Florida offers a wide variety of sports entertainment. Exciting and exciting events ranging from soccer, baseball, and basketball to horse racing, greyhounds, and motor racing can be seen and enjoyed throughout the state. Soccer and baseball are particularly popular in Miami, where various sporting events are held. Spring is the busiest time for most sports fields, while Florida’s sunny weather makes participation sports like tennis, golf, and water sports popular year-round.
Football
Currently, Florida has three teams in the National Football League (NFL): the Miami Dolphins, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Miami Dolphins, members of the NFL long before the Buccaneers and Jaguars, have appeared in five Super Bowls, winning twice. The season runs from September to December.
Florida has more college bowl games than any other state. Among college teams, the Tallahassee Seminoles, Miami Hurricanes, and Gainesville Gators often finish high in the national football rankings; their rivalry is fierce.
Around New Year’s Day there are a host of important and popular college games.
The three favorites are the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, the Orange Bowl Classic in Miami and the annual Gator Bowl clash in Jacksonville.
Baseball
Established in 1993, the Florida Marlins were the first major league baseball team in the state. Despite the relatively short time since joining the National League, the Marlins have won two World Series championships. The second team from Florida to join the major leagues was the Tampa Bay Devil Rays based at St. Petersburg Tropicana Field. The baseball season runs from April to October. Eighteen major league baseball teams hold spring training in Florida. In March the teams play friendly matches in many cities in the so-called Grapefruit League. These games, which take place throughout the week, draw large crowds, with fans often coming from out of state. For dates and tickets, please contact individual stadiums in advance. A list of teams, cities, and phone numbers is also available from the Florida Sports Foundation.
Horse racing and greyhound racing
Florida boasts the second largest Thoroughbred industry in the country, centered in Ocala. Gulfstream Park in Hallandale has races from January through April. This is the home of the prestigious million dollar Florida Derby that takes place in March. The famous Breeder’s Cup is often held at Gulfstream. From May to December, the races move to the Calder Race Course in Miami.
The Cumbre de la Velocidad in July and the Festival of the Sun in October are two days of betting in Calder, each with purses totaling more than a million dollars. Thoroughbred racing is also held at Tampa Bay Downs in Tampa from December through May. There is a harness racing track in Florida, Pampano Park in Pompano Beach. Here standard breed dogs breed throughout the year. Greyhound racing is popular in Florida, taking place at 16 tracks throughout the state, including in Miami and Tampa.