Since the Astros’ comeback over the past few years from what are arguably some of the worst seasons in baseball history to winning their first World Series title (which I do admit is impressive), many Houstonians have begun to show their support for the team once again and taking up the rivalry with the Texas Rangers. For a long time, there was not much of a rivalry because the two teams were in different leagues. However, when the Astros transferred to the American League, a rivalry was born.

Before I get too far into this, I do want to say that I do not necessarily hate the Astros. I did cheer for them in the World Series once the Rangers were out because it was a Texas team. And, I am not criticizing the competition between the two teams either because it has remained sportsman-like. I am here to document my experience as a Rangers fan in Houston and some of the conversations I have had with Astros fans.

First of all, I do have an at least somewhat good reason for being a Rangers fan. It is in my blood because my dad grew up visiting his grandfather in Dallas and going to Texas Rangers games. Therefore, he became a Rangers fan and eventually passed it down to me too, so my choice to cheer for the Rangers is not completely random.

Anyway, whenever I tell someone that I am a Rangers fan (which is something I do not highly advertise), I always get that look of severe confusion followed by why and how could I betray Houston like this. Technically, I am going to the other side; I will and can not deny that. However, that does not automatically mean that I dislike the Astros. It only means that, if I have to choose one, I will cheer for the Rangers.

After that, I get a whole explanation about how bad the Rangers are right now. I know that my team did not start off their season the greatest this year, and that happens sometimes. I would especially expect Astros fans to know what it is like cheering for a team that seems to only be good at losing. I am not asking for Astros fans to turn a blind eye to the Rangers, but I am asking them to not give me 78 reasons why the Rangers suck right now. It is not like it will make any difference who I cheer for. Teams will go through bad times, and that is when the real fans are sorted out from the fair weather ones.

Moving on, once they finish telling me why I should not cheer for the Rangers, the conversation will devolve into some meaningless argument like how Rougned Odor’s last name is spelled (by the way, it is pronounced Oh-door), but it will always circle back to my betrayal of Houston. I know the Astros are the home team, but I have a better connection with the Rangers than the Astros. It’s as simple as that.

At the end of the day, I will remain a Rangers fan. Most likely, there are other people out there in Houston who cheer for the Rangers or some other baseball team too. So, let’s just accept my choice to cheer for the Texas Rangers and play a friendly rivalry game of baseball.