Deep in the heart of Texas, and pretty much everywhere else in the state, the Dallas Cowboys are kings and the Houston Texans are little more than an afterthought outside the city in which they play. Never mind that the Texans are 2-0 and the Cowboys are 0-2 heading into today's match-up in Houston.
This nine-year-old expansion team cannot compete with the popularity the Cowboys have gained in an illustrious, 50-year history filled with larger-than-life figures who helped root the franchise deep in Texas history. The Cowboys' shadow is so long, in fact, that the franchise often is referred to as "America's Team". Bob McNair, the Texans' owner, understands that and knows the best way to change things is by winning, something Houston rarely did during its first few seasons.
"We think it's an opportunity here in Texas to have a great rivalry that creates a lot of interest for football, and the NFL," McNair said. "Frankly, the more we beat the Cowboys, the more interest there will be. We have to prove ourselves. The quicker we do that, the more fun everybody in Houston is going to have." Houston had no NFL team at all for six seasons, after the Oilers left to become the Tennessee Titans in 1997, leaving no other option than to pull for the Cowboys for fans wanting to be loyal to their state.
And the Texans might not even rank second to the Cowboys, in Texas football fealty, because the college football Texas Longhorns have a fanatical following. Houston is also still competing with the team that left the city 13 years ago. Bum Phillips, who coached the Oilers during their "Luv Ya Blue" heyday in the late 1970s, believes Houston's success this season could finally win over fans who soured on the NFL when the owner Bud Adams moved the Oilers to Tennessee.
"The Oilers and the city tied together so great during a long period of time that when they left a lot of people just really lost interest in football," Phillips said. "It took a while, it took what the Texans are doing now, which is winning, to get them back excited and back to football again." It was Phillips who, at the height of the Oilers' success, famously said of the Cowboys: "They may be America's Team but we're Texas's team." He still believes it.
"They are the state's team," he said of the Texans. "As far as I'm concerned they have always been the state's team. The thing I thought that made the Oilers the state's team is the effort they put out … that's what inspired Houston to get behind them and the Texans are doing that right now. They are laying it all on the line every game." Raheel Ramzanali grew up in Houston and hosts a local radio show. He said he has never seen Texans fans more excited.
"The Houston Texans always have the little-brother syndrome because they are the newer team," he said. "There's not many Texans fans outside of Houston. It's a Dallas state where everybody roots for the Cowboys. No matter what they do, big brother's going to get more attention … they're proud of the Texans, but yet they always feel like they're disrespected no matter what happens." In some cases, the reach of the Cowboys might be a product of geography, with the cities closer to Dallas latching on to the team in their vicinity. However, some of the most ardent supporters of the Cowboys live in the Rio Grande Valley, which is much closer to Houston.
Richard Raymond, a lawmaker from Laredo, in the south of the state, believes his region's love for the Cowboys can be traced to Tom Landry, who coached the team from its 1960 inception through the 1988 season and won two Super Bowls. "I think it's safe to say that the Cowboys will have more folks cheering for them in Laredo than the Texans will," Raymond said. "Tom Landry, who was their first coach, is from down in the valley, from Mission. So I guess historically there's always been a strong connection to the Dallas Cowboys in part because of that."
The Cowboys' reach extends nearly across the enormous state; the club has team shops from El Paso in the west to Amarillo in the north and even in the Houston suburb of Katy, in the east. The Texans have a store only in their home stadium. And while many Cowboys games are broadcast nationally, Texans games are not always shown throughout Texas. Some believe it will take the Texans winning a Super Bowl to win over people in the state. Others suggest it will never change.
Phillips, the folksy former coach, gave a guarantee. "Let me tell you one thing, just keep going the way they're going and they will overtake them real quickly." Phillips, 87, finds himself in a quandary this week. Does he root for Dallas, where his son, Wade, is the coach and grandson Wes is an assistant? Or does he go with his beloved Houston? "Obviously I've got a family connection with the Cowboys, but I've got an even longer family connection with Houston no matter who it is, whether it's the Oilers or the Texans," he said. "So I'm kind of torn between two things. In fact, I'm so torn I'm not even going to go to the game."
He will remain on his ranch in Goliad, where he retired. "I'll watch it, but I don't want the wrong people to see me crying or laughing," he said, only half-joking. "You win both ways. Either your favourite city wins or your favourite son wins." If only it were that easy for the rest of Texas.
* Associated Press
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
Ant-Man and the Wasp
Director: Peyton Reed
Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas
Three stars
The biog
Favourite film: Motorcycle Dairies, Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, Kagemusha
Favourite book: One Hundred Years of Solitude
Holiday destination: Sri Lanka
First car: VW Golf
Proudest achievement: Building Robotics Labs at Khalifa University and King’s College London, Daughters
Driverless cars or drones: Driverless Cars
The specs: Audi e-tron
Price, base: From Dh325,000 (estimate)
Engine: Twin electric motors and 95kWh battery pack
Transmission: Single-speed auto
Power: 408hp
Torque: 664Nm
Range: 400 kilometres
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Representing%20UAE%20overseas
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Company%20profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Our legal advisor
Rasmi Ragy is a senior counsel at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Prosecutor in Egypt with more than 40 years experience across the GCC.
Education: Ain Shams University, Egypt, in 1978.
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Five hymns the crowds can join in
Papal Mass will begin at 10.30am at the Zayed Sports City Stadium on Tuesday
Some 17 hymns will be sung by a 120-strong UAE choir
Five hymns will be rehearsed with crowds on Tuesday morning before the Pope arrives at stadium
‘Christ be our Light’ as the entrance song
‘All that I am’ for the offertory or during the symbolic offering of gifts at the altar
‘Make me a Channel of your Peace’ and ‘Soul of my Saviour’ for the communion
‘Tell out my Soul’ as the final hymn after the blessings from the Pope
The choir will also sing the hymn ‘Legions of Heaven’ in Arabic as ‘Assakiroo Sama’
There are 15 Arabic speakers from Syria, Lebanon and Jordan in the choir that comprises residents from the Philippines, India, France, Italy, America, Netherlands, Armenia and Indonesia
The choir will be accompanied by a brass ensemble and an organ
They will practice for the first time at the stadium on the eve of the public mass on Monday evening
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
More on Quran memorisation:
AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Aaron Finch, Matt Renshaw, Brendan Doggett, Michael Neser, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (captain), Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Jon Holland, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
Third Test
Result: India won by 203 runs
Series: England lead five-match series 2-1
WORLD CUP SEMI-FINALS
England v New Zealand
(Saturday, 12pm UAE)
Wales v South Africa
(Sunday, 12pm, UAE)
