Greater Miami offers an array of
spectator sports, ranging from the NFL’s Miami
Dolphins, to the high-action Jai Alai, to the
five-straight-College-World-Series-appearing
University of Miami Hurricanes, to one of the
country’s nicest thoroughbred racing courses.
Furthermore, the city’s professional teams have
witnessed the erection of two new sports venues--
the American Airlines Arena (Miami Heat) and
Pro Player Stadium (Dolphins and Marlins). In
addition to contacting the venues that host
spectator sports, tickets for most of the events can
be purchased through Ticketmaster (305/ 358-5885).
The Miami Dolphins
are
this city’s pride and joy. The team has been to
the Super Bowl five times and is the only team in
modern history to complete a season-perfect 17-0
record (1972). When playing on their home turf, the
Dolphins do their thing at the new Pro Player
Stadium, an open-air facility and home to Super
Bowl XXXIII, XXIX and XXIII. Tickets are $20-$145
and are available through the box office or
Ticketmaster.
The
NBA’s Miami Heat were Atlantic Division
Champions for the 1996-’97 and 1997-’98
seasons. The team’s new home court (as 
of
2000) is the American Airlines
Arena, a
20,000-seat multipurpose facility that sits directly
on the bay. Bayside landscaping includes an outdoor
café/bar, and a pedestrian bridge that
connects to the Bayside Marketplace across the
street. Game times are usually at 7:30 p.m. and
tickets are available through the Heat’s box
office or through Ticketmaster. For more
information visit www.heat.com.
The
Florida Marlins won the 1997 World Series,
after being in the Major Leagues for just five
years. They play their home games at
Pro Player Stadium, also home of the Miami
Dolphins. The stadium played host to three Super
Bowls and the 1997 World Series. Tickets are available through
Ticketmaster or by visiting the Pro Player Stadium
box office. For season tickets or group discount
information call (305) 930-HITS.
The
Miami Matadors came into hockey’s Minor
League division in the fall of 1998, after the
NHL’s Florida Panthers moved out to Broward
County. Home games are played in the Miami Arena and
the Matadors compete against 26 other teams in the
East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). The Florida
Panthers play their home games at the brand-new
19,452- seat National Car Rental Center. In
1996, the Panthers made it to the Stanley Cup
finals, but lost to Colorado. Tickets are available
through the box office or through Ticketmaster.
The
University of Miami Hurricanes are
Miami’s youthful delights. The Hurricanes’
football team continues as one of the fastest and
most successful squads in college football. They have
played for the National Championship eight times.
Home games are played at the Orange Bowl Stadium.
Often overshadowed by the football and baseball
teams, Hurricane basketball is making great
efforts to join in on the school’s championship
fever. Home games are played at the Miami Arena. Hurricane
baseball
is played at Mark Light Stadium,
located along the ambit of the campus just on the
outskirts of Coral Gables. As of 2000, the baseball
team has made five straight College
World Series appearances.
Miami's
Calder Race Course is a 220-acre track
equipped with a stadium that houses as many as
15,000 fans. The 180,000-square-foot facility
features live racing eight months a year, from May
23 to Jan. 2. Located next to Pro Player Stadium,
the course features Florida racing’s wealthiest
day, “The Festival of the Sun”, and Tropical at
Calder. Daily thoroughbred racing Thursday through
Monday beginning at 12:30 p.m. Full-card
simulcasting and wagering available. Seating
accommodations include fixed seats, box seats,
gang-chairs on all floors, benches on apron, two
dining rooms, and paddock seats. AE, MC, V.
Jai
Alai is
the fastest game in the world, with pelotas
(Jai alai balls) being clocked at speeds greater
than 170 miles per hour. Invented in Basque region
of northern Spain, the game is not only extremely
exciting, but also represents the diversities of
Miami culture. Jai alai is played in a 176-ft-long
court, with players ducking from pelotas and
climbing walls to catch the hurling balls in a woven
basket. Built in 1926, the Miami Jai Alai Fronton is America’s oldest fronton and it hosts about
13 games. The game also involves wagering among
fans. Florida
Gaming Corporation owns jai-alai frontons with
simulcasting operations in Miami, Ocala, and Ft.
Pierce, Florida. It is the largest jai-alai operator
in the world. In addition, Poker has been added as
its newest product to the Miami facility. With
opening of the Crystal Card Room, Florida Gaming is
the one of the largest Poker operators in the state
of Florida. Tickets
are $1, reserved seats are $2, Courtview Club $5.
For more information call (305) 633-6400.
Miami’s Doral-Ryder Open
is a PGA Tour event with a professional field
rivaling the majors of golf. Three pro-am events
take place and are played on the famed Blue Monster
course at the Doral Golf Resort and Spa.
Pre-tournament events include the Concert on the
Green (free to public) and Skins game. Two-for-one
tickets available until Dec. 31 each year. Feb.
26—March 5, 2000.
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