Oklahoma is a state that is unique and strangely situated in terms of fanbase for professional sports. In particular, there is quite a bit of division over the following of Major League Baseball. This should be expected, as we are a state with no professional baseball team, but it is interesting how segregated that Oklahoma fans of the sport are in their allegiance. This begs the question, is there one baseball team that Oklahoma should root for?
The statistics and geography would say that, yes, there is. And that team would be the Texas Rangers. The Rangers are the number one team in almost every county of Oklahoma, with very few exceptions. This would suggest that the majority of Oklaho- ma are fans of this team. Considering that the Rangers are very geographically close to us being in Texas, and the fact that they are ranked 4th right now in The American League West.
The 2021 season will one way or another be a historic one for Texas. It will be the 50th anniversary of the team’s move to Texas from Washington, D.C. Their Inaugural season last year at the new Globe Life Field left them 5th in The American League West. Hopefully, they will be able to keep up a pace this year that will put them on an upward trajectory. All in all, they were not the worst team in the league last year going into 2021.
Why do so many baseball fans in Oklahoma, however, share the love for the Texas Rangers Team? By most accounts, it would probably not make sense. After all, both the Oklahoma City Dodgers, formerly the Redhawks, and the Tulsa Drillers are currently affiliates of the Los Angeles Dodgers, hence the name change for Oklahoma City. However, this was not always the case. At least for the Drillers, the former affiliate was actually in fact the Colorado Rockies. And who was the former affiliate for the former Oklahoma City Redskins before they became the Oklahoma City Dodgers? If you guessed none other than the Texas Rangers, then you would be correct.
That’s right, an Oklahoma minor league team used to actually be closely tied to the Texas Rangers. This explains the dedication so many fans from our state have to the team. Frankly, it makes sense for many factors, one being proximity. Logistically, it is much easier for an Okie to go to a Texas game than a California game overall. This was probably a huge boost in attendance for both the Rangers and their farm team in Oklahoma City, therefore creating a happy marriage-merger between the two teams. And despite their separation in recent years, the flame still burns, at least a flicker, in the heart of the Oklahoma fanbase. At the very least, when you are rooting for the Texas Rangers, you can say that you are rooting for a team with historical ties to your residence in the state of Oklahoma.
