Sports

What’s the latest in the Tampa Bay sports scene?

It’s called Champa Bay for a reason — we like to win. But it can be hard to keep up with all that winning, so here’s a handy roundup of the sports happenings in our area.

October 16, 2023 • 
Patrick Sidwell
A view from up high inside Amalie Arena as the Lightning play against the Nashville Predators. The crowd watches on as players skate on the ice.

The Bolts are back in action for the new season.

Photo by TBAYtoday

We hear you, Tampa Bay sports fans — all that winning can get tiring, and hard to stay on top of. To help you out, we’ve rounded up all the current need-to-knows, so you can stay in the loop without lifting a finger, hand, stick, bat, glove, or cleat.

Hockey

  • The 2023-24 Tampa Bay Lightning season is underway. The Bolts started the season last week with a 5-3 victory against Nashville at Amalie Arena. Get involved with our season guide.
  • Star goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy is out injured after undergoing back surgery. He is expected back in late November or early December.

Football

  • The Tampa Bay Buccaneers played their Creamsicle Game this past weekend in retro, Florida Orange jerseys, losing 20-6 to the Detroit Lions. Talk about losing in style. Grab some gear for yourself.
  • The Bucs are now 3-2 this season + their next game is this Sunday, Oct. 22 at Raymond James vs. the Atlanta Falcons.
  • The USF Bulls are having their winningest season in four years. Under new head coach Alex Golesh and quarterback Byrum Brown, the Bulls have a 3-4 record. If USF can reach six wins, the Bulls will be eligible for a bowl game appearance — something they haven’t achieved since 2018.
Raymond James Stadium for a Bucs game. The players are warming up and fans are taking their seats.

Ray Jay is baying for another playoff game.

Photo by TBAYtoday

Baseball

  • Earlier this month, the Rays were knocked out of the first round of the postseason to the Texas Rangers. The 2-0 Wild Card Series loss ended what was once a promising campaign, with the Rays winning 13 straight games to start the season — that’s a joint record in the modern era.
  • The team has announced plans to build a new $1.3 billion stadium in St. Pete’s Gas Plant District. Officials hope the team will take the field there in 2028.

Soccer

  • Last week, we told you Super League Tampa Bay plans to play next year’s inaugural season at an upgraded Howard W. Blake High School stadium on the Hillsborough River. The county school board votes on the partnership at tonight’s meeting.
  • Men’s soccer fans should head to Al Lang Stadium this weekend to cheer on the Tampa Bay Rowdies who are hosting Birmingham Legion in the first round of the 2023 USL Championship Playoffs. The Rowdies made it to the final last year, where they lost to Louisville City.
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