Florida gained its first permanent major-league professional sports team in 1966 when the American Football League added the Miami Dolphins. The state of Florida has given professional sports franchises some subsidies in the form of tax breaks since 1991.[1]
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers began in 1976 as an expansion team of the NFL.[3] They struggled at first, losing their first 26 games in a row to set a league record for futility. After a brief taste of success in the late 1970s, the Bucs again returned to their losing ways, and at one point lost 10+ games for 12 seasons in a row. The hiring of Tony Dungy in 1996 started an improving trend that eventually led to the team's victory in Super Bowl XXXVII in 2003 under coach Jon Gruden. In Super Bowl LV, the Bucs became the first NFL team to host and play in the Super Bowl, where they defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9.[3]
15 of the 30 Major League Baseball teams conduct spring training in the state, with teams informally organized into the Grapefruit League. Throughout MLB history, other teams have held spring training in Florida but now hold spring training in Arizona's Cactus League.[9]
Every Grapefruit League team also operates a minor league team in the rookie-level Florida Complex League and holds their spring training at that facility. Many of these teams also have an affiliate in the low-A Florida State League (as do the Cincinnati Reds, who are the only non-Grapefruit League team with a minor league affiliate in Florida). Two teams have Double A affiliates based in Florida.[9]
Minor league baseball teams in Florida include:[9]
Before Florida had its first NBA franchise, the Miami Floridians, later in their history known as The Floridians, played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) from 1968 through 1972.
Established in 1938, the Tropical Hockey League was the first experiment with professional hockey in the American South. It lasted for one season as a professional league, consisting of four teams all based in Miami, then was resurrected as an amateur league before folding in 1941.[14][15]
Prior to MLS, Florida was previously represented in the original FIFA-backed, major professional North American Soccer League (NASL) by the Tampa Bay Rowdies and Fort Lauderdale Strikers. The Rowdies drew good crowds at Tampa Stadium, and won the Soccer Bowl in 1975. The Strikers franchise was originally based in Miami, and nicknamed the Toros (1972 to 1976) before moving to nearby Fort Lauderdale, Florida prior to the 1977 season. The franchise played their home matches at the Orange Bowl and Lockhart Stadium, and made two Soccer Bowl appearances: losing in 1974 and 1980. Notable NASL footballers who played in Florida include Rodney Marsh (Rowdies) and German legend Gerd Müller (Strikers). The NASL folded in 1984, leaving the United States without a top-level soccer league until Major League Soccer (MLS) began play in 1996.
After over a decade without an MLS team, Orlando City SC joined the league in 2015 after five seasons as a second-level team.[20] The team played its first two MLS seasons at the venue now known as Camping World Stadium before opening Orlando City Stadium, now known as Inter&Co Stadium, in 2017.[21] Orlando City's reserve side, Orlando City B, began play in the league now known as the USL Championship in 2016, suspended play after the 2017 season, and resumed play in 2019 as a founding member of the third-level USL League One. Orlando City would withdraw City B from League One after the 2020 season; City B did not play in the 2021 season, but resumed play in 2022 as a founding member of another third-level league, MLS Next Pro. In 2016, the Orlando Pride, operated by Orlando City, began play in the National Women's Soccer League. They have played at the same venue as their parent club throughout their history.[22]
A second Tampa Bay Rowdies club began play in 2010 as F.C. Tampa Bay, and now currently play in the USL Championship (known before 2019 as the United Soccer League), joining the league after leaving the second-division North American Soccer League in 2016.[26][27] In this time, they've won one championship in the 2012 North American Soccer League season. The Rowdies were also named co-league champions in 2020 after winning the USL Regular Season title and Eastern Conference Championship, but the title game was canceled due to COVID-19.[28] They were Eastern Conference Champions again in 2021, but lost in the title game.[29]
The 12 Hours of Sebring sports car endurance race is the second largest sporting event in the State of Florida. Each year drawing a total of over 100,000+ fans. It is held in Sebring, Florida at the Sebring International Raceway on the third week of March each year. It is one of the most prestigious car races in the world. Sebring International Raceway's legendary 12-hour endurance race was voted the fourth best auto race of the world's motorsports races in the USAToday 10Best competition. First run in 1952, the world's leading drivers and manufacturers have competed at the 12 Hours of Sebring for over six decades. The race attracts drivers and fans from all over the world.
In addition, two NCAA Division I teams call the Orlando area home: the Stetson Hatters (who are based in DeLand) and the UCF Knights (based in unincorporated Orange County with an Orlando mailing address).
None of Orlando's major sports teams have won any championships, but minor teams have collectively won two ArenaBowls (1998, 2000), two titles in ice hockey, three titles in minor league baseball, and two titles in soccer.
↑ Does not include championships won in FBS football as the NCAA does not award titles in that sport. Also does not include varsity team titles won outside of NCAA competition, such as AIAW titles from before the NCAA sponsored women's sports.
↑ Mailing address is Orlando, but the main campus and all athletic venues are in unincorporated Orange County.
↑ Mailing address is Fort Myers, but the main campus and all athletic venues are in unincorporated Lee County.
↑ Mailing address is Miami, but the main campus and all athletic venues are in unincorporated Miami-Dade County.
↑ Both of these titles were won while FIU was in NCAA Division II.
Tampa Bay Mutiny was a professional soccer team based in Tampa, Florida. It was a charter member of Major League Soccer (MLS) and played from 1996 to 2001. It played its home games at Tampa Stadium and then at Raymond James Stadium.
The USL First Division was a professional men's soccer league in the United States and Canada from 2005 to 2010.
The Tampa Bay Rowdies were an American professional soccer team based in Tampa, Florida, that competed in the original North American Soccer League (NASL) from 1975 to 1984. They enjoyed broad popular support in the Tampa Bay area until the NASL folded in 1984, after which the team played in various minor indoor and outdoor leagues before finally folding on January 31, 1994. The Rowdies played nearly all of their outdoor home games at Tampa Stadium and nearly all of their indoor games at the Bayfront Center Arena in nearby St. Petersburg, Florida. Although San Diego played indoors until 1996, the Rowdies were the last surviving NASL franchise that played outdoor soccer on a regular basis.
Al Lang Stadium is a 7,500-seat sports stadium along the waterfront of downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, United States which was used almost exclusively as a baseball park for over 60 years. Since 2011, it has been the home pitch of the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the USL Championship soccer league.
The Seattle metropolitan area in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States is home to several professional and amateur sports teams. They include seven teams in major leagues, several in minor leagues, and collegiate programs for two National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I universities and one NCAA Division II university.
In Major League Soccer, several teams annually compete for secondary rivalry cups that are usually contested by only two teams, with the only exceptions being the Cascadia Cup and the new Copa Tejas, which are contested by three MLS teams, each. Each cup or trophy is awarded to the eligible team with the better regular season record and are comparable to minor trophies played for in college football rivalries. Most cups are deliberately conceived as local derbies between teams in the same region. Rivalry cups are considered a tradition to most MLS fans and players alike. Out of the ten original MLS teams only three have not competed in these rivalry cups: Sporting Kansas City, New England Revolution, and the defunct Tampa Bay Mutiny. The Texas Derby is the only MLS rivalry where the winner does not walk away with a cup trophy but instead they play for "El Capitán", a replica 18th century mountain howitzer cannon. Some derbies only contest for bragging rights of rival supporters groups.
The Fort Lauderdale Strikers were an American soccer team established in 1988 as part of the third American Soccer League. In 1990, it moved to the American Professional Soccer League where it spent five seasons before folding in 1994. The Strikers won the 1989 ASL championship, as well as the 1989 National Pro Soccer Championship.
Florida has many professional, semi-professional, amateur and college teams. At the professional level, Florida has three National Football League teams, two Major League Baseball teams, two National Basketball Association teams, two National Hockey League teams, two Major League Soccer teams, one Women's Soccer team and many minor league teams in various sports. Additionally, since the late 19th century Florida has been a significant spring training destination for Major League Baseball teams and their affiliates.
The San Francisco Bay Area, which includes the major cities of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, hosts five major league sports franchises, with a major women's sports franchise soon to start play, as well as several other professional and college sports teams, and hosts other sports events.
The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Championship in the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. They formerly played in USSF Division 2 and the North American Soccer League (NASL), which were also second-tier leagues. The Rowdies play their home games at Al Lang Stadium on St. Petersburg's downtown waterfront.
Jacksonville is home to a number of professional sports teams, and the city has a long history of athletics. The Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL) compete at the major league level. Additionally, the PGA Tour is headquartered in the suburb of Ponte Vedra Beach, where it hosts The Players Championship every year. All Elite Wrestling, the second-largest professional wrestling promotion in the U.S. behind WWE, has its headquarters in the Jaguars' stadium, largely due to its shared ownership with the Jaguars.
Orlando, Florida has a history of major events in sports. It has had a considerable measure of success in minor league sports as well, with teams winning several minor league championships.
The Tampa Bay area is home to many sports teams and has a substantial history of sporting activity. Most of the region's professional sports franchises use the name "Tampa Bay", which is the name of a body of water, not of any city. This is to emphasize that they represent the wider metropolitan area and not a particular municipality and was a tradition started by Tampa's first major sports team, the original Tampa Bay Rowdies, when they were founded in 1975.
Orlando City Soccer Club was an American professional soccer team based in Orlando, Florida, United States, that was the precursor to Orlando City SC. The team played in USL Pro, the third tier of the American soccer pyramid from 2010 to 2014, until discontinuing in favor of Orlando's entry to Major League Soccer (MLS), as an expansion franchise in 2015, by the same ownership group.
The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began play in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation as a Division II league since 2017, placing it under Major League Soccer in the hierarchy. The USL is headquartered in Tampa, Florida.
The Coastal Cup is a trophy and soccer competition among the USL Championship (USL) teams based in Florida. Established in 2010, the trophy was originally awarded to the best team in regular season play among Florida-based franchises. Head-to-head playoff games, U.S. Open Cup matches and friendlies have no bearing on the outcome of this competition. The Fort Lauderdale Strikers did not field a team in 2017 and were later dissolved. The Tampa Bay Rowdies also participated in this cup from 2010 though 2016, before leaving the NASL for the USL. With Miami FC joining the USL, the competition restarted in 2020.
Orlando City Soccer Club, known as Orlando City SC or simply Orlando City, is an American professional soccer club based in Orlando, Florida. The club competes as a member of the Eastern Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS), the top division in the United States soccer league system. Orlando City SC began play in 2015 as the 21st franchise in MLS, succeeding the USL Pro team of the same name. In doing so they became the first MLS team in Florida since Miami Fusion and Tampa Bay Mutiny both folded following the 2001 season. The team plays in Downtown Orlando at Inter&Co Stadium, which it owns and operates.
The Greater Miami area is home to five 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, the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League and Inter Miami CF of Major League Soccer.
The Eastern Conference is one of two conferences in USL Championship soccer.
Professional sports leagues in the United States includes major professional sports leagues, other highest-level professional leagues, and minor leagues.
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