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Sports in New York

New York City has more professional sports teams than almost any other city in the country. Even with so much to do in New York, sports almost always reign supreme. The city boast two MLB teams, the Yankees and Mets. They also have two NFL teams, the Giants and Jets. Throw in the Knicks from the NBA and two NHL teams, the Rangers and Islanders. This all adds up to quite a sports town with teams even the pessimistic fans of New York tend to love.

Major League Sports

Baseball is the most important sport in New York and the locals love to root for the Yankees. They have one of the most storied traditions in all of sports and have recently moved into a brand new Yankee Stadium. Their 27 World Series titles are unmatched by any MLB team. The Mets are the other professional baseball team, and while they do not have the history of the Yankees, there is still tradition here with two World Series titles and a new venue, Citi Field. New York is one of two cities along with Chicago that has two Major League Baseball teams.

Football follows close behind baseball when it comes to popularity in New York. The city is divided between the Jets and the Giants. MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey is where both teams play and call home. The Giants have won four Super Bowl titles with the Jets having one. These two teams have developed into intra-city rivals.

The New York Knicks are the lone NBA team in the city and play at historic Madison Square Garden. Madison Square Garden is also home to the Rangers of the NHL. The other professional hockey team is the Islanders who play in Long Island at Nassau Coliseum.

The New York Reds Bulls represent the city in Major League Soccer and the Liberty in the WNBA.

Other Sports Teams

There are two semi-professional rugby teams in the city, the Raiders and Knights. New York is also the home to cricket teams and field hockey leagues. The Brooklyn Cyclones and the Staten Island Yankees are New York's minor league baseball teams. The Staten Island Yankees are the low-A ball team of the Yankees and the Brooklyn Cyclones are the low-A ball team of the Mets.

Annual Sporting Events

New York City plays host to some of the most unique and entertaining sporting events every year. Every September, Queens hosts the U.S. Tennis Open over a two-week period. This is one of the four grand slam tennis events every year and the field is filled with the best players in the world. The New York City Marathon is one of the largest in the entire world and takes place every November. The Amateur Boxing Golden Gloves are held every year at Madison Square Garden. For college basketball fans, the National Invitation Tournament is held at the beginning of every season and the end for teams not in the NCAA Tournament. The Big East Conference Tournament is also held at Madison Square Garden in early March.

Rivalries

When it comes to sports rivalries, the biggest for New York is the city of Boston. The Yankees and Boston Red Sox have a huge rivalry. These teams have played in many eventful postseasons over the past decade. The Knicks have had a rivalry with the Boston Celtics over the years, particularly during the 90's. The Rangers main rival over the years has been the Boston Bruins. Due to their close proximity to one another, these two cities have remained large sports rivals over the years.

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Sports in New York