Sport in Miami
The city of Miami and the Miami metropolitan area are 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. As well as having all five major professional teams, Miami is also the future home to the Major League Soccer expansion team led by David Beckham.
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.
Current major league professional teams
The Miami area is home to four major league sports teams. 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 Bowl Championship Series, hosts their college football championship games at Hard Rock Stadium. The stadium has also hosted the Super Bowl; the Miami metro area has hosted the game a total of ten times (five Super Bowls at the now Hard Rock Stadium, including Super Bowl XLI and five at the Miami Orange Bowl), tying New Orleans for the most games.
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 | League | Venue | League Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | Football | National Football League | Hard Rock Stadium | Super Bowl (2) (1972, 1973) |
| Florida Panthers | Hockey | National Hockey League | BB&T Center | None |
| Miami Heat | Basketball | National Basketball Association | American Airlines Arena | NBA Finals (3) (2006, 2012, 2013) |
| Miami Marlins | Baseball | Major League Baseball | Marlins Park | World Series (2) (1997, 2003) |
| Miami MLS team | Soccer | Major League Soccer | Miami MLS Stadium | None |
Other professional teams
| Club | Sport | League | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami FC | Soccer | North American Soccer League | FIU Stadium |
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 | – | Barry basketball | D-II | Sunshine State Conference | 7 (2007 – Men's Golf) |
| NSU Sharks | – | NSU basketball | D-II | Sunshine State Conference | 16 (2013 – Women's Rowing) |
Defunct and relocated teams
A number of defunct teams were located in Miami, including the Miami Floridians (ABA), Miami Matadors (ECHL), Miami Manatees (WHA2), Miami Gatos (NASL), Miami Screaming Eagles (WHA), Miami Seahawks (AAFC), Miami Sol (WNBA), Miami Toros (NASL), Miami Tropics (SFL), Miami Tropics (ABA), and the Miami Hooters (Arena Football League). The Miami Fusion, a defunct Major League Soccer team, played at Lockhart Stadium in nearby 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.