Sports in New England

Two popular American sports were invented in New England. Basketball was invented by James Naismith in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1891. [ [http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blbasketball.htm History of Basketball - James Naismith ] ] Volleyball was invented by William G. Morgan in Holyoke, Massachusetts, in 1895. [ [http://www.volleyball.org/history.html History Of Volleyball ] ] Also, the first American hockey game was played in Connecticut.

On November 1, 1924, the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League became the first NHL franchise to be based in the United States, and the second oldest surviving major professional sports team in Boston, after the Boston Red Sox. The Bruins' historic rivalry with the Montreal Canadiens for ice hockey fans in the Boston area has, at times, reached the level of intensity of the Yankees-Red Sox Rivalry in professional baseball in the region.

Up until April 13, 1997, Hartford also had its own major hockey team, the Hartford Whalers. Originally known as the New England Whalers, they changed their name in 1979 after leaving the WHA for the NHL, hoping to carve a niche market in Hartford.

In 1997 the Whalers left Hartford for Raleigh, North Carolina (amid much controversy), where they became the Hurricanes.

In 1999, the New England Patriots also flirted with the idea of moving to Hartford, in exchange for what three NFL franchise owners called "the greatest financial deal any NFL owner has ever received." The deal, however, fell through, and the team remained in Foxborough.

The region is famous for its passion for baseball and the Boston Red Sox, as well as for the intense rivalry between the Red Sox and the New York Yankees.

It should be noted, however, that in the parts of southwestern Connecticut that are close to New York City, most people are New York Yankees and New York Mets fans, who are often self-identified as suburban New Yorkers. The New York Giants and New York Jets also receive significant support from New England, primarily from the southwestern portions of Connecticut. Additionally, until the team relocated to Washington for the start of the 2005 season, the Montreal Expos received some fan support in northern New England.

List of professional and semi-professional sports teams in New England

*Baseball:
**Major League Baseball
***Boston Red Sox (Boston, Massachusetts)
**International League (AAA)
***Pawtucket Red Sox (Pawtucket, Rhode Island)
**Eastern League (AA)
***New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Manchester, New Hampshire)
***Portland Sea Dogs (Portland, Maine)
***Connecticut Defenders (Norwich, Connecticut)
***New Britain Rock Cats (New Britain, Connecticut)
**New York - Penn League (A)
***Lowell Spinners (Lowell, Massachusetts)
***Vermont Lake Monsters (Burlington, Vermont)
**Atlantic League (Independent)
***Bridgeport Bluefish (Bridgeport, Connecticut)
**Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball (Independent)
***Brockton Rox (Brockton, Massachusetts)
***Nashua Pride (Nashua, New Hampshire)
***New Haven County Cutters (New Haven, Connecticut)
***North Shore Spirit (Lynn, Massachusetts)
***Worcester Tornadoes (Worcester, Massachusetts)

*Football:
**National Football League
***New England Patriots (Foxborough, Massachusetts)
**Af2 (Minor League Arena Football)
***Manchester Wolves (Manchester, New Hampshire)
**Continental Indoor Football League (Minor League Indoor Football)
***New England Surge (Worcester, Massachusetts)

*Basketball:
**National Basketball Association
***Boston Celtics (Boston, Massachusetts)
**Women's National Basketball Association
***Connecticut Sun (Uncasville, Connecticut)
**American Basketball Association (Independent Minor League)
***Cape Cod Frenzy (Sandwich, Massachusetts)
***Vermont Frost Heaves (Burlington, Vermont and Barre, Vermont)

*Hockey:
**National Hockey League
***Boston Bruins
**American Hockey League (AAA)
***Lowell Devils (Lowell, Massachusetts)
***Hartford Wolf Pack (Hartford, Connecticut)
***Manchester Monarchs (Manchester, New Hampshire)
***Portland Pirates (Portland, Maine)
***Springfield Falcons (Springfield, Massachusetts)
***Worcester Sharks (Worcester, Massachusetts)
***Providence Bruins (Providence, Rhode Island)
**Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
***Lewiston MAINEiacs (Lewiston, Maine)

*Soccer:
**Major League Soccer
***New England Revolution (Foxborough, Massachusetts)
**United Soccer Leagues
***New Hampshire Phantoms (Manchester, New Hampshire)
***Western Mass Pioneers (Ludlow, Massachusetts)
**USL Premier Development League
***Cape Cod Crusaders (Hyannis, Massachusetts)
***Rhode Island Stingrays (Providence, Rhode Island)
***Vermont Voltage (St. Albans, Vermont)

*Lacrosse:
**Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
***Boston Cannons (Boston, Massachusetts)
**National Lacrosse League (NLL)
***Boston Blazers (Boston, Massachusetts)
**National Lacrosse League (1974-75) (NLL 1974-75)
***Boston Bolts (Boston, Massachusetts)

*NASCAR:
**New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Loudon, New Hampshire)

*Gaelic football:
**Boston GAA

NCAA Division I schools in New England

*Boston College
*Boston University
*Brown University
*University of Connecticut
*Dartmouth College
*Harvard University
*University of Maine
*University of Massachusetts
*University of New Hampshire
*Northeastern University
*Providence College
*University of Rhode Island
*University of Vermont
*Yale University

References