Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada

The major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada are the highest professional competitions of team sports in the United States and Canada. The four leagues universally included in the definition are Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), the National Football League (NFL), and the National Hockey League (NHL). Other prominent leagues include Major League Soccer (MLS) and the Canadian Football League (CFL).

The NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL are commonly referred to as the "Big 4". Each of these is the wealthiest professional club competition in its sport worldwide, and along with the English Premier League they make up the top five sports leagues by revenue in the world. In addition, the sports of these four leagues were all developed in their modern forms in North America, and all except American Football have become popular internationally. The best players from these leagues often become cultural icons in both countries because the leagues enjoy a significant place in popular culture in the U.S. and Canada.

Big Three (Turkey)

The Big Three (Turkish: Üç büyükler) is the nickname of the three most successful sports clubs in the Turkey, all three based in Istanbul, Turkey's largest city. The football teams of Beşiktaş, Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray have a great rivalry, and are usually the main contenders for the title. Combined they share a total of 51 out of 58 Turkish Football Championships. None of them have been relegated from the Süper Lig either, having been participants in all editions since 1959 season; the lowest position any of them has earned is 10th, Fenerbahçe, while Beşiktaş and Galatasaray's lowest positions has been 11th.

A handful of other clubs outside the big three have won the Turkish league, with Trabzonspor having the fourth most national titles behind the Big Three in the Turkey with 6 in total. And Bursaspor has won the Süper Lig in 2009-10.

The three-way rivalry

Beşiktaş vs. Fenerbahçe

Beşiktaş vs. Galatasaray

Fenerbahçe vs. Galatasaray

Players who have played for the three clubs

Big Three (credit rating agencies)

The Big Three credit rating agencies are Standard & Poor's (S&P), Moody's, and Fitch Group. S&P and Moody's are based in the US, while Fitch is dual-headquartered in New York City and London, and is controlled by the France-based FIMALAC. As of 2013 they hold a collective global market share of "roughly 95 percent" with Moody's and Standard & Poor's having approximately 40% each, and Fitch around 15%.

According to an analysis by DeutscheWelle, "their special status has been cemented by law — at first only in the United States, but then in Europe as well." From the mid-1990s until early 2003, the Big Three were the only "Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations (NRSROs)" in the United States — a designation meaning they were used by the US government in several regulatory areas. (Four other NRSROs merged with Fitch in the 1990s.)

The European Union has considered setting up a state-supported EU-based agency.

Influence

2007-2010 financial crisis

Houston station (Texas)

Houston is an Amtrak intercity train station in Houston

History

The present Houston station, which opened on October 26, 1959, was built by the Southern Pacific Railroad to replace Grand Central Station, which was just east of the present station. That station operated from September 1, 1934 until the property was sold to the U.S. Government in 1959 to become the site of the Houston main post office. Grand Central Station had replaced the original Houston & Texas Central depot of 1886. When Amtrak was created it was one of two stations in Houston that served Amtrak trains, the other being Union Station, now part of Minute Maid Park. All Amtrak trains moved to Southern Pacific Station by the end of July 1974, and all trains were canceled or rerouted out of Houston except the Sunset Limited. This station continued to be owned and operated by the Southern Pacific Railroad after the creation of Amtrak, and has been owned and operated by the Union Pacific Railroad since the merger of Southern Pacific and Union Pacific.

Houston (Means I'm One Day Closer to You)

"Houston (Means I'm One Day Closer to You)" is a song written by Larry Gatlin and recorded by American country music group Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers Band. It was released in September 1983 as the first single from the album "Greatest Hits Vol. II" then included to first track of "Not Guilty" (1984). "Houston (Means I'm One Day Closer to You)" was the group's third and last number one on the country chart. The single went to number one for two weeks and spent a total of fifteen weeks on the country chart.

Chart performance

References

External links

Houston (singer)

Houston (born Houston Edward Summers IV, October 26, 1983, Los Angeles, California) is an American singer, best known for the hit single "I Like That."

Early days

Summers attended the Academy of Music at Hamilton High School in Los Angeles. He would regularly be invited to participate in activities taking place in the school's music academy. His management team recorded a videotape of Summers's performances, which they hoped would help the singer land a recording contract. He was signed to Capitol Records. Houston's school mates, Robert and Harold, stayed up late after school writing music and rapping. Robert and Harold had already signed a contract with Aftermath but were not as successful as Houston.

Attempted suicide and musical comeback

Before a 2005 London show, Summers suffered an emotional breakdown and reportedly tried to commit suicide by jumping from a window while reportedly under the influence of PCP. When people in his entourage stopped him, he was restrained and locked in a first floor room. While in that room, Summers gouged his left eye out with a plastic fork. After the incident, Summers was arrested by London police and was put in rehab for two weeks. After the rehab, Houston went home to Los Angeles and apologized for the incident. In May 2008 Houston broke his silence over the incident and granted Hoodnews an exclusive interview where he discussed his eye injury and his campaign Stop the Sodomy and Gang Rape in Prison. In the same year two unreleased songs were leaked, entitled 'Faded' and 'So Fine'. In June 2009, Houston did another interview with Hoodnews confirming that he was making a comeback, and looking for new management. Houston is currently working on a feature documentary and a new album.