Traveling is one of life’s great pleasures; getting to know locations, traditions, and customs is very intriguing, and if that journey is to New York, we will undoubtedly have to include a few must-see sports tourist spots.
Prepare yourself because, in this article, we are going to suggest some good sports tourist destinations in New York.
1. Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden (MSG) is one of the most important multi-purpose sports complexes in the world. With a capacity of 20,000 people distributed over five floors, this stadium has hosted great boxing fights, such as Lennox Lewis vs. Evander Holyfield (1999) and Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier (1971).
Today, the Garden hosts the New York Knicks (NBA) and New York Liberty (WNBA) basketball games. Additionally, games of the New York Rangers, the Big Apple’s ice hockey team, are held here.
If you are visiting New York and want to see MSG, you can pay for a guided tour or buy a ticket to see a good New York Knicks basketball game.
2. Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium is kind of a baseball temple whose history began in 1923 with the opening of the old Yankee Stadium, where some of baseball’s most famous players, like Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Lou Gehrig, Joe Dimaggio, Roger Maris, and Yogi Berra, developed their careers.
The old Yankee Stadium was the scene of important boxing matches, music shows, political rallies and religious assemblies. Its demolition took place in 2008, after the end of the regular season.
The Bronx squad moved across the street to play its debut game at Yankee Stadium in 2009. Great players like Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada, and Alfonso Soriano continued their fantastic careers in this stadium.
If you want to visit Yankee Stadium you can do so by purchasing a ticket to see a New York Yankees game. You can also hire a guided tour of the stadium.
3. Citi Field
In 2009, New York City residents enjoyed the opening of two baseball stadiums. The new Yankee Stadium and Citi Field came to the City That Never Sleeps hand in hand.
Citi Field was built next to Shea Stadium, former home of the New York Mets. Incidentally, this was the site of a very famous Beatles concert in 1965. This Beatles’ performance was so important, that as a token of appreciation, the first musical show to be held at Citi Field was Paul McCartney’s in July 2009.
4. Barclays Center
Barclays Center is a multifunctional stadium located in the Prospect Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, which opened in 2012. This sports complex is home to the Brooklyn Nets NBA team.
In addition to basketball games, this arena hosts concerts, conventions and NHL ice hockey games. This building can hold between 17,000 and 19,000 spectators depending on the occasion.
If you are visiting New York and want to see Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving play, buy your ticket at the stadium box office or online in advance.
5. UBS Arena
Belmont Park in Elmont, New York is the site of the UBS Arena, the youngest of New York’s sports complexes. This multi-purpose arena opened in 2021 and is home to the NHL’s New York Islanders field hockey team.
In addition to field hockey games, this sports complex also hosts concerts and assemblies for different purposes.
If you want to be one of the 19,000 people who can enter the UBS Arena, buy a ticket for one of the events held at this sports facility.
Which of these New York sports tourist spots would you visit if given the chance?
If you enjoyed finding out about the best sports tourism destinations in New York, then we invite you to read 3-Day Itinerary in Boston for Sports Fans and Their Partners