Was Texas Rangers crowd in Arlington the biggest in DFW history? Bigger than Cowboys?

By some estimates, 500,000 to 700,000 Texas Rangers fans crammed Arlington’s Entertainment District on Friday to celebrate their beloved World Series champions. It was likely one of the biggest sports celebrations in North Texas history.

Fans began to arrive Thursday night for Friday afternoon’s parade. Parking lots filled as soon as they opened. Some fans climbed buildings and fire escapes to get a glimpse of the 2-mile parade route.

Here’s how the crowd compares to previous celebrations for Dallas-Fort Worth champions.

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Dallas Mavericks, 2011

An estimated 300,000 filled the streets of downtown Dallas in 100-degree heat to celebrate the NBA champion Dallas Mavericks, who defeated the Miami Heat for their first title. The city of Dallas sent a $340,947 bill to Mavs owner Mark Cuban, who had promised to pay for the celebration out of his own pocket.

Dallas Stars, 1999

A parade and rally celebrating the Dallas Stars’ Stanley Cup drew 115,000 fans to downtown Dallas and Reunion Arena. Fans cheered Brett Hull, Mike Modano and Eddie Belfour, the fan-favorite goalie who stopped 53 of 54 shots in the Stars’ triple-overtime victory over the Buffalo Sabres that gave them the Stanley Cup.

Dallas Cowboys, 1996

About 125,000 people filled the streets of Dallas after the Cowboys won their third Super Bowl in four years. The celebration was nothing compared to the one three years earlier when 400,000 overwhelmed the parade route following the Cowboys’ first championship in more than a decade. Fans swarmed players in their cars, and police had to find alternate routes to get them to the rally. Violence broke out after the celebration, with police reporting more than two dozen injuries and 14 arrests.