Sports in Miami
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The Greater Miami area is home to four major league sports teams — the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League, the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association, the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball, and the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League. The Miami Metro area is also home to a number of soccer teams the newest only top division side being Inter Miami CF of Major League Soccer.
Miami is also home to the Sony Ericsson Open for professional tennis, numerous greyhound racing tracks, marinas, jai alai venues, and golf courses. The city streets has hosted professional auto races, the Miami Indy Challenge and later the Grand Prix Americas, whereas the Homestead-Miami Speedway oval located 35 miles (56 km) southwest currently hosts NASCAR national races. Miami is also home to Paso Fino horses, where competitions are held at Tropical Park Equestrian Center.
Major league teams
The Miami area is home to the Big Four major leagues. Currently, the Miami Heat and the Miami Marlins play their games within Miami's city limits. The Heat play their home games at the American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami. The Miami Marlins home ballpark is Marlins Park, located in the Little Havana section of the city on the site of the old Orange Bowl stadium.
The city's first entry into the American Football League was the Miami Dolphins, which competed in the fourth AFL league from 1966 to 1969. In 1970 the Dolphins joined the NFL when the AFL–NFL merger occurred. The team made its first Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl VI, but lost to the Dallas Cowboys. The following year, the Dolphins completed the NFL's only perfect season culminating in a Super Bowl win. The 1972 Dolphins were the third NFL team to accomplish a perfect regular season, and won Super Bowl VIII, Miami also appeared in Super Bowl XVII and Super Bowl XIX, losing both games. The Miami Dolphins play their games at Hard Rock Stadium in suburban Miami Gardens.
The Orange Bowl, a member of the College Football Playoff, hosts their college football bowl game annually at Hard Rock Stadium. The stadium has also hosted the Super Bowl; the Miami metro area has hosted the game a total of eleven times (six Super Bowls at the now Hard Rock Stadium, including most recently Super Bowl LIV and five at the Miami Orange Bowl), more than any other metro area.
The Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association was formed in 1988 as an expansion team. They have won three league championships (in 2006, 2012 and 2013), and five conference titles.
The Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball began play in the 1993 season. They won the World Series in both seasons they qualified for the postseason, doing so in 1997 and 2003.
The Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League was founded in 1993 as an expansion team. They have made one appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals in 1996. They play in nearby Sunrise at the BB&T Center.
| Club | Sport | Miami Area since | League | Venue | League Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | Football | 1965 | National Football League | Hard Rock Stadium | Super Bowl (2) (1972, 1973) |
| Florida Panthers | Hockey | 1993 | National Hockey League | BB&T Center | None |
| Miami Heat | Basketball | 1988 | National Basketball Association | American Airlines Arena | NBA Finals (3) (2006, 2012, 2013) |
| Miami Marlins | Baseball | 1993 | Major League Baseball | Marlins Park | World Series (2) (1997, 2003) |
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BB&T Center, home of the Florida Panthers
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Other professional teams
Inter Miami CF of Major League Soccer was founded in 2018 as an expansion team. Inter Miami CF will play their first two seasons at the new Inter Miami modular stadium, which was built on the site of the old Lockhart Hart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. After its first two seasons should construction of the Miami Freedom Park be approved and completed in time the side will move to Miami. Inter Miami has demolished the old Lockhart stadium and has built a new modular stadium and 50,000 square-foot training facility. The site will remain the permanent training complex for the Clubs’ teams, including its youth Academy and Inter Fort Lauderdale CF.[1] The agreement between them and the City of Fort Lauderdale required that their USL affiliate will use the site and not abbreviate the word "Fort".
Miami FC became the first professional soccer team based in the city to win a national soccer title after winning the 2018 NPSL Championship.[2]
The Miami metro area is also home to two Minor league basball teams in Palm Beach county.
| Club | Sport | City | League | Venue | League Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atletico Miami CF | Soccer | Miami & unincorporated Miami | United Premier Soccer League | Tropical Park Stadium & Curtis Park | None |
| Fort Lauderdale CF | Soccer | Fort Lauderdale | USL League One | Inter Miami CF Stadium | None |
| Inter Miami CF | Soccer | Fort Lauderdale | Major League Soccer | Inter Miami CF Stadium | None |
| Jupiter Hammerheads | Baseball | Jupiter | Florida State League | Roger Dean Stadium | |
| Miami FC | Soccer | Unincorporated Miami | USL Championship | Riccardo Silva Stadium | NASL 2017 Regular Season (fall & spring) National Premier Soccer League Champions (2) (2018, 2019) NISA (2019) |
| Miami United FC | Soccer | Hialeah | National Premier Soccer League | Ted Hendricks Stadium | None |
| Palm Beach Cardinals | Baseball | Jupiter | Florida State League | Roger Dean Stadium | |
| FC Miami City | Soccer | Lauderhill | USL League Two | Central Broward Park Stadium | None |
College sports
Miami is the home of many college sports teams. The two largest are the University of Miami Hurricanes, whose football team formerly played at the Miami Orange Bowl from 1937 until 2008, moving to Sun Life Stadium subsequently, and Florida International University Panthers whose football team plays at FIU Stadium.
| College / Athletics | Football (attendance) |
Basketball (attendance) |
Division | Conference | National Championships (Most Recent) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami Hurricanes | Miami football (53,837) | Miami basketball (5,777) | D-I | Atlantic Coast Conference | 30 (2001 – Football & Baseball) |
| FIU Panthers | FIU football (15,453) | FIU basketball (1,474) | D-I | Conference USA | 4 (1984 – Men's Soccer) |
| Barry Buccaneers | – | – | D-II | Sunshine State Conference | 7 (2007 – Men's Golf) |
| NSU Sharks | – | NSU basketball | D-II | Sunshine State Conference | 16 (2016 – Baseball) |
Defunct and relocated teams
A number of defunct teams were located in Miami, including:
- Basketball: Miami Floridians (ABA), Miami Sol (WNBA), Miami Tropics (ABA).
- Ice hockey: Miami Matadors (ECHL), Miami Screaming Eagles (WHA), Miami Manatees (WHA2).
- Soccer: Miami Gatos (NASL), Miami Toros (NASL), Miami Fusion (NPSL)
- American football: Miami Seahawks (AAFC), Miami Tropics (SFL), Miami Hooters (Arena Football League).
The Miami Fusion, a defunct Major League Soccer team, played at Lockhart Stadium in nearby Broward County. The Miami Kickers, a Women's Premier Soccer League, played at American Heritage School in Plantation, Broward County.
In 1946, the Miami Seahawks played in the All-America Football Conference for one season, 1946, and then folded.
In 1996, Miami acquired the AFL team the Sacramento Attack, which was renamed as the Miami Hooters (due to its association with the Florida-based Hooters restaurant chain), and it played from 1993 to 1995. In 1996, the association with the chain was completed, and the team moved to West Palm Beach and renamed as the Florida Bobcats.