Sports In The Tampa Bay Area
The Tampa Bay Area is home to many sports teams and has a substantial history of sporting activity. Most of the region's professional sports franchises use the name "Tampa Bay", which is the name of a body of water, not of any city. This is to emphasize that they represent the wider metropolitan area and not a particular municipality.
Three teams compete at the major league level. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers play in the National Football League (NFL), Tampa Bay Lightning play in the National Hockey League (NHL), and the Tampa Bay Rays play in Major League Baseball (MLB). Additionally, six MLB teams hold their spring training camps in the area.
A number of minor league franchises play in the region as well, including the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League, the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the new North American Soccer League, and four minor league baseball teams competing in the Class-A Florida State League.
In intercollegiate sports, the University of South Florida Bulls compete in NCAA Division I, while the University of Tampa competes in NCAA Division II.
Read more about Sports In The Tampa Bay Area: Super Bowls, World Series, and Other Championship Events, List of Current Major Sports Teams
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—Christine H. B. Grant, U.S. university athletic director. As quoted in the Chronicle of Higher Education, p. A42 (May 12, 1993)
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