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Three popular American sports were invented in New England. Basketball was invented by James Naismith, a Canadian, in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1891.[1] Volleyball was invented by William G. Morgan in Holyoke, Massachusetts, in 1895.[2] Paintball was invented in 1981 in Henniker, New Hampshire.[3]
It is also widely believed the first organized ice hockey game in the United States was played in Concord, New Hampshire, in 1883.[4]
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. The Red Sox were founded in 1901, and won the first-ever World Series in 1903. After five championships in the early 1900s, the team became infamous for the Curse of the Bambino, a period between 1918 and 2004 during which the Red Sox did not win any titles. After breaking the streak, the Red Sox won three more titles in the early 2000s, and currently have nine MLB titles.
On November 1, 1924, the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League became the first NHL franchise to be based in the United States. They are now the second-oldest surviving major professional sports team in Boston, after the Red Sox. The Bruins' historic rivalry with the Montreal Canadiens, a fellow Original Six team, has, at times, reached the level of intensity of the Yankees – Red Sox rivalry in professional baseball in the region.[citation needed]
The Boston Celtics were founded on June 6, 1946, as one of the National Basketball Association's original teams, and are one of two to have remained in the city where they were founded. The team has won 18 NBA Finals, more than any other team, and the team's eight consecutive titles between 1959 and 1966 stand as a record amongst all four major American sports leagues. The Celtics' rivalry with the Los Angeles Lakers is generally considered the greatest in professional basketball, and has, at times, reached the level of intensity of the Yankees – Red Sox rivalry.
The New England Patriots football team is based in Foxborough, Massachusetts, halfway between Boston and Providence. In 1999, the Patriots flirted with the idea of moving to Hartford, in what three National Football League (NFL) franchise owners called "the greatest financial deal any NFL owner has ever received".[citation needed] The deal, however, fell through, and the team remained in Foxborough. The team has won six Super Bowls, tied for the most among all NFL teams.
Both the oldest Major League Baseball (MLB) professional baseball park still in use, Fenway Park, dating from April 1912, as well as the oldest indoor ice hockey rink still in use worldwide, Matthews Arena, which first opened in 1910 and currently stands on the property of Northeastern University for their collegiate ice hockey teams, are within the Boston city limits.
- Boston Red Sox: Bobby Doerr, Joe Cronin, Johnny Pesky, Carl Yastrzemski, Ted Williams, Jim Rice, Wade Boggs, Carlton Fisk, David Ortiz, Pedro Martinez, Roger Clemens, Nomar Garciaparra, Jason Varitek, Tim Wakefield, Manny Ramirez, Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, Jon Lester, Xander Bogaerts, Mookie Betts, Jimmie Foxx, Lefty Grove, Dom DiMaggio, Harry Hooper, Cy Young, Dwight Evans, Rico Petrocelli, Mo Vaughn
- Boston Bruins: Eddie Shore, Lionel Hitchman, Bobby Orr, Aubrey "Dit" Clapper, Phil Esposito, Cam Neely, Johnny Bucyk, Milt Schmidt, Rick Middleton, Terry O'Reilly, Ray Bourque, Patrice Bergeron, Wayne Cashman, David Krejci, Bill Cowley, Zdeno Chara, Tiny Thompson, Frank Brimsek, Eddie Johnston, Gerry Cheevers, Tuukka Rask, David Pastrnak
- Boston Celtics: Robert Parish, Dennis Johnson, Kevin Garnett, Bill Russell, Jo Jo White, Bob Cousy, Tom Heinsohn, Satch Sanders, John Havlicek, Dave Cowens, Jim Loscutoff, Don Nelson, Bill Sharman, Ed Macauley, Frank Ramsey, Sam Jones, K.C. Jones, Cedric Maxwell, Kevin McHale, Larry Bird, Paul Pierce, Reggie Lewis, Danny Ainge, Antoine Walker, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, Marcus Smart, Al Horford, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis
- New England Patriots: Gino Cappelletti, Mike Haynes, Steve Nelson, John Hannah, Bruce Armstrong, Jim Lee Hunt, Bob Dee, Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Nick Buoniconti, Steve Grogan, Andre Tippett, Stanley Morgan, Ben Coates, Jim Nance, Sam Cunningham, Drew Bledsoe, Jon Morris, Troy Brown, Adam Vinatieri, Tedy Bruschi, Ty Law, Willie McGinest, Houston Antwine, Kevin Faulk, Raymond Clayborn, Matt Light, Rodney Harrison, Stephen Gostkowski, Julian Edelman, Danny Amendola, Dont'a Hightower, Matthew Slater, Devin McCourty
- Boston Braves: Hugh Duffy, Hank Gowdy, Rabbit Maranville, Tommy McCarthy, Johnny Sain, Kid Nichols, Warren Spahn, Al Spalding, Charles Radbourn
- Hartford Whalers: Rick Ley, Gordie Howe, John McKenzie, Ron Francis, Kevin Dineen, Mike Rogers, Tom Webster, Pat Verbeek
Baseball
Football
- National Football League
- Indoor Football League
- East Coast Football League – (AAA)
- Boston Bandits (Boston, Massachusetts)
- Connecticut Mustangs (Meriden, Connecticut)
- Connecticut Bulls (Bristol, Connecticut)
- Marlboro Shamrocks (Marlborough, Massachusetts)
- Southern New England Admirals (North Smithfield, Rhode Island)
- Western Mass Raiders (Springfield, Massachusetts)
- East Coast Football League – (AA)
- Granite State Destroyers (Manchester, New Hampshire)
- Haverhill Hitmen (Haverhill, Massachusetts)
- Mill City Eagles (Chelmsford, Massachusetts)
- Randolph Oilers (Randolph, Massachusetts)
- Troy City Titans (Fall River, Massachusetts)
- Valley Generals (Derby, Connecticut)
- New England Football League - (AA)
- Glens Falls Greenjackets (Glens Falls, NY)
- Middleboro Cobras (Middleboro, Massachusetts)
- New England Bombers (Braintree, Massachusetts)
- Rhode Island Riptide (Cranston, Rhode Island)
- Southern Vermont Storm (Bennington, Vermont)
- Vermont Ravens (Burlington, Vermont)
Basketball
Ice hockey
- National Hockey League (NHL)
- American Hockey League (AHL)
- ECHL
- Premier Hockey Federation (PHF)
Soccer
- Major League Soccer
- USL Championship
- MLS Next Pro
- USL League Two
- AC Connecticut (Danbury, Connecticut)
- Black Rock FC (Manchester Center, Vermont)
- Boston Bolts (Waban, Massachusetts)
- GPS Portland Phoenix (Portland, Maine)
- Seacoast United Phantoms (Amesbury, Massachusetts)
- Western Mass Pioneers (Ludlow, Massachusetts)
- Vermont Green FC (Burlington, Vermont)
- Boston City FC (Revere, Massachusetts)
- National Premier Soccer League
Lacrosse
- National Lacrosse League (NLL)
- New England Black Wolves (Uncasville, Connecticut) (2015-2021)
- Major League Lacrosse (MLL)
- Boston Cannons (Boston, Massachusetts) (2001-2020)
Motorsports facilities in New England
Gaelic football
Rugby union
Rugby league
- Football Bowl Subdivision
- Boston College (ACC / Hockey East)
- University of Connecticut (American / Hockey East)
- University of Massachusetts Amherst (Atlantic 10 / Hockey East / Independents)
- Football Championship Subdivision
- Boston University (Patriot League / Hockey East)
- Brown University (Ivy League / ECAC Hockey)
- Bryant University (Northeast)
- Central Connecticut State University (Northeast)
- Dartmouth College (Ivy League / ECAC Hockey)
- Harvard University (Ivy League / ECAC Hockey)
- College of the Holy Cross (Patriot League / Atlantic Hockey)
- University of Maine (America East / Hockey East / Colonial)
- University of New Hampshire (America East / Hockey East / Colonial)
- University of Rhode Island (Atlantic 10 / Colonial)
- Sacred Heart University (Northeast / Atlantic Hockey)
- Yale University (Ivy League / ECAC Hockey)
- Non-football
- Fairfield University (Metro Atlantic)
- University of Hartford (America East)
- University of Massachusetts Lowell (America East / Hockey East)
- Northeastern University (Colonial / Hockey East)
- Providence College (Big East / Hockey East)
- Quinnipiac University* (Metro Atlantic / ECAC Hockey)
- University of Vermont (America East / Hockey East)
Additionally, three colleges compete at the Division I level in ice hockey only: American International and Bentley College compete in the Atlantic Hockey Association, while Merrimack compete in Hockey East and America East in the second half of 2013.
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 the parts of southwestern Connecticut that are close to New York City, most people tend to be fans of New York sports teams, and are often self-identified as suburban New Yorkers. Additionally, until the team relocated to Washington, D.C., for the start of the 2005 season, the Montreal Expos received some fan support in northern New England. The Montreal Canadiens are the NHL's closest team to Northern New England.
For the Mets, when they were in the World Series in their championship season of 1986, split allegiances among fans of both the Mets and opposing Boston Red Sox led to an article in The Boston Globe to coin the phrase "Red Sox Nation".[5]
Since the mid-1990s, the University of Connecticut men's and women's basketball programs (winning 5 men's and 11 women's NCAA national titles since 1995) has drawn a large regional following especially in their home state of Connecticut.[6]
The Boston College Eagles hockey team has also attracted a large following, winning four national championships in 2001, 2008, 2010, and 2012. Their football team also garnered support while current Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan played for the Eagles. The Boston University Terriers hockey team has likewise received large support over the years, winning the national championship in 2009, and has been a staple of Boston collegiate hockey over the past century. The Green Line Rivalry between Boston University and Boston College has been said to be one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports; the two teams compete against each other as well as the hockey teams from fellow Boston universities Harvard University Crimson and Northeastern University Huskies.[7]
New England is home to an NFL Football team, the New England Patriots. The Patriots, based in Foxborough, Massachusetts, are the most popular NFL team in Massachusetts.[8] However, other teams have small followings in the region, including the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Giants.[9]
New Hampshire Motor Speedway is an oval racetrack which has hosted several NASCAR and American Championship Car Racing races, whereas Lime Rock Park is a traditional road racing venue home of sports car races. Both NASCAR Cup races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway draw over 100,000 fans, thus making NHMS the largest capacity sports venue in New England.[10] New Hampshire also possesses the New England Dragway facility in Epping, New Hampshire, as one of the very few remaining dragstrips in the New England region.
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