My dad sent me an email on Tuesday lamenting the Houston Texans’ awful football season, made worse by Arian Foster’s season-ending injury and Ryan Mallett’s dismissal for being an idiot.

A longtime football fan, he hasn’t had too many happy NFL memories over the years, having arrived in Houston about the time Earl Campbell left.

He made one comment that stood out, however, with the Rockets at the precipice of a promising NBA season.

“The overlap of pro sports seasons is sometimes a good thing,” he said.

Simple, yet accurate. In America at least.

Unfortunately for those in Newcastle, England, there is no other sports season to look forward to right now.

Newcastle, a team that rivals even the biggest clubs in terms of support and attendance, was routed yet again by its biggest rival, Sunderland, on Sunday. The Magpies fell to 19th in the 20-team English Premier League, only ahead of impotent Aston Villa.

It’s a familiar refrain for Newcastle, which has only itself to blame for Sunderland’s survival in the EPL in recent years. The Black Cats have now won six straight against their archrival and those six points earned each of the last three years have been mathematical the difference between relegation and staying up.

Sunday’s loss might have been the most frustrating, with Fabricio Coloccini being sent off while surrendering a penalty late in the first half. This came moments after Sunderland’s lead-footed Lee Cattermole got away with two bookable offenses in his own box.

Newcastle was dominant prior to the red card, one that was later rescinded. Arsenal fans know that pain.

As a Texans fan, I know the pain of watching a team with a decent amount of talent play extremely poorly, like Newcastle. It doesn’t help that my Aggies are starting another mid-season collapse and the governor jinxed the entire state’s baseball teams.

Fortunately, I’ve got basketball season starting up. Plus, if the Texans finish last, they’re rewarded with a top draft pick instead of relegation.

Newcastle fans would love another sport to latch onto to forget about the woes of their soccer team.