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The city of Dallas and the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area are home to teams in six major sports: the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
(National Football League),
Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...
(National Basketball Association), Texas Rangers (Major League Baseball),
Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. The Stars compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The Stars ...
(National Hockey League),
FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The franchise be ...
(Major League Soccer), and Dallas Wings (Women's National Basketball Association). Dallas-Fort Worth area major college sports programs include Patriots baseball of Dallas Baptist University located in southwest Dallas, and the Mustangs of
Southern Methodist University Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a Private university, private research university in Dallas, Texas, United States, with a satellite campus in Taos County, New Mexico. SMU was founded on April 17, 1911, by the Methodist Episcopal Church, ...
, located in the enclave of University Park. Neighboring cities Fort Worth, Arlington, and Denton are home to the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs, University of Texas at Arlington Mavericks, and University of North Texas Mean Green, respectively.


Major league teams


American football

Nearby
Arlington, Texas Arlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal c ...
, is home to the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
of the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL). Since joining the league as an expansion team in 1960, the Cowboys have enjoyed substantial success, advancing to eight
Super Bowls The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...
and winning five. Known widely as "America's Team", the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
are financially the most valuable sports franchise in the United States, worth approximately 2.3 billion dollars. They are also the most valuable sports organization in the world. From 1960-71, the Cowboys played home games at the Cotton Bowl, in Dallas's Fair Park. From 1971-2008, the team played at
Texas Stadium Texas Stadium was an American football stadium located in Irving, Texas, a suburb west of Dallas. Opened on October 24, 1971, it was known for its distinctive hole in the roof, the result of abandoned plans to construct a retractable roof. Th ...
in
Irving, Texas Irving is a city in Dallas County, Texas, United States. It is part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex and is an Inner suburb, inner city suburb of Dallas. Irving is noted for its #Demographics, racial and ethnic diver ...
. In 2009, the Cowboys relocated to their new 80,000-seat AT&T Stadium in Arlington, which was the site of Super Bowl XLV. The college Cotton Bowl Classic football game was played at the Cotton Bowl through its 2009 game, but has moved to AT&T Stadium. Indoor football Nearby
Frisco, Texas Frisco is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Collin County, Texas, Collin and Denton County, Texas, Denton counties. It is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex (DFW) and about from both Dallas Love Field and Dallas/Fort Worth In ...
is home to the Frisco Fighters of the
Indoor Football League The Indoor Football League (IFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional indoor American football league in the United States. The league comprises 14 teams, divided equally between the Eastern Conference (EC) and Western Conference ...
. The team was founded in 2021, and plays its home games at the Comerica Center in Frisco. The season is played from May to August. The league was formed in 2008 with 19 teams competing currently they have 12 teams playing with 5 more teams joining in 2022. Lower-level leagues The Dallas Renegades were members of the XFL and played their home games at Globe Life Park in Arlington, now known as Choctaw Stadium. until the XFL’s shutdown in the middle of the 2020 season. The XFL relaunched in 2023, with the Renegades returning to play in Choctaw Stadium under the new name of Arlington Renegades.


Men's basketball

Downtown Dallas is home to the
Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...
of the
National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...
(NBA). Their original arena was the now demolished
Reunion Arena Reunion Arena was an indoor arena located in the Reunion, Dallas, Reunion district of downtown Dallas, Texas, United States. The arena served as the primary home of the National Hockey League's (NHL) Dallas Stars and the National Basketball Ass ...
, but now they play at the
American Airlines Center The American Airlines Center (AAC) is a multi-purpose List of indoor arenas, indoor arena located in the Victory Park, Dallas, Victory Park neighborhood in downtown Dallas, Texas. The arena serves as the home of the Dallas Stars of the National ...
. The Mavericks have won one championship, winning the 2011 NBA Finals, led by German-born superstar
Dirk Nowitzki Dirk Werner Nowitzki (; born June 19, 1978) is a German former professional basketball player who is a special advisor for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Listed at , he is widely regarded as one of the great ...
. The Mavericks have one of the largest fanbases in the NBA, consistently ranking in the top 5 over the last few years in attendance. The Mavericks had a streak of 12 consecutive playoff appearances from 2001-2012 and 15 appearances in 16 years from 2001-2016, only missing the playoffs in 2013 when they finished with an even 41–41 record and out of the playoffs as the 10th seed. NBA G League The Mavericks' minor league affiliate, the Texas Legends, play in
Frisco, Texas Frisco is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Collin County, Texas, Collin and Denton County, Texas, Denton counties. It is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex (DFW) and about from both Dallas Love Field and Dallas/Fort Worth In ...
, and compete in the
NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the Minor league#Basketball, developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of ...
. The franchise began as the Colorado 49ers in 2006, and moved to Frisco in 2009. The Legends play their home games at the Comerica Center in Frisco.


Women's basketball

The Dallas Wings of the WNBA play home games at the College Park Center on the campus of University of Texas at Arlington. The franchise relocated to the North Texas market in 2015 from
Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa ( ) is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities by population, 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The po ...
, where it was known as the Tulsa Shock. The Wings will relocate to downtown Dallas at the Memorial Arena, part of the
Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center (KBHCCD; formerly the Dallas Convention Center) is a convention center in the Convention Center District, Dallas, Texas, Convention Center District of downtown Dallas, downtown Dallas, Texas. The "Dal ...
, in 2026.


Baseball

The Texas Rangers of
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
(MLB) also play home games in Arlington at the new
Globe Life Field Globe Life Field is a retractable roof stadium in Arlington, Texas, United States. It is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. It is located just south of the Rangers' former home ballpark, Globe ...
, and are the 2010 , 2011 and 2023 American League Champions. The franchise was established in 1961 as the Washington Senators, and moved to Arlington after the 1971 season, becoming the Rangers in 1972. From 1972-1993, the team played home games at Arlington Stadium. From 1994-2019, the Rangers played home games at a stadium originally known as The Ballpark in Arlington; the stadium is currently known as Choctaw Stadium. Beginning in 2020, the team played its home games at
Globe Life Field Globe Life Field is a retractable roof stadium in Arlington, Texas, United States. It is the home ballpark of Major League Baseball's Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. It is located just south of the Rangers' former home ballpark, Globe ...
in Arlington. The Rangers most successful season was
2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
as they won their first World Series in franchise history. Minor League Baseball The Rangers'
Minor League Baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...
(AA-Affiliate)
Frisco RoughRiders The Frisco RoughRiders (often shortened to 'Riders) are a Minor League Baseball team of the Texas League and the Double-A (baseball), Double-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers (baseball), Texas Rangers. Based in Frisco, Texas, the team is named aft ...
play in Frisco, Texas. The team was founded in 2003, and plays its home games at Riders Field (formerly known as Dr. Pepper Ballpark).


Soccer

The
Major League Soccer Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional Association football, soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanc ...
team
FC Dallas FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes in Major League Soccer (MLS) as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference. The franchise be ...
, formerly the Dallas Burn, currently play at Toyota Stadium in Frisco. The team originally played at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, spent one year playing at a high school stadium in Southlake, Texas ( Dragon Stadium), and began playing in Frisco in 2005. FC Dallas also has an affiliate team in the developmental
MLS Next Pro MLS Next Pro (MLSNP) is a men's professional association football, soccer league in the United States and Canada that is affiliated with Major League Soccer (MLS). It launched in 2022 with 21 teams and now comprises 27 reserve sides of MLS clu ...
league, called North Texas SC. NTSC plays most home games at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington. The first professional women's soccer team in Dallas, Dallas Trinity FC, was founded on May 16, 2023 in the new USL Super League. They began playing their home games in 2024 at the Cotton Bowl. Indoor soccer Dallas has been home to two different franchises known as the Dallas Sidekicks. From 1984-2004, the original Dallas Sidekicks played in the Major Indoor Soccer League, hosting home games at
Reunion Arena Reunion Arena was an indoor arena located in the Reunion, Dallas, Reunion district of downtown Dallas, Texas, United States. The arena served as the primary home of the National Hockey League's (NHL) Dallas Stars and the National Basketball Ass ...
. After the league fell apart, and after an eight year hiatus, in 2012 another version of the Dallas Sidekicks was formed. This current version of the Sidekicks plays in the
Major Arena Soccer League The Major Arena Soccer League (MASL) is a professional indoor soccer league in North America. The MASL features teams playing coast-to-coast in the United States and Mexico. The league is the highest level of arena soccer in North America. The le ...
, hosting home games at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center in
Allen, Texas Allen is a city in Collin County, Texas, Collin County in the U.S. state of Texas, and a northern suburb in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The population was 104,627 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, and was estimated to be 111 ...
.


2026 FIFA World Cup

AT&T Stadium will host several matches during the
2026 FIFA World Cup The 2026 FIFA World Cup, marketed as FIFA World Cup 26, will be the 23rd FIFA World Cup, the Anniversary#Latin-derived numerical names, quadrennial international men's Association football, soccer championship contested by the List of men's n ...
.


Ice hockey

The
Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. The Stars compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The Stars ...
of the
National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
(NHL) have played in Dallas since 1993. The franchise originated in 1967 in
Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
, as the
Minnesota North Stars The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for ...
, and moved to Dallas after the 1992-93 season. The team plays its home games at the
American Airlines Center The American Airlines Center (AAC) is a multi-purpose List of indoor arenas, indoor arena located in the Victory Park, Dallas, Victory Park neighborhood in downtown Dallas, Texas. The arena serves as the home of the Dallas Stars of the National ...
, after playing originally at
Reunion Arena Reunion Arena was an indoor arena located in the Reunion, Dallas, Reunion district of downtown Dallas, Texas, United States. The arena served as the primary home of the National Hockey League's (NHL) Dallas Stars and the National Basketball Ass ...
. The Stars won the
Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...
in
1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
, plus the Western Conference championship three times, two Presidents' Trophies as the top regular season team in the NHL, and eight division titles. The team helped popularize hockey in the region, that in 1993 only had one sheet of ice in Valley Ranch in Irving, and by 2010 there were almost 30, used by tens of thousands of young players. Lower levels of hockey The
Allen Americans The Allen Americans are a professional ice hockey team headquartered at the Allen Event Center, Credit Union of Texas Event Center in Allen, Texas, which currently plays in the ECHL. The team was founded in 2009–10 CHL season, 2009 in the Centr ...
, founded for the 2009–10 season, play in the Central Division of the
ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a minor professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams across the United States and Canada. Competitively, it is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...
. Their home arena is the Credit Union of Texas Event Center located in
Allen, Texas Allen is a city in Collin County, Texas, Collin County in the U.S. state of Texas, and a northern suburb in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The population was 104,627 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, and was estimated to be 111 ...
, approximately 30 minutes northeast of Dallas. The junior hockey Lone Star Brahmas (formerly the five-time defending champions Texas Tornado) of the
North American Hockey League The North American Hockey League (NAHL) is one of the top junior hockey leagues in the United States and is in its 50th season of operation in 2024–25. It is the only Tier II junior league sanctioned by USA Hockey, and acts as an alternati ...
play at the NYTEX Sports Centre in North Richland Hills.


Lacrosse

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...
is home to Panther City Lacrosse, a box lacrosse team in the
National Lacrosse League The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is a professional box lacrosse league in North America. The league comprises 14 teams8 in the United States and 6 in Canada. The NLL is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ...
. The team began in the 2021-22 season, and plays its home games at Dickies Arena.


Rugby Union

The Dallas Jackals of
Major League Rugby Major League Rugby (MLR) is a professional rugby union competition in the United States. The league comprises 11 teams. While operating outside of the governance and oversight of the national governing body, the league is officially sanctioned ...
are the first professional rugby team in DFW. The team was announced on June 5, 2020, and began play in February 2022. The team plays home games at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington.
Rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
is a developing sport in Dallas as well as the whole of Texas. The multiple clubs, ranging from men's and women's clubs to collegiate and high school, are part of the Texas Rugby Football Union. Currently Dallas is one of only 16 cities in the United States included in the Rugby Super League represented by Dallas Harlequins.


List of current major league teams

Major league sports teams currently playing in the Dallas–Fort Worth area:


List of current minor league teams

Minor league sports teams currently playing in the Dallas–Fort Worth area:


Other sports


Roller Derby

The Dallas Derby Devils were founded in November 2004 and are the original North Texas roller derby league with a current roster of over one hundred active skaters. Dallas Derby Devils is one of the largest flat track derby leagues in the southern United States. The Dallas Derby Devils are an original member of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). Game have been held a
NYTEX Sports Centre
in North Richland Hills since 2008. In 2019, the Dallas Derby Devils integrated the Rolling Rebellion, a Junior Roller Derby Association (JRDA) team, into their ranks expanding the program to include all youth ages 7-17 years of age. The league currently holds a full home season schedule in addition to their annual Clover Cup Tournament.


Cricket

In 2021,
USA Cricket USA Cricket (USAC) is the governing body of cricket in the United States. USA Cricket operates all of the United States national representative cricket sides, including the men's and women's national teams and youth teams, as well as Majo ...
announced it would be moving its headquarters to Grand Prairie at the stadium formerly known as AirHogs Stadium.
Cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
is popular among diaspora from South Asian countries. Local universities such as SMU, University of Texas at Arlington and University of Texas at Dallas have their own cricket clubs that are affiliated with USA Cricket. In 2023, a new
Twenty20 cricket Twenty20 (abbreviated T20) is a shortened format of cricket. At the professional level, it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 for the county cricket, inter-county competition. In a Twenty20 game, the two t ...
league called
Major League Cricket Major League Cricket (MLC) is a professional Twenty20 (T20) cricket league in the United States organized by American Cricket Enterprises (ACE) and sanctioned by USA Cricket. Founded in 2023, the league operates as a single entity consisting of ...
formed and originally started off with 6 teams. One of those teams are The Texas Super Kings, who are also located in Grand Prairie.


Call of Duty

The Dallas Empire competes in the Call of Duty League, also known as, CDL. The Empire are one of the 12 inaugural teams in the Call of Duty League. During the first season of the CDL, the Dallas Empire defeated Atlanta FaZe 5-1 to capture the CDL's first-ever league championship. Call of Duty Esports legend, Crimsix took the Call of Duty Championship Finals MVP. Dallas Empire is owned by
Team Envy Team Envy is an American esports franchise based in Dallas, Texas, owned by Envy Gaming. Founded in 2007 as a professional ''Call of Duty'' team under the moniker Team EnVyUs, they fielded rosters in '' Counter-Strike, FIFA, Fortnite, Gears ...
.


Horse racing

About halfway between Dallas and Fort Worth, horse-racing takes place at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie.


Ultimate Frisbee

The Dallas Legion, formerly the Dallas Roughnecks, compete in the American Ultimate Disc League (AUDL). The Legion's home field is the John Paul II High School Stadium in Plano, Texas. The team played its first season in 2016, finishing 17–0 and was crowned the AUDL Champions in its inaugural season. The Roughnecks are the only team to compete in Championship Weekend (Final 4) each of the last 4 seasons (and the only team to finish in the top 4 every season in its history).


Overwatch

The Dallas Fuel competes in the
Overwatch League The Overwatch League (OWL) was a professional esports league for the video game ''Overwatch'', produced by its developer, Blizzard Entertainment. From 2018 to 2023, the Overwatch League followed the model of other traditional North American prof ...
. The Fuel were one of the league's 12 founding teams. During the inaugural season the fuel finished 10th overall with a record of 12 wins and 28 losses. The Fuel won their first OWL championship in the 2022 season after defeating the San Francisco Shock in the 2022 Grand Finals.


Other sports

The
Dallas Diamonds The Dallas Diamonds was a women's Professional sports, professional American football team in the Women's Football Alliance (WFA). The Diamonds were made up of 46 Player (game), players and a coaching staff of 10. The Diamonds won four nation ...
, the two-time national champions of the Women's Professional Football League, play in North Richland Hills. McKinney is home to the Dallas Revolution, an Independent Women's Football League team. The Dallas Bluestorm was a charter of the United National Gridiron League, a proposed minor football league that had planned to begin play in 2010. As reported by Olympic news outlet Around the Rings, Dallas was looking at a 2020 Summer Olympics bid. Those in favor of Dallas said that it should be chosen because no major stadiums would have to be built for the games. The PGA of America, which operates two major golf championships (the men's
PGA Championship The PGA Championship (often referred to as the US PGA Championship or USPGA outside the United States) is an annual golf tournament conducted by the Professional Golfers' Association of America. The PGA is one of the four men's major golf champi ...
and
Women's PGA Championship The Women's PGA Championship (branded as the KPMG Women's PGA Championship for sponsorship reasons) is a women's professional golf tournament. First held in 1955, it is one of five majors on the LPGA Tour. It is not recognized as a major by the ...
) and also jointly operates the
Ryder Cup The Ryder Cup is a biennial men's golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States, with hosting duties alternating between venues in Europe and the United States for each edition. The cup is named after the English businessman S ...
with a European consortium dominated by the European Tour, moved its headquarters from the Miami area to Frisco in 2022.


Former sports teams


American football

National Football League In 1952, an NFL franchise called the
Dallas Texans (NFL) The Dallas Texans played in the National Football League (NFL) for one season in 1952. They posted a record of 1–11. Initially based in Dallas, the team was returned to the league in the middle of the season and became a traveling team base ...
played for one season. The team went 1-11 and folded after one season. In 1960, Dallas millionaire
Lamar Hunt Lamar Hunt Sr. (August 2, 1932 – December 13, 2006) was an American businessman most notable for his promotion of football, soccer, and tennis in the United States. With his brothers, he also attempted to corner the silver market. He was t ...
founded the
American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, AFL–NFL merger, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Foot ...
, and located his team in Dallas, naming them the Dallas Texans. The Dallas Texans won one AFL Championship in 1962. And after playing three seasons in Dallas, the team relocated in 1963 to become the
Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...
. Arena football Dallas has hosted three arena football franchises in its past, all a part of the now-defunct
Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 Arena Football League season, 1987 season, making it the third longest-runnin ...
. From 1990-1993, the Dallas Texans (Arena) competed in the league, calling
Reunion Arena Reunion Arena was an indoor arena located in the Reunion, Dallas, Reunion district of downtown Dallas, Texas, United States. The arena served as the primary home of the National Hockey League's (NHL) Dallas Stars and the National Basketball Ass ...
their home. From 2002-2008, the AFL team was the Dallas Desperados, playing home games at the
American Airlines Center The American Airlines Center (AAC) is a multi-purpose List of indoor arenas, indoor arena located in the Victory Park, Dallas, Victory Park neighborhood in downtown Dallas, Texas. The arena serves as the home of the Dallas Stars of the National ...
. In 2010-2011, the Dallas Vigilantes played in the
American Airlines Center The American Airlines Center (AAC) is a multi-purpose List of indoor arenas, indoor arena located in the Victory Park, Dallas, Victory Park neighborhood in downtown Dallas, Texas. The arena serves as the home of the Dallas Stars of the National ...
as a part of the restructured Arena Football League.


Baseball

The
Fort Worth Cats The Fort Worth Cats was a professional baseball team based in Fort Worth, Texas, in the United States. The Cats were a member of the South Division of the now disbanded United League Baseball, which was not affiliated with Major League Baseba ...
were a historic minor-league baseball team that played from 1888-1964. Through its history, the team was affiliated with a variety of Major League franchises. The Texas AirHogs were an independent professional baseball team located in
Grand Prairie, Texas Grand Prairie is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Dallas County, Texas, Dallas, Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant, and Ellis County, Texas, Ellis counties with a small part extending into Johnson County, Texas , Johnson county. It ...
from 2008-2020.


Soccer (association football)

The Dallas Tornado were a professional soccer team in the North American Soccer League from 1968 to 1981. The team and the league were founded by Dallas sports legend
Lamar Hunt Lamar Hunt Sr. (August 2, 1932 – December 13, 2006) was an American businessman most notable for his promotion of football, soccer, and tennis in the United States. With his brothers, he also attempted to corner the silver market. He was t ...
. The Tornado won the 1971 NASL championship.


Lacrosse

The Dallas Rattlers of
Major League Lacrosse Major League Lacrosse (MLL) was a men's field lacrosse league in the United States. The league's inaugural season was in 2001 Major League Lacrosse season, 2001. Teams played anywhere from ten to 16 games in a summertime regular season. This w ...
became the first professional lacrosse team to call the state of Texas home in November 2017 when the league announced its franchise from
Rochester, New York Rochester is a city in and the county seat, seat of government of Monroe County, New York, United States. It is the List of municipalities in New York, fourth-most populous city and 10th most-populated municipality in New York, with a populati ...
would be relocating to Frisco and The Ford Center at The Star. The Rattlers were one of the six founding members of Major League Lacrosse. The league
merged Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of a company, business organization, or one of their operating units is transferred to or consolidated with another entity. They may happen through direct absorpt ...
with the Premier Lacrosse League in 2020, and the Rattlers ceased to exist.


Former teams by table

Sports teams that formerly played in the Dallas-Fort Worth area:


Collegiate sports

Dallas has no major Division I college sports program within its political boundaries, although it has one program within its city limits—the Mustangs of
Southern Methodist University Southern Methodist University (SMU) is a Private university, private research university in Dallas, Texas, United States, with a satellite campus in Taos County, New Mexico. SMU was founded on April 17, 1911, by the Methodist Episcopal Church, ...
are located in the enclave of University Park. The only Division I team that plays within the political boundaries of Dallas is the baseball program of Dallas Baptist University (Patriots), which plays in Division I despite otherwise being a Division II member. Neighboring cities
Fort Worth Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...
, Arlington, and Denton are home to the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs, University of Texas at Arlington Mavericks, and
University of North Texas The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public university, public research university located in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Its main campus is in Denton, Texas, Denton, with a satellite campus in Frisco, Texas, Frisco. It serves as the ...
Mean Green respectively. Toyota Stadium in Frisco has hosted the
NCAA Division I Football Championship The NCAA Division I Football Championship is an annual post-season college football game, played since 2006, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). From 1978 to 2005, the game was ca ...
, the title game of the second-tier Division I FCS, since the 2010 season, and will continue to host this event through at least the 2024 season.


Recreation

The city of Dallas maintains and operates 406 parks on of parkland. Its flagship park is the Fair Park, which hosted the Texas Centennial Exposition in 1936. The city is also home to Texas' first and largest zoo, the Dallas Zoo, which opened at its current location in 1888. The city's parks contain 17 separate lakes, including White Rock and Bachman lakes, spanning a total of . In addition, Dallas is traversed by of biking and jogging trails, including the Katy Trail, and is home to 47 community and neighborhood recreation centers, 276 sports fields, 60 swimming pools, 232 playgrounds, 173 basketball courts, 112 volleyball courts, 126 play slabs, 258 neighborhood tennis courts, 258 picnic areas, six 18-hole golf courses, two driving ranges, and 477 athletic fields. As part of the ongoing Trinity River Project, the Great Trinity Forest, at , is the largest urban hardwood forest in the United States and is part of the largest urban park in the United States. The Trinity River Audubon Center is a new addition to the park. Opened in 2008, it serves as a gateway to many trails and other nature viewing activities in the area. The Trinity River Audubon Center is the first LEED-certified building constructed by the City of Dallas Parks and Recreation Department. Dallas also hosts three of the twenty-one preserves of the extensive () Dallas County Preserve System. Both the Joppa Preserve, the McCommas Bluff Preserve the Cedar Ridge Preserve are all within the Dallas city limits. The Cedar Ridge Preserve was formerly known as the Dallas Nature Center, but management was turned over to Audubon Dallas group, which now manages the natural habitat park on behalf of the city of Dallas and Dallas County. The preserve sits at an elevation of above sea level, and contains a variety of outdoor activities, including of hiking trails and picnic areas. Just southwest of Dallas is Cedar Hill State Park, maintained by the Texas Parks and Wildlife state agency. A urban nature preserve, the park is located on the Joe Pool Reservoir, and offers activities such as mountain biking, birding, camping and fishing; swimming is allowed at the swimming beach only. To the west of Dallas in Arlington is Six Flags Over Texas, the original franchise in the Six Flags theme park chain. Hurricane Harbor, a large water park owned by Six Flags, is also in Arlington.


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