New York Sports and Outdoor Activities

(New York, NY, USA)

The New York sports scene includes several major professional teams, such as American football, baseball and basketball. All of these sports are incredibly popular and matches are played regularly. The local newspapers provide a sports section listing daily local sporting events.

Baseball

New York has two major league baseball teams, the Mets and the Yankees. Both teams attract a tremendous amount of support in New York and have won many important games. The New York Mets play over 160 games each year, many of these matches are played at the Shea Stadium in the Queens district of New York. The New York Yankees play regular matches at their home stadium, Yankee Stadium in the Bronx neighborhood of New York.

Basketball

With numerous basketball courts throughout the city of New York, basketball is a very popular New York spectator sport. Many of the players are extremely tall and the basketball season in New York lasts from winter until spring. The main basketball team in New York is the New York Knicks, who play regularly at Madison Square Garden on the corner of West 33rd Street and 7th Avenue. Another popular basketball team is the New Jersey Nets, who play games at the Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

American Football

The American Football season in New York runs from September to the end of December, when the play-offs take place to determine which teams get to play in the prestigious Super Bowl. The major American Football teams in New York are the New York Jets and the New York Giants. Both teams play regular matches throughout the American Football season at the Giants Stadium in the Meadowlands Sports Complex in New Jersey.

Tennis

The main tennis event held in New York is the U.S. Open, which is the largest and most imported tennis competition in America. Hosted by the United States Tennis Association (USTA), the U.S. Open is held in Flushing Meadows in the Queens district of New York. This popular New York tennis event attracts the world's top tennis players and champions, competing to win this legendary tennis competition. The match is held every year from late August through to early September and tickets for the major matches sell out quickly. If you are having trouble obtaining tickets, it is often worth persisting as some corporate tickets may be returned on the day of the tennis match.

Gyms and Fitness Centers

There are a large number of fitness centers and gymnasiums throughout New York, with some being fairly centrally located in Manhattan. They usually include weights, circuit training, body-conditioning, aerobics and other fitness classes, saunas, steam rooms and a few even have swimming pools. Many hotels also have their own fitness center or access to a nearby gym.

Horse Racing

Popular throughout New York and America, horse racing has a large following in the city. There are two horse racing courses in New York, the Aqueduct Racetrack in the Queens district of New York and also Belmont Park in the Belmont neighborhood of New York, in Long Island. The Racing Times is a useful racing newspaper that is full of the latest horse racing information in New York and America as a whole.

Ice Hockey

Major ice hockey teams in New York include the New York Islanders, who play at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale and the New York Rangers, who play at Madison Square Garden on 7th Avenue. Both New York teams play regular matches at the Madison Square Garden stadium and are major rivals in the sports world of New York ice hockey.

Ice and Roller Skating

Roller-skating, roller-blading and ice-skating in New York is a popular sport in the city. Most New Yorkers know how to roller-skate and there are excellent facilities in many of the city's parks and neighborhoods. One of the most famous ice-skating rinks in the world is located at New York's Rockefeller Center and although queues can be long, ice-skating at the Rockefeller Center in New York is a memorable experience.

City Marathon

This marathon is a major sporting event in New York and attracts around 35,000 participants ever year, together with many thousands of spectators. The New York City Marathon takes place on the first Sunday is November and runs from Staten Island past many of the main attractions and sights in New York, finally ending up at Central Park's Tavern on the Green.