Florida Sports Teams
Updated: August 26, 2024
Florida is home to many sports teams and organizations; including three NFL teams, two MLB teams, two NBA teams, two NHL teams and two MLS teams. Florida also has 13 NCAA Division I college teams. From major league to college, minor league to high school and pee wee to just for fun… we have you covered! The Florida Sports & Recreation Guide is – your information resource highway to the sunshine state. Here you will have access to all of the Florida sports teams; their stats, schedule, news and more.
How it all started:
Florida gained its first major-league professional sports team in 1966 when the American Football League added the Miami Dolphins. The Tampa Bay Bucs was formed in 1976 and the Jacksonville Jaguars joined the NFL in 1995. As far as baseball goes; the Miami Marlins was the first MLB team (1993) in the sunshine state with the Tampa Bay Rays joining five years later in 1998.
From1968 through 1972, Florida had the ABA ( American Basketball League ) and was home to the Floridians which later was called the Miami Floridians after the NBA was established. Years later, in 1988 Miami Heat was born. A year later Orlando Magic began.
Ice hockey was first experimented in 1938 but only lasted one season. Tampa Bay Lightning came along in 1992 with the Florida Panthers following right behind them in 1993.
Soccer is also a main sporting event in Florida. Orlando City SC joined MLS in 2015 whereas Inter Miami CF came along in 2020.
Florida is known as the Grapefruit League when referring to baseball. The term “Grapefruit League” is an homage to Florida’s citrus industry. Major-league teams began spring training in Florida in 1888, when the Washington Senators came south to Jacksonville. By 1914, enough teams had migrated their preseason camps to Florida that an informal circuit started forming. Of the 30 teams in MLB, 15 spend spring training in Florida while the other 15 hold spring training in Arizona. The 15 teams that spend spring training in Florida are in the Grapefruit League, playing against other teams in the league as well as local sports clubs, such as college teams.
Click on any team to see what’s going on with tickets, stats and news.
Professional Sports Teams in Florida
Football
Volleyball |
Basketball |
Baseball
Hockey |
Soccer
Rugby |