Sarasota Sports
 

If you´re a sports fan, maybe no place in Florida offers you the selection of spectator sports and recreational sports that the Sarasota area does. Expand that horizon to the state of Florida, and your sporting options are almost limitless.

Springtime in Sarasota means one thing: baseball! Florida is the center for spring training baseball, with several teams including the Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates training right in Sarasota! Nearby Fort Myers has the Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins training facilities and a short drive to the Orlando area has the Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros training facilities.

The Tampa Bay Devil Rays of Major League Baseball call the Sarasota area home, with their home park, Tropicana Field, only a few minutes from Sarasota. The 1997 and 2003 World Series Champion Florida Marlins play in nearby Fort Lauderdale.

If you´re looking for more than one month of baseball, you´re in luck! The Florida State League plays games all summer, with Sarasota being the home to the Sarasota Reds (Class-A Advanced). Several other teams in the Florida State League are sprinkled throughout the Sarasota area, with teams in Tampa, Clearwater, Lakeland, Fort Myers and Dunedin.

If hockey is more your speed, the 2004 Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning play only a few miles from Sarasota. The NHL´s Florida Panthers play a few hours away in Sunrise.

also... Sarasota Marathon

Maybe no state in the country enjoys football as much as Florida. With the 2002 Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers calling the Sarasota area home, and professional teams located in nearby Miami and Jacksonville, you´ll have a great selection of teams to watch. If you prefer the college game, there are many division 1 NCAA programs for you to follow. The University of South Florida Bulls are becoming a force in college athletics. They play their games a few miles away in Tampa. The University of Miami Hurricanes, Florida State University Seminoles, the University of Central Florida Golden Knights, the University of Florida Gators, the Florida International University Golden Panthers and the Florida Atlantic University Owls all participate in the highest level of collegiate athletics in the US, insuring that you´ll always have a big game on no matter what time of year.

Florida is also the birthplace of NASCAR, with exciting races happening throughout the state, including the world famous Daytona 500, which is located only a short drive from the Sarasota area.

If recreational sports are more your speed, you´re going to love the bay area. Sarasota features the best in deep sea fishing, tennis, swimming, jogging trails, biking and shuffleboard anywhere. The beautiful year-round weather makes participating in sports easy and fun, even while the rest of the country is buried in snow.

Sarasota is truly a sporting capital rivalled by few other locations. No matter what your sport, there will be something to keep you busy year round. The incredible climate allows for warm nature walks at Christmas time, and spring training baseball in shorts and tee-shirts while the rest of the country is freezing. Sarasota is a sports destination like no other!