless to say, I was hooked on the hometown team from that evening on. The environment was as amazing as I’d seen at any live sporting event, and the idea that I, as a fan, could get in on the ground floor of a franchise was something I didn’t think I’d ever see again.

In the ensuing fifteen years, I’ve been fortunate enough to attend most Texans games at Reliant NRG Stadium, almost always with my father beside me, overreacting to every play on the field. In 2015, I started taking my son to the occasional Texans game in an effort to build up his tolerance, with an eye toward him attending every game with his grandfather and I as he got older. I’m proud to say we’re making progress on that front; he can’t rattle off the two-deep yet, but he knows quite well that J.J. Watt is not of this planet and that the key to his family’s happiness this fall likely rests with Deshaun Watson (and Tom Herman, naturally).

Since 2002, I wouldn’t say that the Texans have surpassed the Horns in my heart, but I also wouldn’t say that they haven’t jumped into the front seat, riding shotgun in my proverbial Pinto of fanaticism.

Then again, I do write here and not here, so maybe there is a new sheriff in town.

Why did you become a fan of the Houston Texans? Share your story here and you just might be $500.00 richer for it.

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