Sports In Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington has a rich sporting culture and the area residents are active in many spectator and participant sports. Although Spokane lacks any major, nationally recognized professional sports teams, Spokane has a sports friendly atmosphere, and was recognized and rated #99 in the Sporting News 2006 "99 Best Sporting Cities" list. In 2009, Sports Business Journal rated Spokane as the 5th best minor league sports market in America out of 239 markets.
Spectators may attend sporting events around the Spokane area, including professional and collegiate sporting events. Participants enjoy activities from running the annual Lilac Bloomsday Run and playing in the annual Hoopfest. Spokane is associated as being home to some sports teams that have gained national recognition in the their respective arenas. Spokane's professional sports teams include the Spokane Shock (af2), Spokane Indians (Northwest League), Spokane Chiefs (Western Hockey League), and the Spokane Black Widows (Women's Premier Soccer League).
| Club | Sport | League | Stadium (or Arena) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spokane Shock | Arena football | AFL (National Conference, West Division) | Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena |
| Spokane Chiefs | Ice hockey | Western Hockey League (U.S. Division) | Spokane Arena |
| Spokane Indians | Baseball | Northwest League (Eastern Division) | Avista Stadium |
| Spokane Black Widows | Soccer | Women's Premier Soccer League (Pacific - North Division) | Joe Albi Stadium |
Read more about Sports In Spokane, Washington: Facilities, Hosting Major Events, Basketball, Running
Famous quotes containing the words sports and/or washington:
“Sweet smiling village, loveliest of the lawn,
Thy sports are fled and all thy charms withdrawn;
Amidst thy bowers the tyrant’s hand is seen,
And desolation saddens all thy green;
One only master grasps the whole domain,
And half a tillage stints thy smiling plain;”
—Oliver Goldsmith (1730?–1774)
“The city of Washington is in some respects self-contained, and it is easy there to forget what the rest of the United States is thinking about. I count it a fortunate circumstance that almost all the windows of the White House and its offices open upon unoccupied spaces that stretch to the banks of the Potomac ... and that as I sit there I can constantly forget Washington and remember the United States.”
—Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924)