Sports in New York City - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Sports in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

have a long and distinguished history. The city has a few historic sports venues: the original Yankee Stadium, home of the New York Yankees

New York Yankees

The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

from 1923 to 2008, before the team moved into their new stadium

Yankee Stadium

Yankee Stadium was a stadium located in The Bronx in New York City, New York. It was the home ballpark of the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008. The stadium hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. It was also the former home of the New York...

in 2009, Ebbets Field

Ebbets Field

Ebbets Field was a Major League Baseball park located in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York, USA, on a city block which is now considered to be part of the Crown Heights neighborhood. It was the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League. It was also a venue for professional football...

, home of the Brooklyn Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...

from 1913 until 1957, was torn down in 1960, and the Polo Grounds

Polo Grounds

The Polo Grounds was the name given to four different stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used by many professional teams in both baseball and American football from 1880 until 1963...

in northern Harlem

Harlem

Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...

was the home of the New York Giants

San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....

of Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

from 1911 to 1957 (and the first home of the New York Mets

New York Mets

The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...

) before being demolished in 1964. The Mets, who previously played at Shea Stadium

Shea Stadium

William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, usually shortened to Shea Stadium or just Shea , was a stadium in the New York City borough of Queens, in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park. It was the home baseball park of Major League Baseball's New York Mets from 1964 to 2008...

moved into the newly constructed Citi Field in 2009. Also the current Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...

, atop Pennsylvania Station

Pennsylvania Station (New York City)

Pennsylvania Station—commonly known as Penn Station—is the major intercity train station and a major commuter rail hub in New York City. It is one of the busiest rail stations in the world, and a hub for inbound and outbound railroad traffic in New York City. The New York City Subway system also...

in Midtown Manhattan

Midtown Manhattan

Midtown Manhattan, or simply Midtown, is an area of Manhattan, New York City home to world-famous commercial zones such as Rockefeller Center, Broadway, and Times Square...

, is actually the fourth separate building to use that name; the first two were near Madison Square

Madison Square

Madison Square is formed by the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Broadway at 23rd Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The square was named for James Madison, fourth President of the United States and the principal author of the United States Constitution.The focus of the square is...

, hence the name, and the third was at 50th Street and Eighth Avenue

Eighth Avenue (Manhattan)

Eighth Avenue is a north-south avenue on the West Side of Manhattan in New York City, carrying northbound traffic. Eighth Avenue begins in the West Village neighborhood at Abingdon Square and runs north for 44 blocks through Chelsea, the Garment District, Hell's Kitchen's east end, Midtown and the...

.
New York City was also the host of parts of the 1996 World Cup of Hockey

World Cup of Hockey

The World Cup of Hockey is an international ice hockey tournament. Inaugurated in 1996, it is the successor to the previous Canada Cup, which ran from 1976 to 1991...

, and the 1998 Goodwill Games

Goodwill Games

The Goodwill Games was an international sports competition, created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s...

. In 2005, it bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympics

2012 Summer Olympics

The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...

, but lost to London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

.

The New York City metropolitan area has nine teams in the four major North American professional sports leagues, each of which also has its headquarters in the city.

Baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

is the city's most closely followed sport. There have been fourteen World Series

World Series

The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball, played between the American League and National League champions since 1903. The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff and awarded the Commissioner's Trophy...

championship series between New York City teams, in matchups called Subway Series

Subway Series

The Subway Series is a series of Major League Baseball games played between teams based in New York City. The term's historic usage has been in reference to World Series games played between New York teams...

. New York is one of only two cities (Chicago being the other) and one of four metropolitan areas (the Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay areas) to have two baseball teams. The city's two current Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

teams are the New York Yankees

New York Yankees

The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

and the New York Mets

New York Mets

. The city also was once home to the New York Giants (now the San Francisco Giants

San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....

) and the Brooklyn Dodgers (now the Los Angeles Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers

). Both teams moved to California in 1958. There are also two minor league baseball

Minor league baseball

Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...

teams in the city, the Staten Island Yankees

Staten Island Yankees

The Staten Island Yankees are a minor league baseball team, located in the New York City borough of Staten Island. Nicknamed the "Baby Bombers," the Yankees are a Short-Season A classification affiliate of the New York Yankees and play in the New York - Penn League at Richmond County Bank Ballpark...

and Brooklyn Cyclones

Brooklyn Cyclones

The Brooklyn Cyclones is a minor league baseball team in the Short-Season A classification New York - Penn League, affiliated with the New York Mets. The Cyclones play at MCU Park just off the Coney Island boardwalk in the New York City borough of Brooklyn....

.

Football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

is the city's second most followed sport, slightly trailing baseball. The city is represented in the National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

by the New York Giants

New York Giants

The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

(officially the New York Football Giants) and New York Jets

New York Jets

The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

. Both the New York Giants

New York Giants

and the New York Jets

New York Jets

play in MetLife Stadium in nearby East Rutherford, New Jersey

East Rutherford, New Jersey

East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,913. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan....

near New York City. In 2014 the stadium will host Super Bowl XLVIII

Super Bowl XLVIII

Super Bowl XLVIII will be the 48th edition of the Super Bowl in American football, and the 44th annual championship game of the modern-era National Football League . It will be held on February 2, 2014 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey...

. Both teams share an intra-city rivalry, the only one of its kind in the NFL.

The New York Rangers

New York Rangers

The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...

and The New York Islanders

New York Islanders

The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

represent the city in the National Hockey League

National Hockey League

The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...

, calling Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden

and Nassau Coliseum home.

In soccer, New York is represented by the New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer

Major League Soccer

Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...

. The Red Bulls also play their home games in a new stadium of their own, also in New Jersey.

The city's National Basketball Association

National Basketball Association

The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

team is the New York Knicks

New York Knicks

The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...

and the city's Women's National Basketball Association

Women's National Basketball Association

The Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association...

team is the New York Liberty

New York Liberty

The New York Liberty is a professional basketball team based in New York City, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was one of the eight original franchises of the league...

. The first national basketball championship for major colleges, the National Invitation Tournament

National Invitation Tournament

The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...

, was held in New York in 1938, and its semifinal and final rounds remain in the city. Rucker Park

Rucker Park

Rucker Park is a basketball court in the Harlem neighborhood of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located at 155th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard across the street from the former Polo Grounds site...

in Harlem

Harlem

is a celebrated court where many professional athletes play in the summer league.

As a global city, New York supports many events outside these sports. Queens is host of the U.S. Tennis Open, one of the four Grand Slam

Grand Slam (tennis)

The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...

tournaments. The New York City Marathon

New York City Marathon

The New York City Marathon is a major annual marathon that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is one of the largest marathons in the world, with 45,103 finishers in 2010...

is the world's largest, and the 2004–2006 runnings hold the top three places in the marathons with the largest number of finishers, including 37,866 finishers in 2006. The Millrose Games

Millrose Games

The Millrose Games is an annual indoor athletics meet held on the first Friday in February in New York City. They will be held at the Armory in Washington Heights in 2012, after having taken place in Madison Square Garden from 1914 to 2011...

is an annual track and field meet whose featured event is the Wanamaker Mile

Wanamaker Mile

The Wanamaker Mile is an event held annually at the Millrose Games in New York City's Madison Square Garden.The event is an indoor one-mile race. It was first held in 1908, and in 1926 became known as the "Wanamaker." It is named in honor of the head of the Wanamaker's Department Store in New...

. Boxing is also a very prominent part of the city's sporting scene, with events like the Amateur Boxing Golden Gloves being held at Madison Square Garden each year.

Many sports are associated with New York's immigrant communities. Stickball

Stickball

Stickball is a street game related to baseball, usually formed as a pick-up game, played in large cities in the Northeastern United States, especially New York City. The equipment consists of a broom handle and a rubber ball, typically a spaldeen, pensie pinkie, high bouncer or tennis ball. The...

, a street version of baseball, was popularized by youths in working class Italian, German, and Irish neighborhoods in the 1930s. In recent years several amateur cricket

Cricket

Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...

leagues have emerged with the arrival of immigrants from South Asia and the Caribbean.

Major sports

The New York metropolitan area

New York metropolitan area

The New York metropolitan area, also known as Greater New York, or the Tri-State area, is the region that composes of New York City and the surrounding region...

is the only one in the United States with more than one team

U.S. cities with teams from four major sports

There are 12 U.S. cities with teams from four major sports, where "city" is defined as the entire metropolitan area, and "major professional sports leagues" as:...

in each of the four major sports, with nine such franchises.

Baseball

New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

and New York Mets
New York Mets
The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...

In New York, baseball is still regarded as the most popular sport, despite being overtaken by football in terms of perceived popularity (but not attendance) throughout the country.

The "Subway Series

Subway Series

" is the annual regular season meeting between the Yankees and the Mets. Before Interleague Play was introduced in 1997, the only instance these two teams could have played each other would have been in the World Series. The Yankees and Mets did play for the World Series in 2000, with the Yankees winning the series 4-1.

For many New York baseball fans, the most intense rivalry is between the Yankees and the Boston Red Sox. While the city rivalry between the Yankees and the Mets is also fierce, it is not so strong to prevent fans of one team rooting for their fellow New York team over geographic rivals. For example, after the Mets beat the Red Sox in the 1986 World Series

1986 World Series

The 1986 World Series pitted the New York Mets against the Boston Red Sox. It was cited in the legend of the "Curse of the Bambino" to explain the error by Bill Buckner in Game 6 that allowed the Mets to extend the series to a seventh game...

, many Yankee fans attended the parade celebrating the Mets' win, saying that "anyone who beats Boston is worth coming down for."

There have been 14 Subway Series World Series match-ups between the Yankees and their National League

National League

The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League , is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball, and the world's oldest extant professional team sports league. Founded on February 2, 1876, to replace the National Association of Professional...

rivals; the Mets (once), and with the two teams that departed for California in the 1950s — the New York Giants

San Francisco Giants

The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....

(7 times) and Brooklyn Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers

(6 times).

New York City is also home to two minor league baseball

Minor league baseball

teams that play in the short-season Class A New York - Penn League

New York - Penn League

The New York – Penn League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the northeastern United States. It is classified as a "Short-Season A" league; its season starts in June, after major-league teams have signed their amateur draft picks to professional contracts, and ends in early...

. The Brooklyn Cyclones

Brooklyn Cyclones

are a Mets affiliate, and the Staten Island Yankees

Staten Island Yankees

are affiliated with the Yankees.

Three early clubs, the New York Giants

History of the New York Giants (NL)

The history of the New York Giants, before the franchise moved to San Francisco, lasted from 1883 to 1957. It featured five of the franchise's six World Series wins and 17 of its 21 National League pennants...

, Brooklyn Dodgers

History of the Brooklyn Dodgers

-Early Brooklyn baseball:Brooklyn was home to numerous baseball clubs in the mid-1850s. Eight of 16 participants in the first convention were from Brooklyn, including the Atlantic, Eckford, and Excelsior clubs that combined to dominate play for most of the 1860s...

and New York Yankees

New York Yankees

The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

, were among the most storied clubs of professional baseball, and were home to such players as Willie Mays

Willie Mays

Willie Howard Mays, Jr. is a retired American professional baseball player who played the majority of his major league career with the New York and San Francisco Giants before finishing with the New York Mets. Nicknamed The Say Hey Kid, Mays was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1979, his...

, Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson

Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson was the first black Major League Baseball player of the modern era. Robinson broke the baseball color line when he debuted with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947...

and Babe Ruth

Babe Ruth

George Herman Ruth, Jr. , best known as "Babe" Ruth and nicknamed "the Bambino" and "the Sultan of Swat", was an American Major League baseball player from 1914–1935...

. The city currently has two Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

teams, the Mets (who were formed in 1962 to replace the Dodgers and, to a lesser extent, the Giants), and the Yankees.

On November 4, 2009, the Yankees won the World Series

2009 World Series

The 2009 World Series was the 105th edition of Major League Baseball's championship series. The best-of-seven playoff was contested between the Philadelphia Phillies, champions of the National League and defending World Series champions, and the New York Yankees, champions of the American League...

, displacing the New York Football Giants

New York Giants

as the most recent sports team in the city to win a major league championship.

Basketball

New York Knicks
New York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...

and New York Liberty
New York Liberty
The New York Liberty is a professional basketball team based in New York City, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was one of the eight original franchises of the league...

The first national basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

championship for major colleges, the National Invitation Tournament

National Invitation Tournament

, was held in New York in 1938, and its semifinal and final rounds remain at Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden

. The NIT has spawned a major preseason tournament known as the NIT Season Tip-Off

NIT Season Tip-Off

The NIT Season Tip-Off is an annual college basketball tournament that takes place in November of each year, around the beginning of the season. The first two rounds are held at campus sites and the semifinals and the finals are held at Madison Square Garden. The tournament began in 1985 as the...

; the semifinal and final rounds of that event are also held at the Garden.

At Madison Square Garden, New Yorkers can watch the New York Knicks

New York Knicks

play NBA basketball, the New York Liberty

New York Liberty

play in the WNBA. The Prudential Center in Newark, located across the Hudson River in New Jersey, is home to the New Jersey Nets

New Jersey Nets

The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...

NBA basketball team. The New Jersey Nets will become the Brooklyn Nets after their move into Brooklyn's Barclays Center in 2012, the first major professional sports team to play in the historic borough in half a century.

Rucker Park

Rucker Park

in Harlem

Harlem

is a celebrated court where many NBA athletes play in the summer league.

Football

Both the New York Giants

New York Giants

and the New York Jets

New York Jets

play in MetLife Stadium in nearby East Rutherford, New Jersey

East Rutherford, New Jersey

near New York City starting 2010. In 2014 the stadium will host Super Bowl XLVIII

Super Bowl XLVIII

. The Giants and Jets were previously located in New York City (both teams played in the Polo Grounds and Shea Stadium, and the Giants played in Yankee Stadium). Neither team plays in the city itself presently, as both teams are located in the Meadowlands

Meadowlands Sports Complex

The MetLife Sports Complex is a sports and entertainment facility located in East Rutherford, Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, owned and operated by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority...

complex in East Rutherford, NJ, playing in Giants Stadium

Giants Stadium

Giants Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium, located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, in the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Maximum seating capacity was 80,242. The building itself was 230.5 m long, 180.5 m wide and 44 m high from service level to the top of the seating bowl and 54 m high to...

for many years before moving to MetLife Stadium. The Giants were founded in 1925, one of the oldest presently active organizations in the National Football League. Due to their long-spanning establishment and richer tradition of on-field success historically speaking, as compared to the Jets, of the two teams, many consider the Giants to be the more popular. Founded in 1960, the originally named New York Titans, later branded as the Jets in 1963, were a charter member of the American Football League (AFL), joining the NFL as part of the AFL/NFL merger in 1970.

The Jets are sometimes regarded as "Long Island's Team" supported by the fact that until 2008, the team trained in Hempstead

Hempstead (village), New York

Hempstead is a village located in the town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York, United States. The population was 53,891 at the 2010 census.Hofstra University is located on the border between Hempstead and Uniondale.-Foundation:...

at Hofstra University

Hofstra University

Hofstra University is a private, nonsectarian institution of higher learning located in the Village of Hempstead, New York, United States, about east of New York City: less than an hour away by train or car...

, and used to play at Shea Stadium

Shea Stadium

(former home of the New York Mets

New York Mets

baseball team) which is close to Nassau County. Statistically, the largest percentage of the Jets fanbase derives from Long Island, hence, the Jets generally receive more media coverage in that part of New York. Traditionally speaking, Giants fans tend to root for the New York Yankees

New York Yankees

The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...

(whom they shared Yankee Stadium

Yankee Stadium

with for 17 years) and the New York Rangers

New York Rangers

(all three being the older, more established teams), while Jets fans tend to root for the New York Mets (whom they shared Shea Stadium with for 19 years) and New York Islanders

New York Islanders

The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

. However, intercity rivalries among the city's two most popular sports have invariably led to a considerable number of Jets fans who support the Yankees; sharing both teams' intense rivalries with their Boston counterparts (Patriots

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...

- Red Sox

Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

) as well as a considerable number of Giants fans supporting the Mets; sharing both teams' intense rivalries with their Philadelphia counterparts (Eagles

Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

- Phillies

Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...

) including the Rangers-Flyers

Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

hockey rivalry. Fans of both the Giants and Jets traditionally root for the New York Knicks

New York Knicks

of the NBA which shares intercity rivalries with both the Boston Celtics

Boston Celtics

The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...

and the Philadelphia 76ers

Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...

. Although, many also go for the New Jersey Nets

New Jersey Nets

The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...

because the Nets currently play in New Jersey where most of the Giants fan base is and they used to play in Brooklyn where much of the Jets fan base is.

Along with New York's two NFL teams, NYC is home to the New York Sharks

New York Sharks

The New York Sharks are a women's American football team playing out of New York City. They are a member of the Women's Football Alliance...

. http://www.nysharksfootball.com The NY Sharks are NYC's premier professional women's tackle football team. Established in 1999 the Sharks are the longest-running and winningest team in women's tackle football having won 3 conference titles (2002, 2003, 2004 IWFL East)
6 division titles (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 IWFL) and one championship title(2002 IWFL). The Sharks play at many fields and have no official home stadium. The season for women's football is from April to June with playoffs and the championship game occurring from June to July. As of 2011 the Sharks are now with the WFA (Women's Football Alliance http://wfafootball.com/) along with the Bay Area Bandits, Boston Militia, Chicago Force, Dallas Diamonds, DC Divas, Kansas City Tribe, Pittsburgh Passion, and the San Diego Surge in an effort to bring together the best franchises of women's football.

In 2009 the independent United Football League, fielded the New York Sentinels for their premier season. After the 2009 season the UFL decided that due to the high costs of using then Giants Stadium, in addition to low fan attendance, the team was located to Hartford, CT and renamed the Hartford Colonials.

Hockey

The New York Rangers

New York Rangers

of the National Hockey League

National Hockey League

play in Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden

. The Rangers are one of the Original Six

Original Six

The Original Six is a term for the group of six teams that composed the National Hockey League for the 25 seasons between the 1942–43 season and the 1967 NHL Expansion. These six teams are the Boston Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and the...

— a term given to the six NHL teams in existence before the league doubled its size

1967 NHL expansion

The National Hockey League undertook a major expansion for the 1967–68 season, adding six new franchises to double the size of the league. This marked the first change in the composition of the league since 1942, when the Brooklyn Americans folded. Thus, the expansion ended the era of the Original...

in 1967.

The NHL's New Jersey Devils

New Jersey Devils

The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

played in the New Jersey Meadowlands at the Continental Airlines Arena, now the Izod Center, before moving to the Prudential Center (Newark, NJ), while the New York Islanders

New York Islanders

The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

, the third NHL team in the Metro area, play their home games in Nassau Coliseum

Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum

The Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Uniondale, New York, United States. Home to the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League, the Coliseum is located approximately east of New York City on Long Island...

on Long Island

Long Island

Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...

. All three teams play in the Atlantic Division, providing fans with intense rivalries. However, all three teams also have bitter rivalries with the Philadelphia Flyers

Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

.

There is an intense rivalry between the Rangers and Devils

Devils–Rangers rivalry

The New Jersey Devils - New York Rangers Rivalry , exist between two National Hockey League teams in the New York metropolitan area...

who have met in the playoffs five times, including a dramatic 7 game series in the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals, ending in a double-overtime goal by the Rangers' Stephane Matteau

Stephane Matteau

Stéphane Matteau is a former National Hockey League player.As a member of the New York Rangers 1994 Stanley Cup Championship team, Matteau is most remembered for scoring two overtime goals in the Eastern Conference Finals against the New Jersey Devils...

. The Devils took a 3–2 series lead into Game 6 in New Jersey and jumped out to a 2–0 lead. However, Mark Messier

Mark Messier

Mark Douglas Messier is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre of the National Hockey League and current special assistant to the president and general manager of the New York Rangers. He spent a quarter of a century in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, and Vancouver...

's famous guarantee and hat-trick

Hat-trick

A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...

led the Rangers to victory and a seventh game. As time wound down in Game 7, the Rangers were clinging to a 1–0 lead on a goal when New Jersey's Valeri Zelepukin

Valeri Zelepukin

Valeri Mikhailovich Zelepukin is a retired Russian ice hockey player who has played in the National Hockey League for the New Jersey Devils, Edmonton Oilers, Philadelphia Flyers and the Chicago Blackhawks between 1991 and 2001. He is 6'1"", weighs 200 lbs and shoots left-handed...

tied the game with 7.7 seconds left in regulation to silence the Garden crowd and send the game into overtime, where Matteau won it for the Rangers. The two teams have met four other times in postseason play; the Devils' win in 2006 was their only playoff series victory over the Rangers.

Though the rivalry has cooled recently, the Islanders and Rangers had a bitter rivalry in the 1970s and the 1980s, as the Islanders won four consecutive Stanley Cup

Stanley Cup

The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...

titles. The two teams have met eight times in the playoffs, with the Islanders winning five of those matchups.

The NHL's headquarters are also located in New York City.

Soccer

Soccer is, as in the rest of the country, rapidly growing in popularity in New York. In addition to the current New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer

Major League Soccer

, the area was home to the New York Cosmos

New York Cosmos

The New York Cosmos were an American soccer club based in New York City, New York and its suburbs. The team played home games in three stadiums around New York before moving in 1977 to Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey, where it remained for the rest of its history...

, arguably the most popular American soccer team ever. Playing in the defunct NASL

North American Soccer League

North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...

, the Cosmos were known for fielding some of the world's greatest players including Pelé

Pelé

However, Pelé has always maintained that those are mistakes, that he was actually named Edson and that he was born on 23 October 1940.), best known by his nickname Pelé , is a retired Brazilian footballer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest football players of all time...

and Franz Beckenbauer

Franz Beckenbauer

Franz Anton Beckenbauer is a German football coach, manager, and former player, nicknamed Der Kaiser because of his elegant style, his leadership, his first name "Franz" , and his dominance on the football pitch...

albeit in the waning years of their professional careers. The New York Cosmos have been restarted with youth soccer programs, and have plans to join MLS as a future expansion team, playing their games at a site yet to be built in Queens.

The Red Bulls' owner, the Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

n beverage company Red Bull

Red Bull GmbH

Red Bull GmbH is an Austrian company which sells the Red Bull energy drink. In 2010, more than 4.204 billion cans were sold in over 161 countries. 7,758 employees generated 3.78 billion euros in revenue...

, completed building a new stadium in Harrison, New Jersey

Harrison, New Jersey

Harrison is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 13,620. The town is a suburb of the nearby city of Newark, New Jersey.-Geography:Harrison is located at ....

for the 2010 MLS season. The venue, named Red Bull Arena, is a football-specific stadium with a capacity of just over 25,000.

Sky Blue FC

Sky Blue FC

Sky Blue FC is an American professional soccer club based in Piscataway Township, New Jersey which participates in Women's Professional Soccer....

is one of the seven inaugural teams in Women's Professional Soccer

Women's Professional Soccer

Women's Professional Soccer is the top level professional women's soccer league in the United States. It began play on March 29, 2009. The league was composed of seven teams for its first two seasons and fielded 6 teams for the 2011 season, with continued plans for future expansion...

, the second attempt to launch a women's professional league in the US. The league started play in 2009

2009 Women's Professional Soccer season

The 2009 Women's Professional Soccer season served as the inaugural season for WPS, the top level professional women's soccer league in the United States...

, with Sky Blue playing its home games in New Jersey at Yurcak Field

Yurcak Field

Yurcak Field is a multi-purpose soccer and lacrosse stadium on the main campus of Rutgers University in Piscataway Township, New Jersey, United States. It was built in 1994 and holds 5,000 people. The stadium is officially named "The Soccer/Lacrosse Stadium at Yurcak Field" in honor of Ronald N...

on the campus of Rutgers University

Rutgers University

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...

. Sky Blue became the league's inaugural champion despite finishing fourth in the league during the regular season, which meant that they had to play on the road in all three WPS playoff games

2009 Women's Professional Soccer Playoffs

The 2009 WPS Playoffs were the postseason to Women's Professional Soccer's 2009 Season, that started on August 15 and culminated on August 22 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.-Format:...

.

The Brooklyn Knights

Brooklyn Knights

Brooklyn Knights is an American soccer team based in New York, New York, United States. Founded in 1999, the team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Mid Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference.The team plays its home games at the...

, a fourth-division side playing at Metropolitan Oval

Metropolitan Oval

The Metropolitan Oval, also known as Met Oval, is a soccer complex located in Maspeth, Queens in New York City. Village Voice named the complex, which takes up , the "Best full soccer field in the middle of a residential neighborhood" in 2004, for its "pristine" playing surface and the view of the...

and Aviator Field in Brooklyn

Brooklyn

Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...

Notable New York City Area Teams

Club	League	Venue	Location	Established	Championships	Local Cable Network
New York Yankees New York Yankees The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...	MLB Major League Baseball Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League... Baseball	Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium Yankee Stadium was a stadium located in The Bronx in New York City, New York. It was the home ballpark of the New York Yankees from 1923 to 1973 and from 1976 to 2008. The stadium hosted 6,581 Yankees regular season home games during its 85-year history. It was also the former home of the New York...	The Bronx The Bronx The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...	1901	27	YES Network YES Network The Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network is a New York City-based, regional cable television channel; it broadcasts a variety of sports events, with an emphasis on New York Yankees baseball games, and New Jersey Nets basketball games. YES made its debut on March 19, 2002...
New York Giants New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...	NFL National Football League The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing... Football	MetLife Stadium	East Rutherford, NJ	1925	7	MSG Network MSG Network The MSG Network, now shortened to simply MSG, is a regional cable television and radio network serving the Mid-Atlantic United States. It is focused on New York City sports teams...
New York Rangers New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...	NHL National Hockey League The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States... Ice Hockey	Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...	Manhattan Manhattan Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...	1926	4	MSG Network MSG Network The MSG Network, now shortened to simply MSG, is a regional cable television and radio network serving the Mid-Atlantic United States. It is focused on New York City sports teams...
New York Knicks New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, prominently known as the Knicks, are a professional basketball team based in New York City. They are part of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...	NBA National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada... Basketball	Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...	Manhattan Manhattan Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...	1946	2	MSG Network MSG Network The MSG Network, now shortened to simply MSG, is a regional cable television and radio network serving the Mid-Atlantic United States. It is focused on New York City sports teams...
New York Jets New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...	NFL National Football League The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing... Football	MetLife Stadium	East Rutherford, NJ	1960	1	SportsNet New York SportsNet New York SportsNet New York is a New York City-based regional sports cable network which airs in the New York metro area and all of New York state, and nationwide via satellite. It is owned jointly by the New York Mets, Time Warner Cable, and NBCUniversal...
New York Mets New York Mets The New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League...	MLB Major League Baseball Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League... Baseball	Citi Field	Queens Queens Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....	1962	2	SportsNet New York SportsNet New York SportsNet New York is a New York City-based regional sports cable network which airs in the New York metro area and all of New York state, and nationwide via satellite. It is owned jointly by the New York Mets, Time Warner Cable, and NBCUniversal...
New Jersey Nets New Jersey Nets The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...	NBA National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada... Basketball	Prudential Center	Newark, NJ	1967	2	YES Network YES Network The Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network is a New York City-based, regional cable television channel; it broadcasts a variety of sports events, with an emphasis on New York Yankees baseball games, and New Jersey Nets basketball games. YES made its debut on March 19, 2002...
New York Islanders New York Islanders The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...	NHL National Hockey League The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States... Ice Hockey	Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum The Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Uniondale, New York, United States. Home to the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League, the Coliseum is located approximately east of New York City on Long Island...	Uniondale, NY	1972	4	MSG Plus MSG Plus MSG Plus is a regional sports network in the New York City metropolitan area, whose reach expands to cover the entire state of New York, Northern New Jersey, Southwestern Connecticut, and Northeastern Pennsylvania. The network was rebranded on March 10, 2008.Like its sister network, MSG, it is...
New Jersey Devils New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...	NHL National Hockey League The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States... Ice Hockey	Prudential Center	Newark, NJ	1974	3	MSG Plus MSG Plus MSG Plus is a regional sports network in the New York City metropolitan area, whose reach expands to cover the entire state of New York, Northern New Jersey, Southwestern Connecticut, and Northeastern Pennsylvania. The network was rebranded on March 10, 2008.Like its sister network, MSG, it is...
New York Red Bulls	MLS Major League Soccer Major League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada... Soccer	Red Bull Arena	Harrison, NJ	1995	0	MSG Network MSG Network The MSG Network, now shortened to simply MSG, is a regional cable television and radio network serving the Mid-Atlantic United States. It is focused on New York City sports teams...
New York Liberty New York Liberty The New York Liberty is a professional basketball team based in New York City, playing in the Eastern Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association . The team was one of the eight original franchises of the league...	WNBA Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association is a women's professional basketball league in the United States. It currently is composed of twelve teams. The league was founded on April 24, 1996 as the women's counterpart to the National Basketball Association... Basketball	Prudential Center	Newark, NJ	1997	0	MSG Network MSG Network The MSG Network, now shortened to simply MSG, is a regional cable television and radio network serving the Mid-Atlantic United States. It is focused on New York City sports teams...

Current issues and new stadiums

The 2000s have seen almost a complete revamping of the area's major sporting venues. This began in 2007, when the New Jersey Devils

New Jersey Devils

moved to Newark, NJ and opened the Prudential Center. In 2009, both the Mets and Yankees opened new baseball stadiums adjacent to their old homes, with the Mets replacing Shea Stadium

Shea Stadium

with Citi Field and the Yankees building a new Yankee Stadium

Yankee Stadium

. In 2010, the Jets and Giants moved to a new shared facility called New Meadowlands Stadium

New Meadowlands Stadium

MetLife Stadium is a stadium in the New York City Metropolitan Area, part of the MetLife Sports Complex, in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It is the home of the New York Giants and New York Jets of the National Football League and is adjacent to the site of the former Giants Stadium, which was home...

(now MetLife Stadium) and the New York Red Bulls opened their own soccer-specific stadium

Soccer-specific stadium

Soccer-specific stadium is a term used mainly in the United States, Canada, Australia and South Korea coined by Lamar Hunt, to refer to a sports stadium either purpose built or fundamentally redesigned for soccer and whose primary function is to host soccer matches, as opposed to a multipurpose...

in Harrison, NJ called Red Bull Arena (the three had previously shared Giants Stadium

Giants Stadium

in East Rutherford, NJ). The remaining teams in the metropolitan area all have plans in the works to replace or refurbish their current buildings as follows:

New York Rangers

New York Rangers

, New York Knicks

New York Knicks

, and New York Liberty

New York Liberty

: Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden

is in the process of a massive renovation. The $850 million project began in 2010 and will be complete in time for the 2013-14 NHL and NBA seasons. The transformation will include a rebuilding of the seating bowl and concourses, new luxury suites, new LED scoreboard and ribbon boards, and two new spectator bridges that will span 65 feet (19.8 m) above the arena on each side of the playing surface. Because the work will take place over the summer months, the New York Liberty will spend three seasons (2011–2013) playing their home games at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.

New Jersey Nets

New Jersey Nets

The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in Newark, New Jersey. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association...

: Moving to the Barclays Center (currently under construction) in Brooklyn

Brooklyn

for the 2012-13 NBA season (playing in the interim at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ).

New York Islanders

New York Islanders

The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

: Proposed to rebuild or renovate the Nassau Coliseum

Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum

by the time their lease at the arena is up in 2015. However, various proposals to do so have stalled. The team has said that they would not remain in the current arena past the end of the lease. There is talk that the Islanders could relocate to Suffolk County

Suffolk County, New York

Suffolk County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York on the eastern portion of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,493,350. It was named for the county of Suffolk in England, from which its earliest settlers came...

, to a new arena in the Willets Point section of Queens near Citi Field, the home of the Mets, or to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Major League Soccer

Major League Soccer

is currently working with various local groups in order to allow for an expansion team to begin play sometime between 2013-15 to New York City. It would be the 20th team in the league and second MLS team in the New York City area, the first being the New York Red Bulls. An expansion team would be contingent on whether the prospective ownership groups, which includes a relaunching of the New York Cosmos

New York Cosmos

, are able to finance and construct a new soccer-specific stadium in the city. Plans to build the new stadium in Queens, with locations in Flushing Meadows and Long Island City are currently being discussed.

Other sports

The New York metropolitan area

New York metropolitan area

The New York metropolitan area, also known as Greater New York, or the Tri-State area, is the region that composes of New York City and the surrounding region...

is also home to professional soccer and lacrosse teams, such as the New York Red Bulls in Major League Soccer

Major League Soccer

, Sky Blue FC

Sky Blue FC

Sky Blue FC is an American professional soccer club based in Piscataway Township, New Jersey which participates in Women's Professional Soccer....

in Women's Professional Soccer

Women's Professional Soccer

, the Brookyln Knights of the USL PDL, and both the Long Island Lizards

Long Island Lizards

The Long Island Lizards are a Major League Lacrosse professional men's field lacrosse team based in Hempstead, New York, USA, located on Long Island. They are original members of the MLL and lost in the league's inaugural game on June 7, 2001 to the Baltimore Bayhawks , 16-13...

and the New Jersey Pride

New Jersey Pride

The New Jersey Pride were a men's field lacrosse team formerly based in Piscataway, New Jersey, United States. They played in Major League Lacrosse from 2001-2008.-Franchise history:...

in Major League Lacrosse

Major League Lacrosse

Major League Lacrosse, or MLL, is a professional men's field lacrosse league that is made up of five teams in the United States and one team in Canada.- History :...

. New York is also considered to be the "world capital" of one-wall handball

American handball

American handball is a sport in which players hit a small rubber ball against a wall using their hands.- History :...

Gaelic games

Gaelic games are sports played in Ireland under the auspices of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The two main games are Gaelic football and hurling...

have been played in New York since the foundation of the Gaelic Athletic Association

Gaelic Athletic Association

The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...

. New York is considered a GAA county

GAA county

A Gaelic Athletic Association county is a geographic region within the Gaelic Athletic Association , controlled by a county board and originally based on the counties of Ireland as they were in 1884. While the counties of Ireland have changed since the foundation of that date, the GAA counties have...

and plays in the Connacht Senior Football Championship

Connacht Senior Football Championship

The Bank of Ireland Connacht Senior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition for the senior county teams of Connacht GAA. A series of games are played during the summer months and the final is played in July....

Rugby League

The City contributes actively with two semi professional rugby league football sides, New York Raiders

New York Raiders

The New York Raiders were an ice hockey team and founding member of the World Hockey Association based in New York City. Intended to be the WHA's flagship franchise, its short tenure was a result of being unable to compete with the National Hockey League's established New York Rangers, and the...

, who play at Andrews Field, and the New York Knights

New York Knights (rugby league)

The New York Knights are a semi-professional rugby league football team based in New York City. The team currently plays in the American National Rugby League . They play their home games at Pier 40 in Hudson River Park....

, who play at Hudson River Park's Pier 40 in Manhattan. The Raiders have yet to win a trophy while the Knights have won the Championship twice in 2002 and 2009. New York City consistently produce players of international standard who play in the United States national rugby league team

United States national rugby league team

-2008 & 2013 Rugby League World Cup Qualifying:In October 2006, The Tomahawks were to participate in a four team Atlantic qualifying pool for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, but South Africa and the West Indies withdrew. As a result, The Atlantic qualifying pool was reduced to a single game...

Rugby Union

The city has two division one rugby union teams, the New York Athletic Club RFC

New York Athletic Club RFC

The New York Athletic Club Rugby Football Club is a SuperLeague rugby union team based in New York City. As the team name suggests, NYAC RFC is affiliated with the New York Athletic Club.-Sponsorship:...

, which was established in 1973 and the Old Blue, both who play in the Rugby Super League (rugby union

Rugby union

Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

). The city has other amateur rugby union clubs as well, paying in the New York Metropilitan Rugby Football Union. The clubs have contributed to the national team, the Eagles

United States national rugby union team

USA Rugby's men's national rugby union team, nicknamed the Eagles, represents the United States in the sport of rugby union. The Eagles are currently ranked 17th by the IRB World Rankings. Their highest ranking was from November 2, 2006 – September 10, 2007 at the 14th position...

, who have participated at the Rugby Union World Cup.

Field Hockey

There is a thriving field hockey competition in New York City played predominantly by European and Commonwealth expats. The North East Field Hockey Association (www.nefha.org) is run by the member clubs and games are played at Columbia University, Hofstra University, DeWitt Clinton High School and Drew University. The current champions are Rye FHC (www.rye-fieldhockey.com). Teams from New York also regularly compete in indoor and outdoor tournaments around the country.

Cricket

With around 20% of the New York City area's population originating from a cricket playing nation, it is not surprising that cricket's popularity is rising. The majority of players are expatriate and look to cricket to provide a link back to their homes: Often teams are composed of one ethnic or national background - and linked to local social clubs.

Since the players are mostly politically weak and financially strapped immigrants, the sport lacks consistent central funding. Combine these factors with the politics and mis-management of the USACA, and the result is that most facilities are poor; there are no turf wickets (most cricket is played on coconut matting), the outfields are often shared with active soccer games, and the facilities are rudimentary.

Despite all the challenges, the standard of cricket can be very good with ex-test and regional representatives playing in some leagues (e.g. the Commonwealth League). Like any other weekend sport there are also places for the less-skilled enthusiast to play (e.g. the Tri State World Series League).

New York is the center of the region's cricket, the nexus between all the activity in New York, Connecticut and New Jersey. Most clubs play in the major parks in the outer boroughs, for example:

Bronx - Van Courtlandt Park
Brooklyn - Prospect Park/Breezy Point
Queens - Flushing Meadow/Randall's Island
Staten Island - New Dorp (by Miller Field)
Note - there are no cricket grounds on Manhattan.

Most teams also play further afield. The oldest cricket team in America is based in Staten Island, and there are other active teams from Hoboken, New Jersey

Hoboken, New Jersey

Hoboken is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 50,005. The city is part of the New York metropolitan area and contains Hoboken Terminal, a major transportation hub for the region...

to Greenwich, Connecticut

Greenwich, Connecticut

Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 61,171. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies. Greenwich is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in Connecticut and is 38+ minutes ...

Running

The New York City Marathon

New York City Marathon

The New York City Marathon is a major annual marathon that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is one of the largest marathons in the world, with 45,103 finishers in 2010...

is an annual marathon foot-race run over a 42.2 km (26.2 mi) course through the five boroughs of New York City. Next to the Boston Marathon

Boston Marathon

The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon hosted by the U.S. city of Boston, Massachusetts, on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897 and inspired by the success of the first modern-day marathon competition in the 1896 Summer Olympics, the Boston Marathon is the world's oldest...

, it is considered the pre-eminent long-distance annual running event in the United States.

The race is produced by the New York Road Runners

New York Road Runners

New York Road Runners , founded in 1958 with 47 members, has grown into the foremost running organization, with a membership of 40,000. NYRR conducts more than 100 events each year, including races, classes, clinics, and lectures...

and has been run every year since 1970. In recent years, it has also been sponsored by financial giant ING. It is held on the first Sunday of November and attracts professional competitors and amateurs from all over the world. Because of the popularity of the race, participation is limited to 35,000 entrants chosen by a lottery system, with preference given to previous participants.

The Millrose Games

Millrose Games

is an annual indoor track and field meet held on the first Friday in February in Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden

since 1914. The games were started when employees of the Wanamaker's department store

Wanamaker's

Wanamaker's department store was the first department store in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the first department stores in the United States. At its zenith in the early 20th century, there were two major Wanamaker department stores, one in Philadelphia and one in New York City at Broadway...

formed the Millrose Track Club to hold a meet. The featured event is the Wanamaker Mile

Wanamaker Mile

Tennis

The U.S. Tennis Open is the fourth and final event of the Grand Slam
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...

tennis tournaments and is held annually in late summer at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows Park in Queens. The main tournament consists of five championships: men's and women's singles, men's and women's doubles and mixed doubles, with additional tournaments for junior and wheelchair players.

The National Tennis Center, open to the public whenever the USTA is not holding an event, features the world's largest stadium built specifically for the sport, the 23,200-seat Arthur Ashe Stadium

Arthur Ashe Stadium

Arthur Ashe Stadium, a part of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center located within Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in the New York City borough of Queens, is the main tennis stadium of the US Open, the last of each year's four Grand Slam tournaments, and also where the annual Arthur Ashe...

Horse racing

Aqueduct Racetrack

Aqueduct Racetrack is a thoroughbred horse-racing facility and racino in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Its racing meets usually are from late October/early November through April.-History:...

(the Big A) and Belmont Park

Belmont Park

Belmont Park is a major thoroughbred horse-racing facility located in Elmont in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, on Long Island adjoining New York City. It first opened on May 4, 1905...

feature horse racing all months of the year except August. Aqueduct is located within the city limits in Ozone Park, while Belmont is situated just outside the city, in Elmont, New York

Elmont, New York

Elmont is an unincorporated census-designated place located in the northwest corner of the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, along its border with the borough of Queens in New York City...

. Harness racing is offered at Yonkers Raceway

Yonkers Raceway

Yonkers Raceway, founded in 1899 as the Empire City Race Track, is a one-half-mile standardbred harness racing dirt track and New York state-approved slots racino located at the intersection of Central Park Avenue and Yonkers Avenue in Yonkers, New York near the New York City border...

north of the city and Meadowlands Racetrack

Meadowlands Racetrack

The Meadowlands Racetrack is a horse racing track at the MetLife Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States.The track hosts both thoroughbred racing and harness racing...

in East Rutherford, New Jersey

East Rutherford, New Jersey

Arena Football

The New York Dragons

New York Dragons

The New York Dragons were an Arena Football League team based in the New York metropolitan area. The team was founded in as the original incarnation of the Iowa Barnstormers, and relocated to New York in . They played in New York until 2008, when the league folded...

were the final AFL team for NY. They played at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, NY. New York also had arena football

Arena football

Arena football is a variety of gridiron football played by the Arena Football League . It is a proprietary game, the rights to which are owned by Gridiron Enterprises, and is played indoors on a smaller field than American or Canadian outdoor football, resulting in a faster and higher-scoring game....

teams play short runs at Madison Square Garden

Madison Square Garden

previously—the New York CityHawks and the New York Knights.

Arm Wrestling

The New York Arm Wrestling Association (NYAWA) www.nycarms.com is dedicated to the promotion of arm wrestling in NY since 1977. The NYAWA features the New York Golden Arm Series, Empire State Arm Wrestling Championships and NYC Big Apple Grapple International. Their website is www.nycarms.com

Auto Racing

The CART

Champ Car

Champ Car was the name for a class and specification of open wheel cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades, primarily for use in the Indianapolis 500 auto race...

series held a race at the Meadowlands from 1984–1991. ISC

International Speedway Corporation

International Speedway Corporation is a corporation whose primary business is the ownership and management of NASCAR race tracks. ISC was founded by NASCAR founder Bill France, Sr. in 1953 for the construction of Daytona International Speedway and in 1999 they merged with Penske Motorsports to...

and NASCAR

NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...

unsuccessfully attempted to build a speedway in Staten Island

Staten Island

Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...

. Another possible Meadowlands speedway project (Liberty Speedway) was discussed but abandoned in the early 2000s.

Sports culture

Although in much of the rest of the country American football

American football

has surpassed baseball

Baseball

as the most popular professional sport, in New York baseball arguably still stirs the most passion and interest. A championship win by any major sports team is considered to be worthy of the highest celebration, including a ticker-tape parade

Ticker-tape parade

A ticker-tape parade is a parade event held in a built-up urban setting, allowing large amounts of shredded paper to be thrown from nearby office buildings onto the parade route, creating a celebratory effect by the snowstorm-like flurry...

for the victorious team. In the past, ticker-tape parades have been held for the Yankees, Mets, Giants and Rangers. New Yorkers, however, tend to rally around any of the local teams who win (such as the 1994 Stanley Cup champions New York Rangers

1994 Stanley Cup Finals

The 1994 Stanley Cup Final was a best-of-seven playoff series contested between the Eastern Conference champion New York Rangers and Western Conference champion Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League...

, or the 2007 New York Giants

Super Bowl XLII

Super Bowl XLII was an American football game on February 3, 2008 that featured the National Football Conference champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League champion for the 2007 season...

Rivalries

Due to their geographic locations, New York has intense sports rivalries with the cities of Boston

Sports in Boston

Boston, Massachusetts, is home to several major league sports teams, including the Boston Red Sox , Boston Celtics , and Boston Bruins . The New England Patriots and New England Revolution play at Gillette Stadium in nearby Foxborough.The city is home to two renowned sporting events: the Boston...

and Philadelphia

Sports in Philadelphia

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has been home to many teams and events in professional, semi-professional, amateur, college, and high-school sports.-Major-league professional teams:Philadelphia has a long and proud history of professional sports teams...

Boston

With Boston, aside from the Yankees – Red Sox rivalry, the rivalry is existent between New York Jets and the New England Patriots in the National Football League

National Football League

. The Knicks also have running rivalry with the Boston Celtics

Boston Celtics

, although it doesn't the vicious form of the baseball and football rivalries. The Rangers and Boston Bruins

Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...

, being Original Six

Original Six

teams, are traditional rivals, but this has been eclipsed by the Atlantic Division

Atlantic Division (NHL)

The NHL's Atlantic Division was formed in 1993 as part of the Eastern Conference in a league realignment, the predecessor of which was the Patrick Division. It is the only division in the NHL where all of its current members have won the Stanley Cup at least twice, though only three teams have won...

rivalries in recent years.

Philadelphia

In each of the four sports leagues, there's intra-division competition between teams from New York City and Philadelphia, as seen in the rivalries between the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies in Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

, the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles in the National Football League

National Football League

, the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers–Rangers rivalry

The Philadelphia Flyers–New York Rangers rivalry is one of the most storied and well known rivalries in the National Hockey League...

in the National Hockey League

National Hockey League

.

However, New York NHL teams' primary rivals are one another, although they have intense rivalries with the Flyers

Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

—since, unlike baseball and football, the three local NHL teams are in the same division and are therefore in direct competition with one another. There's also a rivalry between the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers in the National Basketball Association

National Basketball Association

, although it doesn't have a vicious form of the other New York – Philadelphia sports rivalries. Philadelphia and New York also have an intense Major League Soccer

Major League Soccer

rivalry between the New York Red Bulls and the Philadelphia Union that began as soon as the Union started playing as an expansion team in 2010.

External links

New York City Sports Commission webpage. NYC: The Official Guide website
New York City Sports Travel Guide

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