Florida has many professional, semi-professional, amateur and college teams. At the professional level, Florida has three National Football League teams, two Major League Baseball teams, two National Basketball Association teams, two National Hockey League teams, two Major League Soccer teams, three Women's Soccer teams and many minor league teams in various sports. Additionally, since the late 19th century Florida has been a significant spring training destination for Major League Baseball teams and their affiliates.
In college sports, thirteen Florida schools compete in NCAA Division I.[1] Various others compete in other organizations including NCAA Division II, the NAIA, the NJCAA, the USCAA, and the NCCAA.
Florida has teams in all of the major league sports — National Football League, Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, and Major League Soccer. In the early 1980s, Florida had major league teams in only the NFL. Florida has since added two NBA teams in the late 1980s. Florida added two NHL teams in the 1990s as part of the NHL's expansion into the south, and two MLB teams in the 1990s. Florida's most recent major-league team, Inter Miami CF, began play in MLS in 2020, after Florida's first MLS team since the folding of the Tampa Bay Mutiny and Miami Fusion in 2001, Orlando City, joined in 2015.[2] Florida has a team in one of the two most prominent women's leagues, and formerly had two teams in the other.
Florida is the traditional home for Major League Baseball spring training, with teams informally organized into the "Grapefruit League.", Florida hosts the following major league teams for spring training:
| Club | Location | |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Braves | North Port | |
| Baltimore Orioles | Sarasota | |
| Boston Red Sox | Fort Myers | |
| Detroit Tigers | Lakeland | |
| Houston Astros | West Palm Beach | |
| Miami Marlins | Jupiter | |
| Minnesota Twins | Fort Myers | |
| New York Mets | Port St. Lucie | |
| New York Yankees | Tampa | |
| Philadelphia Phillies | Clearwater | |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | Bradenton | |
| St. Louis Cardinals | Jupiter | |
| Tampa Bay Rays | Port Charlotte | |
| Toronto Blue Jays | Dunedin | |
| Washington Nationals | West Palm Beach |
Golf, tennis and auto racing are popular in Florida.
The Professional Golfers Association of America (PGA), the trade association for club professionals which organizes major championships for men and women and also co-organizes the biennial Ryder Cup, was long based in Palm Beach Gardens before moving its headquarters to Frisco, Texas in 2022. The PGA Tour, which has been separate from the PGA of America since 1968, has its home base in Ponte Vedra Beach, while the LPGA is headquartered in Daytona Beach. The Players Championship, sometimes referred to as the fifth (men's) major, is held every year near Jacksonville. Additionally, the WGC Championship, Arnold Palmer Invitational, Honda Classic and Valspar Championship are PGA Tour events.
In tennis, the Miami Open is an ATP Tour Masters 1000 and WTA Premier Mandatory event. The Delray Beach International Tennis Championships is an ATP World Tour 250 event.
NASCAR (headquartered in Daytona Beach) begins all three of its major auto racing series in Florida at Daytona International Speedway in February, featuring the Daytona 500, and ends all three Series in November at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Daytona also has the Coke Zero 400 NASCAR race weekend around Independence Day in July. The 24 Hours of Daytona is one of the world's most prestigious endurance auto races. The Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and Grand Prix of Miami have held IndyCar races as well.
| Club | Sport | League | Venue | Championships (Years) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando Guardians (folded with league joint) | American football | XFL | Camping World Stadium | 0 | |
| Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp | Baseball | MiLB, International League | 121 Financial Ballpark | 6 (1968, 1996, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2010) | |
| Pensacola Blue Wahoos | Baseball | MiLB, Southern League | Pensacola Bayfront Stadium | 0 | |
| Bradenton Marauders | Baseball | MiLB, Florida State League | McKechnie Field | 1 (2016) | |
| Clearwater Threshers | Baseball | Spectrum Field | 1 (2007) | ||
| Daytona Tortugas | Baseball | Jackie Robinson Ballpark | 3 (1995, 2004, 2008) | ||
| Dunedin Blue Jays | Baseball | Knology Park | 0 | ||
| Fort Myers Mighty Mussels | Baseball | Hammond Stadium | 7 (1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1978, 2018, 2018) | ||
| Jupiter Hammerheads | Baseball | Roger Dean Stadium | 0 | ||
| Lakeland Flying Tigers | Baseball | Joker Marchant Stadium | 3 (1976, 1977, 1992) | ||
| Palm Beach Cardinals | Baseball | Roger Dean Stadium | 1 (2005) | ||
| St. Lucie Mets | Baseball | Clover Park | 5 (1988, 1996, 1998, 2003, 2006) | ||
| Tampa Tarpons | Baseball | George M. Steinbrenner Field | 5 (1994, 2001, 2004, 2009, 2010) | ||
| Osceola Magic | Basketball | NBA G League | Silver Spurs Arena | 1 (2021 as Lakeland Magic) | |
| Florida Flight | Basketball | Florida Basketball Association | RDV Sportsplex | 1 (2019) | |
| Clermont Crocs | Basketball | American Basketball Association Florida Basketball Association | RDV Sportsplex | 1 (2021) | |
| Jacksonville Giants | Basketball | American Basketball Association | VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena | 3 (2012, 2013, 2016) | |
| Miami Midnites | Basketball | American Basketball Association Florida Basketball Association | David Posnack Jewish Community Center | 3 (2014, 2015, 2016 in the FBA) | |
| Florida Everblades | Ice hockey | ECHL | Hertz Arena | 2 (2012, 2022) | |
| Jacksonville Icemen | Ice hockey | VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena | 0 | ||
| Orlando Solar Bears | Ice hockey | Amway Center | 0 | ||
| Pensacola Ice Flyers | Ice hockey | SPHL | Pensacola Civic Center | 3 (2013, 2014, 2016) | |
| Jacksonville Sharks | Indoor football | Indoor Football League | VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena | 3 (2011, 2017, 2019,) | |
| Orlando Predators | Indoor football | National Arena League | Amway Center | 0 | |
| Florida Tropics SC | Indoor soccer | Major Arena Soccer League | RP Funding Center | 0 | |
| Jacksonville Axemen | Rugby League | USA Rugby League | Hodges Stadium | 2 (2010, 2012) | |
| Lakeland Renegades | Rugby league | USA Rugby League | All Saints Academy | 0 | |
| Southwest Florida Copperheads | Rugby league | USA Rugby League | Lehigh Senior High School | 0 | |
| Tampa Mayhem | Rugby league | USA Rugby League | Tampa Catholic High School | 0 | |
| Miami FC | Soccer | USL Championship | Pitbull Stadium | 3 (2018 & 2019 in NPSL), (2019 in NISA) | |
| Tampa Bay Rowdies | Soccer | Al Lang Stadium | 2 (1975 and 2012 in NASL) | ||
| FC Naples | Soccer | USL League One | Paradise Coast Sports Complex | 0 | |
| Inter Miami CF II | Soccer | MLS Next Pro | Chase Stadium | 0 | |
| Club de Lyon | Soccer | National Independent Soccer Association | Daytona Stadium | 0 | |
| Beaches FC | Soccer | National Premier Soccer League | 0 | ||
| Central Florida Panthers SC | Soccer | National Premier Soccer League | Showalter Field | 0 | |
| Jacksonville Armada FC | Soccer | National Premier Soccer League | Hodges Stadium | 0 | |
| Miami United FC | Soccer | National Premier Soccer League | 0 | ||
| Naples United FC | Soccer | National Premier Soccer League | 0 | ||
| Storm FC | Soccer | National Premier Soccer League | 0 | ||
| IMG Academy Bradenton | Soccer | USL League Two | 0 | ||
| Lakeland Tropics | Soccer | USL League Two | Bryant Stadium | 0 | |
| FC Miami City | Soccer | USL League Two | 0 | ||
| North County United | Soccer | USL League Two | 0 | ||
| Next Academy Palm Beach | Soccer | USL League Two | 0 | ||
| SIMA Águilas | Soccer | USL League Two | 0 | ||
| The Villages SC | Soccer | USL League Two | 0 | ||
| Weston FC | Soccer | USL League Two | 0 | ||
| Boca Raton FC | Soccer | United Premier Soccer League | Lynn University | 1 (2015 in APSL) | |
| Fort Lauderdale Herd BC | Basketball | National Basketball League - US | Joseph C. Carter Center | 0 |
See main article: List of college athletic programs in Florida.