Sports in Massachusetts


Sports in Massachusetts have a long history with both amateur athletics and professional teams. Most of the major professional teams have won multiple championships in their respective leagues. Massachusetts teams have won 6 Stanley Cups, 17 NBA Championships, 6 Super Bowls, and 10 World Series. Early basketball and volleyball was created in Massachusetts, which homes the Basketball Hall of Fame, and the Volleyball Hall of Fame. Massachusetts also houses the Cape Cod Baseball League. It is also home to prestigious sports events such as the Boston Marathon and the Head of the Charles Regatta. The Falmouth Road Race in running and the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic in bicycle racing are also very popular events with long histories.
The PGA Tour Deutsche Bank Championship is a regular professional golf tour stop in the state. Massachusetts has played host to nine U.S. Opens, four U.S. Women's Opens, two Ryder Cups, and one U.S. Senior Open.
Many colleges and universities in Massachusetts are active in college athletics. There are a number of NCAA Division I members in the state for multiple sports: Boston College, Boston University, Northeastern University, Harvard University, College of the Holy Cross, University of Massachusetts Amherst, and the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

Major league professional teams

ClubSportsFoundedLeagueVenue
Boston CelticsBasketball1946National Basketball AssociationTD Garden
Boston BruinsIce hockey1924National Hockey LeagueTD Garden
Boston Red SoxBaseball1901Major League BaseballFenway Park
New England PatriotsFootball1960National Football LeagueGillette Stadium
New England Revolution Soccer1996Major League SoccerGillette Stadium

Minor league or semi-professional clubs

Defunct or relocated professional clubs

College sports

NCAA: Divisions I and II

SchoolNicknameDivisionConference
Boston CollegeEaglesIAtlantic Coast Conference/Hockey East
Boston UniversityTerriersIPatriot League/Hockey East
Northeastern UniversityHuskiesIColonial Athletic Association/Hockey East
Harvard UniversityCrimsonIIvy League/ECAC Hockey
College of the Holy CrossCrusadersIPatriot League/Atlantic Hockey/Hockey East
University of Massachusetts AmherstMinutemen/
Minutewomen		IAtlantic 10 Conference/Hockey East
University of Massachusetts LowellRiver HawksIAmerica East Conference/Hockey East
Merrimack CollegeWarriorsINortheast Conference/Hockey East
American International CollegeYellow JacketsI/IIAtlantic Hockey/Northeast-10 Conference
Bentley UniversityFalconsI/IIAtlantic Hockey/Northeast-10 Conference
Assumption CollegeGreyhoundsIINortheast-10 Conference
Stonehill CollegeSkyhawksIINortheast-10 Conference

In addition to the schools listed here, Franklin Pierce University, located near the state border in Rindge, New Hampshire, plays its men's and women's ice hockey home games in Massachusetts on the campus of The Winchendon School. FPU plays men's hockey in the Northeast-10 and women's hockey in the New England Women's Hockey Alliance.

NCAA: Division III

SchoolNicknameDivisionConference
Amherst CollegeMammothsIIIEastern College Athletic Conference/New England Small College Athletic Conference
Anna Maria CollegeAmcatsIIIGreat Northeast Athletic Conference/Eastern Collegiate Football Conference
Babson CollegeBeaversIIINew England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference
Bay Path CollegeWildcatsIIINew England Collegiate Conference
Becker CollegeHawksIIINew England Collegiate Conference/Commonwealth Coast Conference/
Commonwealth Coast Football
Brandeis UniversityJudgesIIIUniversity Athletic Association/Intercollegiate Fencing Association
Bridgewater State UniversityBearsIIIEastern College Athletic Conference/Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference/
Little East Conference
Clark UniversityCougarsIIINew England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference
Curry CollegeColonelsIIICommonwealth Coast Conference/Commonwealth Coast Football
Dean CollegeBulldogsIIINew England Collegiate Conference
Eastern Nazarene CollegeLionsIIINew England Collegiate Conference
Elms CollegeBlazersIIINew England Collegiate Conference
Emerson CollegeLionsIIINew England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference/Eastern College Athletic Conference
Emmanuel CollegeSaintsIIIGreat Northeast Athletic Conference
Endicott CollegeGullsIIICommonwealth Coast Conference/Commonwealth Coast Football/New England Collegiate Conference
Fitchburg State CollegeFalconsIIIMassachusetts State College Athletic Conference
Framingham State CollegeRamsIIIMassachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference
Gordon CollegeFighting ScotsIIICommonwealth Coast Conference
Lasell CollegeLasersIIIGreat Northeast Athletic Conference
Lesley UniversityLynxIIINew England Collegiate Conference
Mount Holyoke CollegeLyonsIIINew England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference
Massachusetts College of Liberal ArtsTrailblazersIIIEastern College Athletic Conference/Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference
Massachusetts Maritime AcademyBuccaneersIIIMassachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference/New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference
Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyEngineersIIINew England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference
Newbury CollegeNighthawksIIINew England Collegiate Conference
Nichols CollegeBisonIIICommonwealth Coast Conference/Commonwealth Coast Football/New England Collegiate Conference
Pine Manor CollegeGatorsIIIAmerican Collegiate Athletic Association
Regis CollegePrideIIIGreat Northeast Athletic Conference
Salem State CollegeVikingsIIIMassachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference
Simmons CollegeSharksIIIGreat Northeast Athletic Conference/North Atlantic Conference
Smith CollegePioneersIIINew England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference
Springfield CollegePrideIIINew England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference
Suffolk UniversityRamsIIIGreat Northeast Athletic Conference
Tufts UniversityJumbosIIINew England Small College Athletic Conference
University of Massachusetts BostonBeaconsIIILittle East Conference/New England Hockey Conference
University of Massachusetts DartmouthCorsairsIIILittle East Conference/Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference
Wellesley CollegeBluesIIINew England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference
Wentworth Institute of TechnologyPanthersIIICommonwealth Coast Conference/Great Northeast Athletic Conference
Western New England CollegeGolden BearsIIICommonwealth Coast Conference/Commonwealth Coast Football
Westfield State CollegeOwlsIIIMassachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference
Wheaton College, MassachusettsLyonsIIINew England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference
Williams CollegeEphsIII / INew England Small College Athletic Conference
Worcester Polytechnic InstituteEngineersIIINew England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference
Worcester State CollegeLancersIIIMassachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference

NAIA

High school

The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association is an organization that sponsors activities in thirty-three sports, comprising 374 public and private high schools in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The MIAA is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations, which writes the rules for most U.S. high school sports and activities. The MIAA was founded in 1978, and was preceded by both the Massachusetts Secondary School Principals' Association and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Council .
Rugby will become the MIAA's 35th sport in 2016, following a 2015 MIAA vote that passed by a wide majority. As of 2015, there are 19 boys’ teams and 5 girls’ teams across the state, with the majority of the Catholic Conference schools fielding rugby teams.