Sports in Austin, Texas
The City of Austin, Texas and the Austin metropolitan area has no major league professional sports teams, but is home to the University of Texas Longhorns and to several minor-league sports teams.
Teams
Austin area prominent sports teams Club Sport Founded League Venue (capacity) Attendance Texas Longhorns Football 1893 NCAA Texas Memorial Stadium (100,120) 101,175 Texas Longhorns Basketball 1906 NCAA Frank Erwin Center (16,540) 13,669 Texas Longhorns Baseball 1894 NCAA UFCU Disch–Falk Field (6,755) 5,793 Round Rock Express Baseball 2000 Pacific Coast League (AAA) Dell Diamond (8,720) 8,181 Texas Stars Ice hockey 2009 American Hockey League Cedar Park Center (8,700) 5,146 Austin Spurs Basketball 2005 NBA D-League Cedar Park Center (8,700) 2,800 Austin Aztex Soccer 2011 United Soccer League House Park (6,500) 1,438 Austin Outlaws Football 2003 Women's Football Alliance House Park (6,500) Austin Sol Ultimate 2016 American Ultimate Disc League House Park, Vandergrift Park, and Westwood (6,500) Austin Huns Rugby 1972 Texas Rugby Union 4107 Nixon Lane (2,000)
University of Texas Longhorns
Many Austinites support the athletic programs of the University of Texas at Austin known as the Texas Longhorns. During the 2005–06 academic term, Longhorns football team was named the NCAA Division I FBS National Football Champion and Longhorns baseball team won the College World Series.[1][2] The Texas Longhorns play home games in the state's second-largest sports stadium, Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, seating over 101,000 fans.[3] Baseball games are played at UFCU Disch–Falk Field which underwent renovation in 1996 with an increased capacity to 6,756 seats plus 11 stadium suites.
Professional sports
Austin is the largest city in the United States without a club in a major professional sports league.[4] Minor-league professional sports came to Austin in 1996, when the Austin Ice Bats began playing at the Travis County Expo Center.[5] Since then, the Austin Ice Bats have been replaced by the Texas Stars[6] of the American Hockey League. Other teams have come to Austin including the Austin Spurs of the NBA Development League. Most recently, the Austin Huns Rugby Football Club entered into their first year as a professional sports entity in 2016.
Biking, swimming, and running
Natural features like the bicycle-friendly Texas Hill Country, limestone rock formations, and generally mild climate work with the centrally located Lady Bird Lake Hike and Bike Trail, and local pools like Barton Springs to make Austin the home of several endurance and multi-sport races and communities. The Capitol 10,000 is the largest 10 K race in Texas, and approximately fifth largest in the United States.[7] The Austin Marathon has been run in the city every year since 1992. The Austin-founded American Swimming Association hosts an open water swimming event, the Cap 2 K, and other closed-course, open water, and cable swim races around town. Austin is also the hometown of several cycling groups and the former seven-time Tour de France champion cyclist[8] Lance Armstrong, as well as environmentally and economically minded bicycle commuters. Combining these three disciplines is a growing crop of triathlons, including the Capital of Texas Triathlon held every Memorial Day on and around Lady Bird Lake, Auditorium Shores, and Downtown Austin.[9]
Auto racing
In June 2010 it was announced by the Formula One chief executive Bernie Ecclestone that the Austin area would host the Formula One, United States Grand Prix, from 2012 until 2021. The effort was aided by State Comptroller Susan Combs. The State has pledged to put up $25 million in public funds annually for 10 years to pay the sanctioning fees for the race.[10] The event was last held in 2007 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.[11] A Formula One circuit will need to be built at an estimated cost of $250 to $300 million, paid for by private investors, and is expected to be located just east of the Austin Bergstrom International Airport. The Austin investor group is headed by Tavo Hellmund,[12] President of Full Throttle Productions, LP. Hellmund, of Austin, is himself a former race car owner and driver.[13] Circuit of the Americas will also play host to MotoGP World Championships from 2013. Lewis Hamilton won the 2012 United States Grand Prix at Austin on November 18.
High school and youth sports
Austin is home to the 2010 U.S. Youth Soccer U19 Girls National Champion club Lonestar Soccer Club.
Other sports
Austin is known as a major Disc Golf city as well, with 11 established courses and over 50 courses within driving distance.
In July 2013 ESPN announced the X Games would relocate from Los Angeles to Austin, where the city will serve as one of six stops on the Global X Games circuit from 2014 to 2018. The 2014 events are scheduled to take place at the Circuit of The Americas sports and entertainment venue from May 15 to May 18.[14]
Austin is also considered the birthplace of all-women's flat track roller derby.[15] In 2003, the Texas Rollergirls formed as the first league to play modern flat-track roller derby[16] and, in 2005, were instrumental in the rule-setting and track design used by the Women's Flat Track Derby Association.[17]
References
- ^ "Texas Wins Sixth College World Series. Title". Los Angeles Times. June 27, 2005. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
- ^ "Horns of plenty: VY, Texas deny USC three-peat bid". ESPN. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
- ^ "Texas 34, Texas Tech 24 box score". USA Today. September 20, 2009.
- ^ "Major Cities Without A Major Pro Team, And Their Likelihood Of Ever Landing One". SBNation. December 8, 2011. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
- ^ "A to Z Encyclopedia of Ice Hockey – Au". Azhockey.com. Archived from the original on June 9, 2010. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Texas Stars". Texasstarshockey.com. Archived from the original on June 19, 2010. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Cap 10K race a running success". KXAN News. Austin, TX. April 11, 2010. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
- ^ Keller, Greg (July 15, 2010). "Tour de France Armstrong: 2010 Tour will be "tough"". Austin American-Statesman (Associated Press). Retrieved July 14, 2010.[dead link]
- ^ "Capital of Texas triathlon maps". October 3, 2009.
- ^ Maher, John (July 20, 2010). "Combs enthusiastic about F1 after watching Gritish Grand Prix". Austin American-Statesman.
- ^ Noble, Jonathan (May 25, 2010). "US Grand Prix returns to F1 in 2012". autosport.com. Haymarket Publishing. Archived from the original on May 26, 2010. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
{{cite news}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "Formula One Headed for Austin". Austin American-Statesman. May 25, 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
- ^ "Tavo(CT)Hellmund Bio". Racing West.com. Archived from the original on June 1, 2010. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ http://xgames.espn.go.com/article/9484217/x-games-announces-new-host-city-austin-texas-2014
- ^ Mabe, Catherine. Roller Derby: The History and All-Girl Revival of the Greatest Sport on Wheels. Speck Press: Denver. 2007:61.
- ^ Mabe, Catherine. Roller Derby: The History and All-Girl Revival of the Greatest Sport on Wheels. Speck Press: Denver. 2007.
- ^ "Rules Central – Women's Flat Track Derby Association". Wftda.com. May 26, 2010. Retrieved February 13, 2012.