Tampa has a lot of things going on besides amusement parks and attractions. Not that these aren’t fun things to do but we also have a very active sports presence in the state.
Overall, we have three national football league teams representing the Sunshine State.
Jacksonville Jaguars
First, are the Jacksonville Jaguars located in north Florida. Good team and I have nothing bad to say about them as long as they don’t come to Tampa.
Next, we have the South Florida representation of the Miami Dolphins. Now, I can enjoy a good Dolphin game and have driven to Miami just for such an occasion. I’ve watched them for many, many years when they were the only team in Florida. They, too, are a great team and Superbowl winners but they need to stay in the southern hemisphere of Florida.
Tampa Bay Storm
We also have the Storm – the 2003 champions representing arena football.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
That brings us to my own home city guys, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – whose football home is at Raymond James Stadium about 15 minutes from my house.
Superbowl champions and just an all-around great team, people in Tampa take a lot of pride in having these guys as part of our town. The new season will be starting on September 12 and I can tell you, football fans are getting ready for those pre-games as I type! It’s been a long offseason and we’re ready to help take our guys to another Superbowl victory!
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Right across the street from Raymond James, we have baseball with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Another good team with lots of fan representation so if you’re a baseball fan, this is where you’ll want to be. They also play at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.
Tampa Bay Lightning
And in case you don’t know, Tampa is also home to the world champion Tampa Bay Lightning – the 2004 holders of the Stanley Cup.
So, as you can see, there’s a lot to do in Tampa if you like sports. There are many sports bars around the city that cater not only to Bucs fans but those “other” teams as well.
Now I’ve lived in Florida most of my life and long before there were any football teams in Florida. My teams from “back in the day” were the New York Jets and the Minnesota Vikings. I still follow the Jets now and then but I’ve been a hard and fast Vikes fan since 1962.
You have to picture me at a Bucs game one year wearing my Bucs jersey and a Vikings hat. Did I get some looks or what?
Anyway, I just wanted to share a little Florida (Tampa) fun with you all and hope you make plans to visit the Sunshine State and enjoy all we have to offer.