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Just What Kind of Sports does Arizona Have?

Arizona Cardinals

As hot as temperatures can get, Phoenix is even hotter when it comes to sports. As a host to numerous sporting events and home to a thriving sports culture, Phoenix has what every sports enthusiast needs. It offers an array of sports bars, sporting events, and a deep well of sports history. Including basketball, football, NASCAR racing, Phoenix has everything a sports enthusiast could want.

Not every city can claim that it is home to numerous sports franchises, let alone that it represents all four major professional sports leagues in the United States. Two of the Phoenix teams carry the city’s name and play within the city limits.

The first of these professional teams is the Phoenix Suns of NBA fame, who started their career at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum over forty years ago. In 1992 the team changed playing locations to the US Airways Center, which used to be known as the American West Arena.

The teams of Phoenix have not just crossed sports boundaries. By being great teams, they have also participated in historical social movements. As one of the original eight teams pioneering basketball for women, Phoenix Mercury helped launch the Women’s National Basketball Association over ten years ago.

Phoenix also is home to several amazing locations for sports events. Phoenix Mercury and the Phoenix Suns hold court at the United States Airways Center, which has served as the home for the 1995 and 2009 NBA All-Star Games. Similarly, the arena football team the Arizona Rattlers play at the US Airways Center.  Other teams continue to move to the Phoenix area, such as the Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League, who moved to the Jobing Arena  over a decade ago.  In addition, the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum is home to the Phoenix Flame, the team of International Basketball League fame.

Also, the collection of teams known as the Cactus League determined that the favorable climate of was a good reason to conduct spring training in Tuscon and the nearby Phoenix metro area. How could they not? Though temperatures often escalate close to 100 degrees, Phoenix has the most reliable precipitation of any state. Rainfall is sparse, allowing teams to practice outside with little worry over weather-based interference.

This weather becomes particularly beneficial for sporting events other than football and basketball. Phoenix also hosts the Phoenix International Raceway, a major venue for NASCAR racing events.