Sports in Boston

A Boston Red Sox baseball game at Fenway Park

Boston, Massachusetts, is home to several major league sports teams, including the Boston Red Sox (baseball), Boston Celtics (basketball), and Boston Bruins (hockey). The New England Patriots (football) and New England Revolution (soccer) play at Gillette Stadium in nearby Foxborough.

The city is home to two renowned sporting events: the Boston Marathon and the Head of the Charles Regatta. Several Boston-area colleges and universities are active in college athletics.

In the 2000s Boston's professional teams had arguably the most successful decade in sports history, winning 7 championships (3 by the Patriots, 2 by the Red Sox, and 1 each by the Celtics and Bruins). When the Bruins reached the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals, the city of Boston became the first city in the 21st Century to have all four of its major professional league teams win a league championship, and it is the only city ever to have championships in all four major professional leagues within a ten-year span (from the Patriots' victory in February 2001 to the Bruins' in June 2011). In just ten years, between February 2001 and June 2011, Boston's teams completed what Sports Illustrated dubbed as the "Grand Slam of North American sports".

Club	League	Sport	Venue	Established	Championships
Boston Red Sox	MLB	Baseball	Fenway Park	1901	7 World Series Titles 12 AL Pennants
New England Patriots	NFL	Football	Gillette Stadium	1960	3 Super Bowl Titles 7 Conference Championships
Boston Celtics	NBA	Basketball	TD Garden	1946	17 NBA Titles 21 Conference Championships
Boston Bruins	NHL	Hockey	TD Garden	1924	6 Stanley Cups 16 Conference Championships
New England Revolution	MLS	Soccer	Gillette Stadium	1995	1 U.S. Open Cup 4 Conference Championships
Boston Breakers	WPS	Soccer	Harvard Stadium	2001/2009	None
Boston Cannons	MLL	Lacrosse (Outdoor)	Harvard Stadium	2001	1 Steinfeld Cup
Boston Blazers	NLL	Lacrosse (Indoor)	TD Garden	2008	None
New England Riptide	NPF	Softball	Martin Softball Field	2004	1 Cowles Cup
Boston Massacre	Boston Derby Dames, WFTDA	Flat track roller derby	Aleppo Shrine Auditorium	2005	None
Boston Militia	WFA	Women's football	Dilboy Stadium	2008	2
Boston Lobsters	WTT	Tennis	Ferncroft Country Club	1974	None

Baseball

1903 World Series - Huntington Avenue Grounds in the foreground, South End Grounds in the hazy background

Home of the Braves

Boston's most popular sport is baseball. Boston can lay claim to being the city to have sponsored a professional sports league franchise the longest. In 1871, the Boston Red Stockings, formed out of the nucleus of the former Cincinnati Red Stockings, the first openly professional baseball team, began play in the National Association.

Since then, there has never been a year without a professional baseball franchise playing in Boston. The Red Stockings joined the National League upon its founding in 1876, and would eventually become the Boston Braves. The Braves played in Boston until 1952, when they moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin to become the Milwaukee Braves, which, in turn, moved to their current home in Atlanta, Georgia in 1966. Despite four National Association championships, ten National League Pennants, and a World Series title (1914), the team was considered the "second" Boston team for most of its last five decades in the city, due to a team from an upstart league that began play in 1901. The first five Boston natives to play Major League Baseball were John Morrill (1876), George Fair (1876), Jim Ward (1876), John Bergh (1876), and Chub Sullivan (1877).

The Upstarts

The Boston Red Sox are a founding member of the American League of Major League Baseball, and one of the four American League teams (the White Sox, Indians, and Tigers are the others) to still play in their original city. The "BoSox," or "Sox" as they are colloquially called, play their home games at Fenway Park, located near Kenmore Square, in the Fenway section of Boston. Built in 1912, it is the oldest sports arena or stadium in active use in the United States among the four major professional sports.

The view from atop of the Green Monster looking down the 3rd base line at modern day Fenway.

Boston was also the site of the first game of the first baseball World Series, in 1903. The series was played between the Red Sox (then known as the "Pilgrims") and the Pittsburgh Pirates, while the team still played at the Huntington Avenue Grounds (the site is now a part of Northeastern University). The Sox won that series and six more since then (1912, 1915, 1916, 1918, 2004, and 2007). Recently the 2004 team is said to have broken the 86-year long "Curse of the Bambino." There have been many legendary players on the team; members of the Baseball Hall of Fame include Cy Young, Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, Carlton Fisk, Wade Boggs, manager Joe Cronin and owner Tom Yawkey.

Basketball

The Boston Celtics basketball team, who play at the TD Garden, were a founding member of the Basketball Association of America, one of the two leagues that merged to form the National Basketball Association. The Celtics have the distinction of having more World Championships than any other NBA team with 17 championships from 1957 to 2008.

The list of Celtics who are members of the Basketball Hall of Fame include, among others, Bill Russell, Bob Cousy, John Havlicek, Dave Cowens, Larry Bird, original owner Walter Brown, and longtime coach and team president Red Auerbach, who worked for the team until his death in 2006 at age 89. Longtime announcer Johnny Most was also honored by the Basketball Hall of Fame as a recipient of the Curt Gowdy Media Award. After finishing with a record of 24-58 in 2006-2007, the team acquired Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett from the Seattle Supersonics and Minnesota Timberwolves, respectively, to aid longtime Celtics star Paul Pierce make up one of the best defensive and offensive lineups in NBA history. With help of up-and-coming Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins, and head coach Doc Rivers the team once again made history by winning the 2008 NBA Finals and their 17th championship against long-time rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers.

Ice Hockey

The TD Garden, above North Station, is the home to the Boston Bruins ice hockey team of the National Hockey League. The Bruins, founded in 1924, were the first American member of the National Hockey League and an Original Six franchise, and have won six Stanley Cups, the latest being in 2011, where they defeated the Vancouver Canucks in seven games.

Such Hall of Fame players as Milt Schmidt, Eddie Shore, Raymond Bourque and the legendary Bobby Orr have played for the Bruins. The team has been managed/coached by Hall of Famers such as team founder Charles Adams (namesake of hockey's old Adams Division), Art Ross (donor and namesake of the NHL's trophy for annual scoring champion), Walter A. Brown, Schmidt, and Harry Sinden. Orr was voted the greatest athlete in Boston history in the Boston Globe newspaper's poll of New Englanders in 1975, beating out baseball and basketball stars such as Ted Williams, Bill Russell, Carl Yastrzemski and Bob Cousy

Boston's local colleges also are very strong in hockey. Boston College and Boston University are always competitive and at the top of the college rankings. In the past ten years, BC has won three national championships (2001, 2008, 2010), and BU has won one (2009).

Football

The Boston Game

The Boston Game is thought to be the origins of American football, played by New England prep schools. In 1855, manufactured inflatable balls were introduced. These were much more regular in shape than the handmade balls of earlier times, making kicking and carrying more skillful. Two competing versions had evolved during this time; the "kicking game" which resembled soccer and the "running" or "carrying game" which resembled rugby union. A hybrid of the two, known as the "Boston game," was played by a group known as the Oneida Football Club. The club, considered by some historians as the first formal football club in the United States, was formed in 1861 by schoolboys who played the "Boston game" on Boston Common. They played mostly among themselves early on; though they organized a team of non-members to play a game in November, 1863, which the Oneidas won easily. The game caught the attention of the press, and the "Boston game" continued to grow throughout the 1860s.

Early Professional Football

The Boston Braves were established in the city in 1932. The team changed its name to the Boston Redskins the following year, but relocated to Washington, D.C. in 1937.

Modern Professional Football

In 1959, Boston business executive Billy Sullivan was awarded a franchise in the American Football League (AFL), bringing football back to Boston. Throughout the sixties, the team lacked a permanent home field, playing at Nickerson Field (at the time still known and configured as Braves Field), Fenway Park, Harvard Stadium, and BC's Alumni Stadium (although the historic core of the Harvard campus and most of the BC campus are outside of the city limits, both stadiums lie within the city). In 1970, the AFL merged with the NFL and the Patriots joined the league. Since 1971, the team has played at Foxboro Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, a site closer to the state of Rhode Island. However, the New England Patriots are generally considered to be Boston's football team. The team has won three Super Bowl titles (2002, 2004, 2005). They are the only team in recent history to go 16–0 in the regular season (2007).

Other sports teams

Another major league team is the Boston Cannons lacrosse team of Major League Lacrosse. The team plays at Harvard University's Harvard Stadium. The National Lacrosse League team in Boston is the Boston Blazers, who began in the 2009 season. They play at the TD Garden. The Boston Breakers were founded in 2001 as a charter member of the short-lived Women's United Soccer Association, and were resurrected in 2009 as a charter member of WUSA's successor, Women's Professional Soccer. The current incarnation of the Breakers also plays at Harvard Stadium. There have been other professional sports teams to play in the city, such as the Boston Blazers indoor lacrosse team, the Boston Beacons and Boston Minutemen of the NASL. Boston's first all-female flat-track roller derby league, Boston Derby Dames, formed in May 2005. The league is among the original members of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association.

Longwood Cricket Club (despite its name) is the oldest tennis club in the New World, located in Chestnut Hill. It is the site of the first Davis Cup competition.

There has also been talk of a possible Arena Football League expansion team coming to Boston sometime in the next few years.

Boston is the start and finish for the Boston–Montreal–Boston cycling event

Rugby Union

Rugby in Boston has a strong following; the city is home to numerous amateur, college and semi-professional sides. The city has two teams in the premier division of USA rugby union, the Rugby Super League – the Boston Irish Wolfhounds and Boston RFC.

Rugby League

The city has two rugby league teams who play in the USA Rugby League. They are the Boston 13s and Oneida FC.

Collegiate sports

Boston's many colleges and universities are active in college athletics. There are four NCAA Division I members in the city: Boston College (member of the Atlantic Coast Conference), Boston University (America East Conference), Northeastern University (Colonial Athletic Association), and Harvard University (Ivy League).

All except Harvard, which belongs to ECAC Hockey, belong to the Hockey East conference in hockey. The hockey teams of these four universities meet every year in a four-team tournament known as the "Beanpot Tournament," played at the TD Garden (and the Boston Garden before that) over two Monday nights in February.

The oldest continuously used indoor and outdoor sports stadia in the world are used by Boston schools: Harvard Stadium (built in 1903) and Boston Arena (now known as Matthews Arena, built in 1910), which is used by Northeastern University.

Amateur and participatory sports

With an ideal climate for four season outdoor activities, Boston has ample resources and opportunities for amateur and participatory sports and recreation. The 18 mile loop through the Paul Dudley White Bicycle Path runs on both sides of the river within the Charles River Reservation and is a favorite for bicyclists and runners. Boston is also home is the oldest continuously operating community sailing program in the United States. It is located in Boston along the Charles River Esplanade between the Longfellow Bridge and the Hatch Shell. Community Boating, Inc offers members instruction for sailing and windsurfing, and allows members to use CBI-owned sailboats on the Charles River. The Boston Ski and Sports Club offers team sports leagues in Basketball, Ultimate Frisbee, Dodgeball, Football, Tennis, Volleyball, Golf, and other indoor and outdoor sports.

Rivalries

While a number of cities and teams have rivalries with Boston, regional proximity has made Boston intense rivals with New York. Teams in Boston and New York offer some of the best rivalries in their respective sports, none are more famous, however, then the longtime feud between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees in Major League Baseball. The viciousness and fierceness of the rivalry has led to the New York – Boston rivalry being evident between the Patriots and the Jets in the National Football League and the Celtics and the Knicks in the National Basketball Association. The Bruins have been longtime rivals with the New York Rangers also due to the fact that both teams are members of the National Hockey League's Original Six franchises.

In hockey, the Bruins biggest rival are the Montreal Canadiens and it is another one of the more fierce rivalries in sports. The B's often clash with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Philadelphia Flyers, and have a history with the Carolina Hurricanes due to the franchise having formerly been known as the Whalers and located in Hartford, Connecticut. The Patriots are rivals with frequent playoff opponents Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts. The NBA's biggest rivalry, is also the Celtics'. The rivalry between the Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers is the most storied in the Association as the two teams have met in the NBA Finals twelve times and together account for a total of 33 NBA championships, more than half the total number of championships in the league. The Celtics also have rivalries with the Philadelphia 76ers (considered by many to be the NBA's second greatest rivalry after Celtics-Lakers), and the Detroit Pistons.

Notable sports figures

Tommy McCarthy on an 1887-90 Goodwin & Company baseball card (Old Judge (N172)).

Basketball

• Ray Allen
• Red Auerbach
• Dana Barros
• Bob Bigelow
• Larry Bird
• Walter Brown
• Bob Cousy
• Dave Cowens
• Bill Curley
• Kevin Garnett
• John Havlicek
• Tom Heinsohn
• Ron Lee
• Reggie Lewis
• Kevin McHale
• Don Nelson
• Shaquille O'Neal
• Robert Parish
• Paul Pierce
• Doc Rivers
• Rajon Rondo
• Bill Russell

Baseball

• Josh Beckett
• Wade Boggs
• Roger Clemens
• Joe Cronin
• Bobby Doerr
• Jacoby Ellsbury
• Carlton Fisk
• Nomar Garciaparra
• Mike Lowell
• Jim Rice
• Pedro Martinez
• Tommy McCarthy
• Lou Merloni
• David Ortiz
• Dustin Pedroia
• Johnny Pesky
• Manny Ramírez
• Curt Schilling
• Jason Varitek
• Tim Wakefield
• George Wood
• Ted Williams
• Carl Yastrzemski
• Cy Young

Football

• Bruce Armstrong
• Tom Brady
• Bill Belichick
• Drew Bledsoe
• Troy Brown
• Tedy Bruschi
• Doug Flutie
• John Hannah
• Robert Kraft
• Randy Moss
• Jim Plunkett
• Matt Ryan
• Richard Seymour
• Andre Tippett
• Adam Vinatieri
• Wes Welker

Hockey

• Ray Bourque
• Frank Brimsek
• Rick DiPietro
• Phil Esposito
• Zdeno Chara
• Jim Fahey
• Hal Gill
• Cam Neely
• Bobby Orr
• Eddie Shore
• Tony Amonte
• Don Cherry
• Jeremy Roenick
• Brad Park
• Mark Recchi
• Tim Thomas

See also

• U.S. cities with teams from four major sports
• Multiple major sports championship seasons