Miami Influencing Sports' Enthusiasts Around the World
Miami is certainly the place for sports lovers since it gigantically hosts an array of sports events and notable sports teams. In all the Soccer to the Tennis events, Miami has proudly positioned itself in the world stage of sports. Let's take a moment to appreciate and celebrate the incredible achievements our 'magic city' brings each year to the residents, tourists and sports enthusiasts around the world.
The Miami Dolphins have an illustrious history, which include Super Bowl titles, Hall of Fame inductees like star quarterback Dan Marino and legendary coach Don Shula. The Dolphins are Miami’s oldest professional sports team.
The Dolphins play their home games at Hard Rock Stadium, a 65,000-seat stadium featuring an open-air canopy roof that protects most fans from rain, four state-of-the-art video boards and great views of the game no matter where you sit. The NFL regular season runs from early September to late December.
The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida. The two-time World Series-champion Miami Marlins have been the city’s Major League Baseball (MLB) club since 1993 and home to some of the most exciting memories for Miami’s sports fans. The team plays its home games at Marlins Park in Little Havana, a state-of-the-art retractable roof stadium that provides a comfortable experience for fans to take in the ball game during the hot summer months. The MLB regular season runs from late March to late September.
The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association(NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division.
Playing their home games in the AmericanAirlines Arena in the heart of Downtown Miami, the Miami Heat are one of the hottest tickets in town. With three National Basketball Association (NBA) titles and a colorful history filled with superstars like Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Alonzo Mourning, the Heat are one of the most popular teams in the league. The NBA season starts in October and ends in mid-April.
4 - COLLEGE SPORTS
If you are into college sports, there is no shortage of Division I sports offerings in Miami. The University of Miami Hurricanes and FIU Panthers each field dozens of Division I sports teams for fans to enjoy.
The University of Miami, a member of the Atlantic Coastal Conference (ACC), has a storied history in football with multiple national championships and a long list of alumni who have gone on to become NFL stars. You can cheer on ‘The U’ during home games at Hard Rock Stadium throughout the fall.
FIU’s football program, which calls Conference USA (C-USA) its home conference, is a program on the rise with several bowl appearances in its young history. The Panthers play their home games at Riccardo Silva Stadium, a 20,000-seat stadium on the university’s campus.
Both schools also have college basketball games played throughout the winter months and college baseball action during the spring played on their respective campuses.
5 - THE ORANGE BOWL
The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935, making it, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the second-oldest bowl game in the country, behind the Rose Bowl. The Orange Bowl is one of the New Year's Six, the top bowl games for the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision.
One of Miami’s most cherished sports traditions, the Capital One Orange Bowl treats college football fans to one of the most exciting match-ups in college football each year at Hard Rock Stadium. As part of the College Football Playoff rotation, the Orange Bowl also serves as a host site for a playoff semifinal game every three years and will host a playoff game in 2021.
The Miami Marathon is an annual marathon sporting event spanning the cities of Miami and Miami Beach, Florida, as well as the county of Miami-Dade. With its inaugural race on February 2, 2003, the Miami Marathon has been one of the fastest-growing annual marathons, attracting world-class distance runners. Life Time Fitness produces this event with the goal of bringing world-class marathoning to South Florida.
Since 2003, the Lifetime Miami Marathon (26.2 miles) and Half Marathon (13.1 miles) has attracted thousands of runners from around the globe to fly down to South Florida at the end of January with its breathtaking course and vibrant atmosphere. Starting at the AmericanAirlines Arena in Downtown Miami, the race takes runners through some of Miami’s most scenic and iconic locations, including Ocean Drive, Coconut Grove and Bayfront Park.
Starting Line, photo by Joshua Cataldo
One of the most popular 5Ks in the city, the Mercedes-Benz Corporate Run brings entire workplaces together for the largest office party in town every April. With roughly 25,000 runners participating annually, it’s the third largest 5K in the United States and the largest in Florida. It’s also for a great cause, with millions of dollars donated to local charities annually.
Miami became the home of the world’s richest thoroughbred horse race in 2017 when the first Pegasus World Cup Invitational was held at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach. The annual race held in January features 12 horses racing for $16 million, attracting the best horses and owners from around the world and offering fans a horse racing experience like none other.
Thousands of onlookers gather on the sands of Miami Beach for several days in January to watch the stylish sport of polo, which features skilled riders on horseback, during the illustrious World Polo League Beach Polo, Miami Beach.
With teams competing in a round-robin tournament over the course of several days, skilled riders on horseback battle to score the most goals over the course of four periods called “chukkers” in an enclosed sand arena.
10 - THE MIAMI OPEN
The Miami Open is one of the biggest tennis tournaments in the world, attracting the sport’s top-ranked players – including Roger Federer and Serena Williams – for two weeks of thrilling competition each spring in Miami Gardens. Thousands of passionate fans from all over visit South Florida to see the biggest names in music, entertainment and sports converge for the event, which moved from Key Biscayne to Hard Rock Stadium in 2019.
Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium
11 - MIAMI SAILING WEEK
The Miami Sailing Week international regatta features hundreds of sailors representing countries from all over the world gathering under sunny skies on Biscayne Bay in early March to compete for various acclaimed Miami Sailing Week trophies. From art and cultural exhibits to social events, Miami Sailing Week Village in Coconut Grove will feature a week of engaging activities for sailors, visitors and the local community to enjoy.
Homestead-Miami Speedway is home to the Dixie 400 Weekend races.
The main event is Sunday’s Dixie Vodka 400, an exhilarating race in the NASCAR Cup Series with championship stakes on the line contested over 267 laps covering 400.5 miles. The weekend also features races in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and Gander RV and Outdoors Truck Series.
13 - JUNIOR ORANGE BOWL
The Junior Orange Bowl hosts a number of athletic competitions that are part of the Junior Orange Bowl Festival season, which attracts thousands of youth from Miami and beyond. Some of the events include the JV Basketball Classic, the Junior Orange Bowl Cross Country Invitational and the Junior Orange Bowl International Tennis Championship, to name just a few. The series of events held throughout the year culminates in the Junior Orange Bowl Parade.
