Sports in metropolitan Detroit
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Detroit, Michigan, is the home to six professional sports teams. It is also one of several cities in the United States to have teams from four major American sports.
Detroit is home to professional teams representing the four major sports in North America. All but two play within the city of Detroit (basketball's Detroit Pistons and Detroit Shock play in suburban Auburn Hills). There are three active major sports venues within the city: Comerica Park (home of the baseball team Detroit Tigers), Ford Field (home of the football team Detroit Lions), and Joe Louis Arena (home of the ice hockey team Detroit Red Wings). Detroit is known for its avid hockey fans. Interest in the sport has given the city the moniker of "Hockeytown." Detroit-based teams, especially winning ones, have traditionally been defense-oriented.
In college sports, the University of Detroit Mercy has a NCAA Division I program, and Wayne State University has both NCAA Division I and II programs. The NCAA football Motor City Bowl is held at Ford Field each December.
Detroit has bid to host the Summer Olympic Games more often than any other city which has not yet hosted, participating in International Olympic Committee elections for the 1944 (placing 3rd, behind bid winner London), 1952 (5th place), 1956 (4th place), 1960 (3rd place), 1964 (2nd place), 1968 (2nd place) and 1972 (4th place) Games. It is, as of 2007, considering a bid for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games.
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[edit] City of Champions
Detroit was given the name "City of Champions" in the 1930's, for a series of successes both in individual and in team sport. Gar Wood (a native Detroiter) won the Harmsworth Trophy for unlimited powerboat racing on the Detroit River in 1931. In the Next year, 1932, Eddie "the Midnight Express" Tolan, a black student from Detroit's Cass Technical High School, won the 100- and 200-meter races and two gold medals at the 1932 Olympics. Joe Louis won the heavyweight championship of the world in 1937. Detroit Lions won the National Football League championship in 1937. The Detroit Tigers won the American League pennant in 1934 and again in 1935, subsequently bagging the World Series in 1935, defeating the Chicago Cubs. The Detroit Red Wings won the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup in 1936 & 1937.[1][2] In 1994, the Pontiac Silverdome hosted World Cup Soccer.
[edit] Events
Since 1904, the city has home to the American Power Boat Association Gold Cup unlimited hydroplane boat race, held annually on the Detroit River near Belle Isle.[3]. Detroit was the former home of a round of the Formula One World Championship, which held the race on the streets of downtown Detroit from 1982 until 1988, after which the sanction moved from Formula One to IndyCars until its final run in 2001.[4]
The Detroit Marathon is organized annually in the city, usually held in October.
Comerica Park hosted the 2005 MLB All-Star Game on July 12, 2005, and Ford Field hosted Super Bowl XL on February 5, 2006. On December 13, 2003, the largest crowd in basketball history (78,129) packed Ford Field to watch the University of Kentucky defeat Michigan State University, 79-74.[5] Comerica Park hosted games 1 and 2 of the 2006 World Series.
The 2004 Ryder Cup was held at Oakland Hills Country Club, located in the Detroit suburb of Bloomfield Township.
The city of Detroit is scheduled to host the following events:
- NCAA Division I Wrestling Tournament, Finals, Palace of Auburn Hills, March 15-17, 2007
- WrestleMania 23, Ford Field, April 1, 2007
- NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, Midwest Regional, Ford Field, March 28/30, 2008
- PGA Championship, Oakland Hills Country Club, 2008
- NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, Final Four, Ford Field, April 4/6, 2009
- NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship, Frozen Four, Ford Field, April 8/10, 2010
[edit] Organizations
[edit] Professional
| Club | League | Venue | Established | Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Lions | NFL Football | Ford Field | 1930 | 4 (NFL), 0 (Super Bowl) |
| Detroit Pistons | NBA Basketball | The Palace of Auburn Hills | 1941 | 2 (NBL), 3 (NBA) |
| Detroit Red Wings | NHL Hockey | Joe Louis Arena | 1926 | 10 |
| Detroit Shock | WNBA Basketball | The Palace of Auburn Hills | 1998 | 2 |
| Detroit Tigers | MLB Baseball | Comerica Park | 1894 | 4 |
| Detroit Panthers | ABA Basketball | Cobo Arena | 2004 | 0 |
| Detroit Ignition | MISL Indoor Soccer | Compuware Arena | 2006 | 0 |
[edit] Racing
| Club | Sport | League | Venue | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| various | Auto racing | NASCAR, IRL, ARCA | Michigan International Speedway | Brooklyn |
| Detroit APBA Gold Cup | Hydroplane racing | APBA | Detroit River | Detroit |
[edit] Collegiate
| Club | Sport | League | Venue | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakland University Golden Grizzlies | various | NCAA (Mid-Continent Conference) | various | Rochester |
| University of Detroit Mercy Titans | various | NCAA (Horizon League) | various, including Calihan Hall | Detroit |
| University of Michigan Wolverines | various | NCAA (Big Ten Conference, Central Collegiate Hockey Association) | various, including Michigan Stadium | Ann Arbor |
| Wayne State University Warriors | various | NCAA (Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, College Hockey America) | various | Detroit |
 Record 93,173 for WrestleMania III at the Pontiac Silverdome |
[edit] Hockeytown
Hockeytown is a nickname for the city of Detroit, which arose in 1996 thanks to a marketing campaign by the city's NHL franchise, the Detroit Red Wings. The nickname, over time, has gained national and international recognition, and has became an official nickname of the Joe Louis Arena. The Twin Cities of Minnesota (Minneapolis and St. Paul) have also been, and still are, known as Hockey Town USA. Minnesota has also been referred to as Hockey Country. In February 2004, 21.27% of all US college players and 13.35% of all college players are from Minnesota. 13.29% and 8.34% respectively are from the state of Michigan.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ http://info.detnews.com/history/story/index.cfm?id=91&category=sports. Detroit News.
- ^ http://www.visitdetroit.com/visitorcenter/aboutdetroit/dates/. Visit Detroit
- ^ History. The Detroit APBA Gold Cup
- ^ Track History. CART.
- ^ History. FordField.com.
[edit] External Links
| City of Detroit |  |
|---|---|
| History • Neighborhoods • Architecture • Tourism • Culture • Music • Theatre District • Sports • Media • Economy • Government • Metro Detroit |
