Sports in Massachusetts
Sports in Massachusetts have a long history with both amateur athletics and professional teams. Most of the major professional teams have won multiple championships in their respective leagues. Massachusetts teams have won 6 Stanley Cups (Boston Bruins),[1] 17 NBA Championships (Boston Celtics),[2] 4 Super Bowls (New England Patriots),[3] 10 World Series (8 Boston Red Sox, 2 Boston Braves) [4] and 1 Avco World Trophy (New England Whalers). Massachusetts is also the home to the Basketball Hall of Fame (Springfield),[5] the Volleyball Hall of Fame (Holyoke),[5] and the Cape Cod Baseball League. It is also home to prestigious sports events such as the Boston Marathon and the Head of the Charles Regatta. The Falmouth Road Race in running and the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic in bicycle racing are also very popular events with long histories.
The PGA Tour Deutsche Bank Championship is a regular professional golf tour stop in the state. Massachusetts has played host to nine U.S. Opens, four U.S. Women's Opens, two Ryder Cups, and one U.S. Senior Open.
Many colleges and universities in Massachusetts are active in college athletics. There are a number of NCAA Division I members in the state for multiple sports: Boston College, Boston University, Northeastern University, Harvard University, College of the Holy Cross, University of Massachusetts Amherst, and the University of Massachusetts Lowell.
Major league professional teams
Minor league or semi-pro clubs
Defunct or relocated professional clubs
| Club |
Sports |
Founded |
League |
Venue |
| Boston Breakers (defunct) |
Soccer |
2001 |
Women's United Soccer Association |
Nickerson Field |
| Boston Breakers |
Soccer |
2008 |
Women's Professional Soccer |
Harvard Stadium |
| Boston Braves (NFL)/Boston Redskins (moved to Washington, D.C. and are now the Washington Redskins) |
Football |
1932 |
National Football League |
Braves Field/Fenway Park |
| Boston Braves (moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin and became the Milwaukee Braves, would move again to Atlanta, Georgia and are now the Atlanta Braves) |
Baseball |
1871 |
Major League Baseball |
South End Grounds/Braves Field |
| Boston Reds (defunct) |
Baseball |
1890 |
Major League Baseball |
Congress Street Grounds |
| Boston Reds (defunct) |
Baseball |
1884 |
Major League Baseball |
Dartmouth Grounds |
| New England Whalers (joined the National Hockey League and moved to Hartford, Connecticut and became the Hartford Whalers, would move again to Raleigh, North Carolina and are now the Carolina Hurricanes) |
Ice hockey |
1972 |
World Hockey Association |
Boston Arena/Boston Garden/The Big E Coliseum/MassMutual Center |
| Boston Yanks (defunct) |
Football |
1944 |
National Football League |
Fenway Park |
| Boston Bulldogs (defunct) |
Football |
1929 |
National Football League |
Braves Field |
| Boston Breakers (moved to New Orleans, Louisiana and became the New Orleans Breakers, would move again to Portland, Oregon and become the Portland Breakers for the rest of the team's existence) |
Football |
1983 |
United States Football League |
Nickerson Field |
| North Shore Spirit (defunct) |
Baseball |
2003 |
Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball |
Fraser Field |
| Boston Braves (defunct) |
Ice hockey |
1971 |
American Hockey League |
Boston Garden |
|
College sports
NCAA
NAIA
References
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