There’s a reason they call us Champa Bay. Whether you’re a sports fanatic — or just look good in Lightning blue — when it comes to sports, Tampa Bay has no shortage of teams to root on. Our area is home to some of the most loyal fans in the country: become one of them with this guide to everything you need to know about City sports.
Have you ever been to a Buccaneers game outside of Tampa? Let us know.
Photo via Wikimedia Commons
🏈 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFL) | Est. 1974
Fire the cannons. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers compete in the NFC South division of the NFL. They boast a record of two Super Bowl championships and are one of only two teams with a perfect record in multiple Super Bowl appearances. The Bucs are currently led by head coach Todd Bowles.
Where they play:
- Raymond James Stadium
- Max. capacity: 75,000
- Opened in 1998, Ray Jay has hosted three Super Bowls.
- The stadium has also hosted musical acts like Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, Ed Sheeran, Sting, Kenny Chesney, U2, and Billy Joel.
Cheer them on:
- Mascots Captain Fear and Bucco Bruce were introduced in 2000 and 1976 respectively.
- The team wears red, pewter, Bay orange, and black. Occasionally, retro creamsicle orange jerseys make an appearance.
- Shop for merch.
Major accomplishments:
- The Bucs won their first Super Bowl in 2003.
- In 2021, the Bucs became the first team to win a Super Bowl in their home stadium.
- The most points Tampa Bay has scored during a playoff game was 48 against the Oakland Raiders (who have since moved to Las Vegas) in 2003 — and that was in the Super Bowl. That’s the fourth-highest points total ever scored in the big game.
Keep your eyes peeled for the Bucs’ 2025 schedule — expected in mid-May.
⚾️ Tampa Bay Rays (MLB) | Est. 1998
Rays up. Our hometown baseball team was originally named the Devil Rays but was renamed the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008. Fun fact: They’ve made it to the World Series twice, in 2008 and 2020.
Where they play:
- Tropicana Field
- Max. capacity: 43,000
- The Tampa Bay Rays’ lease on their current ballpark is set to end in 2027, and where the team will play beyond that is anyone’s guess.
- For 2025, George M. Steinbrenner Field is the team’s home, after Hurricane Milton damaged the Trop’s roof, making it uninhabitable for the upcoming season.
Cheer them on:
- Raymond, DJ Kitty, and Stinger are the mascots. Raymond the “SeaDog” has been around since 1998, but DJ Kitty and Stinger the Stingray arrived in 2013.
- The Rays wear navy blue, light blue, white, black, and purple.
- Shop for merch.
Major accomplishments:
- The Rays tied the modern era record for the best start to a season with 13 straight wins in 2023.
- The team made the playoffs five years in a row from 2019 to 2023.
See the team’s schedule.
Editor’s note: Three other teams spend spring training in the Tampa Bay area: the Toronto Blue Jays (Dunedin); the Philadelphia Phillies (Clearwater); and the New York Yankees (Tampa).
Let’s hope for plenty of scenes like this next season.
Photo via the Tampa Bay Lightning
🏒 Tampa Bay Lightning (NHL) | Est. 1992
The Tampa Bay Lightning have had great success in recent years thanks in part to their star players. That includes Nikita Kucherov and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, whose octopoid antics have saved many a Bolts fan’s night.
Where they play:
- Amalie Arena
- Max. capacity: 21,500
- It has also hosts a bunch of concerts, and has welcomed Coldplay, Carole King, Barry Manilow, and Sabrina Carpenter.
- Fun fact: Amalie Arena was originally named “The Ice Palace.”
Cheer them on:
- The Lightning mascot is ThunderBug, who helps out at various hockey camps across TBAY.
- The team wears blue and white, and is often referred to as the “Bolts” due to the lightning bolt logo.
- Shop for merch.
Major accomplishments:
- The team has won three Stanley Cups — in 2004, 2020, 2021.
- The Bolts have made the playoffs in each of the last seven seasons.
- The Lightning are the first (and currently only) NHL team to have a woman play for them. Goalie Manon Rheaume made history in September 1992, playing in a preseason game and stopping seven of nine shots in one period.
See the team’s schedule.
Tampa’s leadership celebrated at the logo and name release party late last year.
Photo via Tampa Bay Sun FC
⚽️ Tampa Bay Sun Football Club (USL Super League) | Est. 2024
The Tampa Bay area’s first-ever professional women’s soccer team started its inaugural campaign in 2024. The Sun are one of eight teams in the league.
Where they play:
- Blake High School’s Riverfront Stadium
- Max. capacity: ~5,000
- The team spent $6 million on renovating the downtown Tampa stadium, increasing its capacity up from 1,800, laying new FIFA-approved turf, upgrading the locker rooms, and ensuring a professional fan experience.
Cheer them on:
- The Sun’s mascot, Solé, debuted at the 2025 Children’s Gasparilla parade. The rooster with sun-themed feathers is representative of the animals which roam Ybor City’s cobblestone streets.
- The team’s kit represents Tampa Bay’s water with its blue tones, and our yellow sunny skies.
- Buy some merch.
Major accomplishments:
- It’s still a little early for this one.
See the team’s schedule.
⚽️ Tampa Bay Rowdies (USL) | Est. 2008
The Rowdies may have one of the most scenic backdrops in all of sports: the St. Petersburg waterfront. The team is one of many soccer teams to have called TBAY home. Scotland’s Robbie Neilson was appointed head coach in 2023 — his first coaching job this side of the pond.
Where they play:
- Al Lang Stadium
- Max. capacity: 7,227
- Fun fact: Al Lang was exclusively used as a baseball stadium for over 60 years.
Cheer them on:
- Mascot Pete the Pelican was born on March 25, 2015, and Pinnie the Pelican was born on July 27, 2016 (pssst: that’s 727 Day).
- The Rowdies’ green, yellow, and white color scheme comes from the Tampa Bay Mutiny (MLS), a local soccer team that played from 1996 to 2001.
- Shop for merch.
Major accomplishments:
- In 2012, the team won the North American Soccer League Championship Series against the Minnesota Stars.
- The team won the 2021 USL regular season, before losing to Orange County SC in the final.
See the team’s schedule.
⚾️ Tampa Tarpons (MiLB) | Est. 1994
The Tampa Tarpons are the Single-A affiliate of the New York Yankees — in fact, the team was previously named the Tampa Yankees. Before that, there was another local baseball team called the Tarpons until 1989.
Where they play:
- The Tarpons usually play at George M. Steinbrenner Field, but the Rays are temporarily moving in for 2025.
- For one year, the Tarpons will play right next door at the Community Field at the Steinbrenner facility, which seats ~1,000 people.
Cheer them on:
- The team’s mascot, named Blue, has red hair and a big red baseball on its belly. Make that make sense.
- The Tarpons wear Navy blue, silver, Gulf blue, and white, and its logo inspired by previous Tampa Tarpon teams (1957-1987).
- Shop for merch.
Major accomplishments:
- Notable former players include Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera.
- In 2022, Rachel Balkovec became the team’s manager — making her the first woman to manage a minor league baseball team.
See the team’s schedule.
City Guides are sponsored by Water Street Tampa.
