Because of recent events, Philadelphia is on everyone’s mind as being one of, if the not the premier sports city in the country. The Eagles’ Super Bowl victory over the Patriots, combined with Joel Embiid’s fourth-seeded 76ers have Philly up in riots.

However, bubbling youth, combined with a sprinkle of seasoned veterans, Houston is making a case for being the best sports city in the country.

Whether it be the Astros’ historic run in October to run away with the Commissioner’s Trophy, the Rockets’ first-ever 60-plus win season, or the healing injuries of the Houston Texans prior to kickoff in September, the wagon that is Houston sports is getting loaded quickly.

Fresh off of a World Series victory, the Astros opened 2018 with a 3-1 series win over the Texas Rangers. Jose Altuve lived through the 100-loss seasons and has lit up the American League the past four years. Meanwhile, Alex Bregman came into the World Series as a 23-year-old, but came out a Houston-favorite after making play-after-play. With a roster that has only improved since the World Series victory over the Dodgers, Minute Maid Park can finally bank off of fans consistently showing up to support the defending world champions.

In basketball, Chris Paul made his way to Houston last offseason and questions rose over whether Paul and James Harden — two ball-dominant players — would be able to work together. 77 games later and the Rockets have not only secured the most wins in franchise history, but have secured home court advantage throughout the playoffs with yet another MVP-caliber season from Harden. When Harden and Paul play together, combined with Clint Capela, the Rockets are near unstoppable, having lost only two games throughout the course of the season.

The final piece to Houston’s puzzle? The Houston Texans. The losses the Texans’ roster suffered last season are well-recorded. From JJ Watt and Whitney Mercilus being injured for the season within plays of each other on the same drive, to Deshaun Watson’s unfortunate knee injury in practice, the Texans had quite a few reasons to fall to a 4-12 record — the worst record under Bill O’Brien’s tenure as head coach.

However, now the Texans have a new general manager. Romeo Crennel is back to focusing on the defense. The team has signed Tyrann Mathieu and Aaron Colvin to shore up a terrible secondary, along with signing veterans for what was an even worse offensive line. Many national sports writers are ranking the Texans in the top-half of their preseason power rankings.

Fans are starting to pop up out of nowhere. If you haven’t jumped on the hype, get on it before it’s too late and the bandwagon takes off. Houston looks like it’s gearing up to have one of the best stretches in the city’s sports history.