Spectator Sports in Florida, USA
Rating (8/10)
Any vacation in Florida provides ample opportunity to join the cheering spectators as they support their local teams competing in the professional leagues. Fans of major-league baseball can see the Florida Marlins at the 36,000 seat Dolphin Stadium in Miami and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at the 44,000 seat Tropicana Stadium in St. Petersburg throughout the NBL season which extends from April through September. There are two NBA franchises based in Florida. The Miami Heat can be seen at the American Airline Arena, Miami's waterfront showcase for sports and entertainment which seats 19,600 for basketball games.
The Orlando Magic is based in Orlando and their home matches are held at TD Waterhouse Center in downtown Orlando which seats 17,300 persons. Florida supports three franchises in the NFL. The Miami Dolphins play their home games at Dolphin Stadium which is located at North Miami Beach and has a seating capacity of over 75,000 spectators. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers play their home games at the 66,000 seat Raymond James Stadium located in north Tampa. The NHL has two teams based in Florida. The Florida Panthers are based in Sunrise, a short distance inland from Fort Lauderdale. Their home games are held in the 19,200 seat Office Depot Center. On the other side of the Florida peninsula, the Tampa Bay Lightning are based at Tampa's leading sports and entertainment center, being the 23,000 seat St Pete Times Forum.
