Spectator Sports
When it comes to sports, Long Island shares many of its professional teams with all of New York. Though Long Island itself doesn’t have many of its own teams, several New York teams have their home on Long Island.
As you’d probably guess, New Yorkers can be pretty passionate about their home teams and favorite athletes, whether they’re baseball, football, basketball, hockey, soccer, lacrosse, NASCAR, tennis, golf, swimming, ice-skating, boating, fishing, or equestrian fans. Thus, when it comes to enjoying their free time, these fans can be found attending home games or events, or hanging out at local sports bars watching their favorite team(s) and athlete(s) compete, or they’ll have the ultimate home theater setup in order to watch their favorite sports in high-definition with surround sound.
Thanks to the latest mobile phone technology, keeping up with professional sports teams and athletes is easy via the Internet. Plus, coverage of local professional sports is abundant in all forms of New York media—from newspapers and regional magazines to sports-oriented radio stations and sports reports on the local TV news. On the various Long Island and New York cable television systems, there are also local sports television networks, as well as the ESPN networks.
After all, some of the most popular sports teams in the world are based in New York, including the New York Jets and New York Giants NFL teams; New York Yankees and New York Mets MLB teams; New York Knicks NBA team; New York Liberty WNBA team; New York Rangers and New York Islanders NHL teams; New York Red Bulls MLS team; and the Long Island Lizards major-league lacrosse team.
Whatever your favorite sport, chances are you’ll be able to watch it live and in person either on Long Island, or by taking a quick trip into Manhattan (home of Madison Square Garden), the Bronx (home of Yankee Stadium), Flushing (home of Mets Stadium), or East Rutherford, New Jersey (home of Meadowlands Stadium, where the New York Giants play until 2012, when their new stadium will be completed).
Most of the professional and college-level spectator sports on Long Island take place in Nassau County. However, Suffolk County does host events such as boating, fishing, bicycling, and golf competitions.
For professionals and amateurs alike, golf is a huge deal on Long Island. In fact, the region is home to some of the most famous golf courses on the East Coast, and is where a handful of major golf tournaments are hosted each year. For example, Bethpage State Park’s Black Course (known among golfers simply as “The Black”) hosted the PGA’s U.S. Open in June 2009 (for the second time in a decade), as well as countless other tournaments. The Red Course at Eisenhower Park is also a popular course for PGA tournaments, including an annual PGA seniors tour event. Golf is one of the most popular pastimes throughout the Hamptons. The Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, for example, has been in existence since 1891 and has hosted numerous major golfing events over the years, including the U.S. Open in 1896, 1986, 1995, and 2004.
1. Long Island Ducks
City: Long Island, NY
Category: Spectator Sports
Description: The 6,000-seat Citibank Park in Islip is the home of the Long Island Duck minor-league baseball team. Home games are played between May and Oct, with tickets going on sale starting in Mar. The tickets are affordable, and many games offer special family- and kid-friendly programs and activities, including fireworks shows and a “Kids Club Day.” This is a wonderful family-friendly activity, particularly for baseball fans.
2. New York Mets
City: Long Island, NY
Category: Spectator Sports
Telephone: (718) 507-8499 (tickets)
Description: The New York Mets now play their home games in a state-of-the-art stadium called Citi Field, which replaced Shea Stadium. Completed in 2009, this new stadium has a seating capacity of 41,800, along with 54 luxury suites, an auditorium, a business center, and 6 restaurants. Plenty of parking is available at the stadium (more than 12,000 parking spaces), plus it’s easily accessible via New York subway or Long Island Railroad.The New York Mets are a member of the East Division of Major League Baseball’s National League. The team formed in 1962 and won the World Series title in 1969 and again in 1986. The Mets earned their most recent East Division title in 2006. According to research conducted in 1998, Long Islanders are more apt to be Mets fans than Yankees fans.
City: Long Island, NY
Category: Spectator Sports
City: Long Island, NY
Category: Spectator Sports
5. New York Liberty
City: Long Island, NY
Category: Spectator Sports
Description: This popular, professional women’s basketball team also plays at Madison Square Garden. The league’s season runs from May through Sept. The Liberty was established in Oct 1996, when the WNBA was launched. It was one of just eight charter teams. Among the first players to join the now famous team were Rebecca Lobo and Teresa Weatherspoon.During the 2008 season, the players on the team averaged just 24.2 years old, the youngest average age in the WNBA. Yet, the team scored 105 points for the first time in franchise history when hosting the defending WNBA champion Phoenix Mercury, back in June 2008. Pat Coyle coached the team’s first 19-win season since 2001, wrapping the regular season with a 19-15 record. The team then made its fifth appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals.
6. Hofstra University
City: Long Island, NY
Category: Spectator Sports
Description: As New York’s largest private college, Hofstra University actively participates in 17 intercollegiate sports that compete at the NCAA Division I level. All games, tournaments, and sporting events are open to spectators. For people living in Nassau County who follow college sports, chances are it’s the Hofstra teams they’re rooting for.If you’re interested in watching baseball, field hockey, softball, wrestling, volleyball, or men’s or women’s basketball, cross-country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, or tennis, you’ll find the competition to be fierce, and the team spirit to be high, at Hofstra University. Tickets for events can be purchased online, starting as low as $8 each.
City: Long Island, NY
Category: Spectator Sports
City: Long Island, NY
Category: Spectator Sports
9. New York Rangers
City: Long Island, NY
Category: Spectator Sports
Telephone: (212) 465-6040 (tickets)
Description: When it comes to NHL hockey, Long Islanders have a choice: They can support their true home team, the New York Islanders, or they can support the New York Rangers, which plays its home games at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan. Since 1926 the New York Rangers have been the pride of New York as they’ve entertained fans with some of the most action-packed and memorable games in NHL history. During the team’s first 16 seasons in existence, it only missed participating in the playoffs once. The Rangers continue to draw sold-out crowds, which include celebrities and local politicians among the New Yorkers and hockey fans from around the globe.
10. Aqueduct Racetrack
City: Long Island, NY
Category: Spectator Sports
Telephone: (718) 641-4700 (tickets)
Description: Aqueduct Racetrack, one of New York’s major racetracks for thoroughbred racing, opened on Sept 27, 1894. Prior to its opening the property was owned by the Brooklyn Water Works, which transported water to New York City from the Hempstead Plain, hence the name “Aqueduct Racetrack.” The track occupies about 210 acres and is located in Queens, which geographically is part of Long Island. It’s situated just 8 miles from its sister track, Belmont Park. Aqueduct Racetrack underwent massive renovations in the mid to late 1980s. Aqueduct attracted its highest attendance ever for a single event on May 31, 1965, when 783,425 spectators visited the track.
City: Long Island, NY
Category: Spectator Sports
City: Long Island, NY
Category: Spectator Sports
City: Long Island, NY
Category: Spectator Sports
City: Long Island, NY
Category: Spectator Sports
City: Long Island, NY
Category: Spectator Sports