Not Your Ordinary Sports Show

Texans tackle Eric Winston to reveal T.J. Yates' secrets on live TV: Watch it onCultureMap

Houston Texans right tackle Eric Winston's run of blocking the blind side lasted less than a half.

Once the left-handed Matt Leinart went down with a broken collarbone that will require season-ending surgery, Winston went back to his regular life — effectively blocking for another right-handed quarterback. Of course, there is nothing ordinary about how the Texans have gone from starter Matt Schaub to backup Matt Leinart to third stringer T.J. Yates in less than two games.

Expect Winston to talk about that and more in this Monday's edition of Not Your Ordinary Sports Show, the Monday Night Football companion viewing program in which Winston and a rotating eclectic cast of guests get into it while watching the game (in this case, the New York Giants vs. the New Orleans Saints). A recent show saw Winston delve into what losing Schaub for the season would mean for the Texans and launch into a spirited Leinart defense.

Winston probably never expected to be talking about yet another quarterback switch so soon, but that's where he and the Texans are.

What's bad for the Texans should make for some more good TV. Winston and Not Your Ordinary Sports Show — the centerpiece show of he and his partners' THEBUS network — are on the road for the program's second-ever remote show. The broadcast from the Billiard Factory will have Winston signing autographs in a meet and greet and guests Greg Koch (the former Green Bay Packers Hall-of-Fame right tackle), Houston Aeros center Jeff Taffe and 790 AM sports talk radio morning host Matt Jackson.

The show starts at 7:30 p.m. (click on the video above to watch). Robert Henslee, the sports director at 610 AM, keeps the irreverent action moving as the moderator.

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Texas sports team unite to support legalized online gambling

Arian Foster Texans general

Photo by Michelle Watson/CultureMapSnap

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The movement to legalize online sports gambling in Texas gained some additional momentum thanks to a new report showing it could add billions to the Texas economy.

The report comes from Eilers & Krejcik, a boutique research firm that specializes in the gaming industry. According to the report, the state could see $2.6 billion in additional annual economic activity, with another $24.3 million in tax revenue. It could also add up to 8,000 jobs.

Orlando Sanchez, former Harris County Treasurer and Houston City Council Member, has gone on record saying legalizing online sports gambling would benefit Texas.

“By legalizing sports betting in the Lone Star State, we could generate additional tax revenue – that doesn’t include taxing Texans more, which could be used to fund a variety of public projects while keeping Texans safe and giving us the chance to choose whether or not we want to legalize sports betting by putting it on the ballot,” he told Texas Insider.

Nearly all the major sports teams in the state back the move toward legalized sports gambling. Members of the Sports Betting Alliance, which is advocating for legislation to allow online sports betting, includes the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, and the Houston Dash. Former governor Rick Perry serves as one spokesperson for the organization.

Texans owner Cal McNair and Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta issued a joint statement in February 2023 supporting sports gambling.

”The Houston Texans support giving Texans the opportunity to choose for themselves if they want a regulated and taxed sports betting industry in Texas,” said McNair. “We think a legal and regulated betting industry is best for our fans and partners and would protect the integrity of competition.”

“Sports betting is a very popular form of entertainment,” said Fertitta. “Sports fans enjoy placing bets on their favorite sports because it brings them closer to the team and puts them in the game. No one wins with an illegal market as robust as the one in Texas.”

Houston soccer teams Dash and Dynamo also issued a brief statement following the release of the study.

“As the popularity of sports betting grows across the US, the Houston Dash and Dynamo align with efforts to bring this unique opportunity to soccer fans in Houston.”

Sports betting legislation has faced an uphill battle thanks to Governor Greg Abbott. The governor has been very against expanding gambling in Texas throughout his administration, blocking attempts of native tribes to expand electronic bingo halls, additional casino construction being pushed by Miriam Adelson, and even research trips by Texas officials to study expanded gambling. Though Abbott has seemingly softened on his stance, he remains wary of gambling fostering economic hardship in the state.

Texas is one of only 11 states in the union that has not legalized sports gambling. The American Gaming Association estimates sports gambling has contributed to $40.8 billion in tax revenue and created 1.8 million jobs across the country.

However, there has also been a marked spike in gambling addiction since 2018 when the app-based sports gambling boom started. Heads of several problem gambling centers report increased hotline calls and more severe problems such as bankruptcies and foreclosures related to sports gambling.

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