Miami metropolitan area
Sports
Table:
Major professional and D-I college teams (attendance > 10,000)

Club

Sport

League

Venue (Capacity)

Attendance

League Championships

Miami Dolphins

Football

National Football League

Hard Rock Stadium (64,767)

70,035

Super Bowl (2) — 1972, 1973

Miami Hurricanes

Football

NCAA D-I (ACC)

Hard Rock Stadium (64,767)

53,837

National titles (5) — 1983, 1987, 1989, 1991, 2001

Miami Marlins

Baseball

Major League Baseball

Marlins Park (36,742)

21,386

World Series (2) — 1997, 2003

Miami Heat

Basketball

National Basketball Association

American Airlines Arena (19,600)

19,710

NBA Finals (3) — 2006, 2012, 2013

Inter Miami CF

Soccer

Major League Soccer

Lockhart Stadium (18,000)

MLS Cup - None

FIU Panthers

Football

NCAA D-I (Conference USA)

FIU Stadium (23,500)

15,453

None

Florida Panthers

Hockey

National Hockey League

BB&T Center (19,250)

10,250

None

FAU Owls

Football

NCAA D-1 (Conference USA)

FAU Stadium (29,419)

18,948

None

Drawing on the following table and the context snippets listed below.

Give the answer to the question: With which minor league team is this professional ice hockey team affiliated whose home stadium was previously known as the National Car Rental Center ? Provide just your answer in a JSON object {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Do not introduce information beyond the provided sources.

The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area . The Dolphins compete in the National Football League ( NFL ) as a member club of the league 's American Football Conference ( AFC ) East division . The Dolphins play their home games at Hard Rock Stadium , located in the northern suburb of Miami Gardens , Florida . The Dolphins are the oldest professional sports team in Florida . Of the four AFC East teams , they are the only team in the division that was not a charter member of the American Football League ( AFL ) . The Dolphins were founded by attorney-politician Joe Robbie and actor-comedian Danny Thomas . They began play in the AFL in 1966 . The region had not had a professional football team since the days of the Miami Seahawks , who played in the All-America Football Conference in 1946 , before becoming the first incarnation of the Baltimore Colts . For the first few years , the Dolphins ' full-time training camp and practice facilities were at Saint Andrew 's School , a private boys boarding prep school in Boca Raton . In the 1970 AFL-NFL merger , the Dolphins joined the NFL . The team made its first Super Bowl appearance in Super Bowl VI , losing to the Dallas Cowboys , 24-3 . The following year , the Dolphins completed the NFL 's only perfect season , culminating in a Super Bowl win , winning all 14 of their regular season games , and all three of their playoff games , including Super Bowl VII .
American football , referred to as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron , [ nb 1 ] is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end . The offense , the team with possession of the oval-shaped football , attempts to advance down the field by running with the ball or passing it , while the defense , the team without possession of the ball , aims to stop the offense 's advance and to take control of the ball for themselves . The offense must advance at least ten yards in four downs or plays ; if they fail , they turn over the football to the defense , but if they succeed , they are given a new set of four downs to continue the drive . Points are scored primarily by advancing the ball into the opposing team 's end zone for a touchdown or kicking the ball through the opponent 's goalposts for a field goal . The team with the most points at the end of a game wins . American football evolved in the United States , originating from the sports of soccer and rugby . The first American football match was played on November 6 , 1869 , between two college teams , Rutgers and Princeton , using rules based on the rules of soccer at the time . A set of rule changes drawn up from 1880 onward by Walter Camp , the Father of American Football , established the snap , the line of scrimmage , eleven-player teams , and the concept of downs . Later rule changes legalized the forward pass , created the neutral zone and specified the size and shape of the football . The sport is closely related to Canadian football , which evolved in parallel with and at the same time as the American game ( although their rules were developed independently from that of Camp 's ) . Most of the features that distinguish American football from rugby and soccer are also present in Canadian football . The two sports are considered the primary variants of gridiron football .
The National Football League ( NFL ) is a professional American football league consisting of 32 teams , divided equally between the National Football Conference ( NFC ) and the American Football Conference ( AFC ) . The NFL is one of the four major professional sports leagues in North America and the highest professional level of American football in the world . The NFL 's 17-week regular season runs from early September to late December , with each team playing 16 games and having one bye week . Following the conclusion of the regular season , six teams from each conference ( four division winners and two wild card teams ) advance to the playoffs , a single-elimination tournament culminating in the Super Bowl , which is usually held on the first Sunday in February and is played between the champions of the NFC and AFC . The NFL was formed in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association ( APFA ) before renaming itself the National Football League for the 1922 season . After initially determining champions through end-of-season standings , a playoff system was implemented in 1933 that culminated with the NFL Championship Game until 1966 . Following an agreement to merge the NFL with the American Football League ( AFL ) , the Super Bowl was first held in 1967 to determine a champion between the best teams from the two leagues and has remained as the final game of each NFL season since the merger was completed in 1970 . Today , the NFL has the highest average attendance ( 67,591 ) of any professional sports league in the world and is the most popular sports league in the United States . The Super Bowl is also among the biggest club sporting events in the world , with the individual games accounting for many of the most watched television programs in American history and all occupying the Nielsen 's Top 5 tally of the all-time most watched U.S. television broadcasts by 2015 . The Green Bay Packers hold the most combined NFL championships with 13 , winning nine titles before the Super Bowl era and four Super Bowls afterwards . Since the creation of the Super Bowl , the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots both have the most championship titles at six .
Hard Rock Stadium is a football stadium located in Miami Gardens , Florida , a city north of Miami . It is the home stadium of the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League ( NFL ) . Hard Rock Stadium also plays host to the Miami Hurricanes football team during their regular season . In addition , the facility hosts the Orange Bowl , an annual college football bowl game . It was the home to the Florida Marlins of Major League Baseball ( MLB ) from 1993 to 2011 . From 2019 , the stadium is home to the Miami Open tennis tournament , played in March . The stadium has hosted six Super Bowls ( XXIII , XXIX , XXXIII , XLI , XLIV , and LIV ) , the 2010 Pro Bowl , two World Series ( 1997 and 2003 ) , four BCS National Championship Games ( 2001 , 2005 , 2009 , 2013 ) , the second round of the 2009 World Baseball Classic , and WrestleMania XXVIII . The stadium will host the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2021 , as well as has agreed in principle to host the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix in 2021 . The facility opened in 1987 as Joe Robbie Stadium and has been known by a number of names since : Pro Player Park , Pro Player Stadium , Dolphins Stadium , Dolphin Stadium , Land Shark Stadium , and Sun Life Stadium . In August 2016 the team sold the naming rights to Hard Rock Cafe Inc. for $ 250 million over 18 years .
The Super Bowl is the annual championship game of the National Football League ( NFL ) played between mid-January and early February . It is the culmination of a regular season that begins in the late summer of the previous year . The game was created as part of the merger agreement between the NFL and its rival the American Football League ( AFL ) . It was agreed that the two champion teams would begin playing in an annual AFL-NFL World Championship Game until the merger officially began in 1970 . The first game was played on January 15 , 1967 after both leagues had completed their respective 1966 seasons . After the merger , each league was re-designated as a conference , and the game has since been played between the conference champions to determine the NFL 's league champion . The NFL restricts the use of its Super Bowl trademark , and it is frequently referred to as the big game or other generic terms by non-sponsoring corporations . The New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers have the most Super Bowl championship titles with six each . The Patriots have the most Super Bowl appearances with 11 . The National Football Conference ( NFC ) and the American Football Conference ( AFC ) are tied with 27 Super Bowl wins each . The Super Bowl is the second-largest day for U.S. food consumption , after Thanksgiving Day . In addition , the Super Bowl has frequently been the most-watched American television broadcast of the year ; the seven most-watched broadcasts in American television history are Super Bowls .
The Miami Hurricanes football team represents the University of Miami in the sport of American football . The Hurricanes compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) 's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision ( FBS ) and the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference ( ACC ) . The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships ( 1983 , 1987 , 1989 , 1991 , 2001 ) . The Miami Hurricanes are among the most storied and decorated football programs in NCAA history . Miami is ranked fourth on the list of All-time Associated Press National Poll Championships , tied with Southern California and Ohio State and behind Alabama , Notre Dame , and Oklahoma . Miami also holds a number of NFL Draft records , including most first-round selections in a single draft and most consecutive drafts with at least one first-round selection . Two Hurricanes have won the Heisman Trophy and nine have been inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame . The team plays its home games at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens , Florida . The Hurricanes ' head coach is Manny Diaz .
NCAA Division I ( D-I ) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) in the United States . D-I schools include the major collegiate athletic powers , with larger budgets , more elaborate facilities and more athletic scholarships than Divisions II and III as well as many smaller schools committed to the highest level of intercollegiate competition . This level was once called the University Division of the NCAA , in contrast to the lower level College Division ; these terms were replaced with numeric divisions in 1973 . The University Division was renamed Division I , while the College Division was split in two ; the College Division members that offered scholarships or wanted to compete against those who did became Division II , while those who did not want to offer scholarships became Division III . For college football only , D-I schools are further divided into the Football Bowl Subdivision ( FBS ) , the Football Championship Subdivision ( FCS ) , and those institutions that do not have any football program . FBS teams have higher game attendance requirements and more players receiving athletic scholarships than FCS teams . The FBS is named for its series of postseason bowl games , with various polls ranking teams after the conclusion of these games , while the FCS national champion is determined by a multi-team bracket tournament . For the 2014-15 school year , Division I contained 345 of the NCAA 's 1,066 member institutions , with 125 in the Football Bowl Subdivision ( FBS ) , 125 in the Football Championship Subdivision ( FCS ) , and 95 non-football schools , with six additional schools in the transition from Division II to Division I . There was a moratorium on any additional movement up to D-I until 2012 , after which any school that wants to move to D-I must be accepted for membership by a conference and show the NCAA it has the financial ability to support a D-I program .
The Atlantic Coast Conference ( ACC ) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States . Headquartered in Greensboro , North Carolina , the conference consists of fifteen member universities , each of whom compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) 's Division I , with its football teams competing in the Football Bowl Subdivision ( FBS ) , the highest levels for athletic competition in US-based collegiate sports . The ACC sponsors competition in twenty-five sports with many of its member institutions ' athletic programs held in high regard nationally . Current members of the conference are Boston College , Clemson University , Duke University , Georgia Institute of Technology , Florida State University , North Carolina State University , Syracuse University , the University of Louisville , the University of Miami , the University of North Carolina , the University of Notre Dame , the University of Pittsburgh , the University of Virginia , Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University , and Wake Forest University . ACC teams and athletes have claimed dozens of national championships in multiple sports throughout the conference 's history . Generally , the ACC 's top athletes and teams in any particular sport in a given year are considered to be among the top collegiate competitors in the nation . Also , the conference enjoys extensive media coverage . The ACC was one of the five collegiate power conferences , which had automatic qualifying for their football champion into the Bowl Championship Series ( BCS ) . With the advent of the College Football Playoff in 2014 , the ACC is one of five conferences with a contractual tie-in to a New Year 's Six bowl game , the successors to the BCS . The ACC was founded on May 8 , 1953 , by seven universities located in the South Atlantic States , with the University of Virginia joining in early December 1953 to bring the membership to eight . The loss of South Carolina in 1971 dropped membership to seven , while the addition of Georgia Tech in 1979 for non-football sports and 1983 for football brought it back to eight , and Florida State 's arrival in 1991 for non-football sports and 1992 for football increased the membership to nine . Since 2000 , with the widespread reorganization of the NCAA , seven additional schools have joined , and one original member ( Maryland ) has left to bring it to the current membership of 15 schools .
The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami , Florida . They compete in Major League Baseball ( MLB ) as a member club of the National League ( NL ) East division . Their home park is Marlins Park . Though one of only two MLB franchises to have never won a division title ( the other being the Colorado Rockies ) , the Marlins have won two World Series championships as a wild card team . The team began play as an expansion team in the 1993 season as the Florida Marlins and played home games from their inaugural season to the 2012 season at what was originally called Joe Robbie Stadium , which they shared with the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League ( NFL ) . Since the 2012 season , they have played at Marlins Park in downtown Miami , on the site of the former Orange Bowl . The new park , unlike their previous home ( which was criticized in its baseball configuration for poor sight lines in some locations ) , was designed foremost as a baseball park . Per an agreement with the city and Miami-Dade County ( which owns the park ) , the Marlins officially changed their name to the Miami Marlins on November 11 , 2011 . They also adopted a new logo , color scheme , and uniforms . The Marlins have the distinction of winning a World Series championship in every postseason they have qualified for to date , having won the World Series in 1997 and 2003 as National League wild card team . They also have the distinction of being the only franchise in the major four North American professional sports leagues ( MLB , NBA , NFL , NHL ) to have never lost a playoff round . They defeated the American League ( AL ) champion Cleveland Indians in the 1997 World Series , with shortstop Édgar Rentería driving in second baseman Craig Counsell for the series-clinching run in the 11th inning of the seventh and deciding game .
Baseball is a bat-and-ball game played between two opposing teams who take turns batting and fielding . The game proceeds when a player on the fielding team , called the pitcher , throws a ball which a player on the batting team tries to hit with a bat . The objective of the offensive team ( batting team ) is to hit the ball into the field of play , allowing its players to run the bases , having them advance counter-clockwise around four bases to score what are called runs . The objective of the defensive team ( fielding team ) is to prevent batters from becoming runners , and to prevent runners ' advance around the bases . A run is scored when a runner legally advances around the bases in order and touches home plate ( the place where the player started as a batter ) . The team that scores the most runs by the end of the game is the winner . The first objective of the batting team is to have a player reach first base safely . A player on the batting team who reaches first base without being called out can attempt to advance to subsequent bases as a runner , either immediately or during teammates ' turns batting . The fielding team tries to prevent runs by getting batters or runners out , which forces them out of the field of play . Both the pitcher and fielders have methods of getting the batting team 's players out . The opposing teams switch back and forth between batting and fielding ; the batting team 's turn to bat is over once the fielding team records three outs . One turn batting for each team constitutes an inning .
Major League Baseball ( MLB ) is a professional baseball organization . It is the oldest of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada . A total of 30 teams play in Major League Baseball : 15 teams in the National League ( NL ) and 15 in the American League ( AL ) . The NL and AL were formed as separate legal entities in 1876 and 1901 , respectively . Beginning in 1903 , the two leagues cooperated but remained legally separate entities . In 2000 the leagues merged into a single organization led by the Commissioner of Baseball . MLB also oversees Minor League Baseball , which comprises 256 teams affiliated with the major league clubs . MLB and the World Baseball Softball Confederation jointly manage the international World Baseball Classic tournament . Baseball 's first openly all-professional team was the Cincinnati Red Stockings founded in 1869 . Before that , some teams had secretly paid some players . The first few decades of professional baseball were characterized by rivalries between leagues and by players who often jumped from one team or league to another . The period before 1920 is known as the dead-ball era , during which players would rarely hit home runs .
Marlins Park is a baseball park located in Miami , Florida . It is the current home of the Miami Marlins , the city 's Major League Baseball franchise . It is located on 17 acres ( 6.9 ha ) of the former Miami Orange Bowl site in Little Havana , about 2 miles ( 3 km ) west of Downtown . Construction was completed in March 2012 , in time for the 2012 season . The stadium is designed in a neomodern form of baseball architecture . Marlins Park was also LEED certified as the greenest MLB park in 2012 . The building is the sixth MLB stadium to have a retractable roof . With a seating capacity of 37,442 , it is the third-smallest stadium in Major League Baseball by official capacity , and the smallest by actual capacity . The stadium 's public-funding plan led to a protracted lawsuit , largely contributed to the ouster of several local politicians , and triggered an SEC investigation . As revelations of the team 's finances and their handling of payroll ( both before and after construction ) seemed to contradict some of the premises on which the tax-funded-stadium deal were based , the ballpark controversy intensified . Despite questionable financing decisions by members of local government at the time , the financing of the project did not use General Fund taxes from local taxpayers and pulled from tourist funds specifically allocated for public-benefiting projects like sports facilities . The facility hosted a second-round pool of the 2013 World Baseball Classic , a first-round pool of the 2017 World Baseball Classic , and hosted the 2017 Major League Baseball All-Star Game .
The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball ( MLB ) in North America , contested since 1903 between the American League ( AL ) champion team and the National League ( NL ) champion team . The winner of the World Series championship is determined through a best-of-seven playoff , and the winning team is awarded the Commissioner 's Trophy . As the series is played during the fall season in North America , it is sometimes referred to as the Fall Classic . Since 2017 , it has been officially known as the World Series presented by YouTube TV for sponsorship reasons . Prior to 1969 , the team with the best regular-season win-loss record in each league automatically advanced to the World Series ( barring a tie ) ; since then each league has conducted a championship series ( ALCS and NLCS ) preceding the World Series to determine which teams will advance , while those series have in turn been preceded by division series ( ALDS and NLDS ) since 1995 and by wild card games in each league since 2012 . The World Series has been contested 115 times as of 2019 , with the AL winning 66 and the NL winning 49 .
The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami . The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) as a member of the league 's Eastern Conference Southeast Division . The Heat play their home games at American Airlines Arena , and have won three NBA championships . The franchise began play in the 1988-89 NBA season as an expansion team . After a period of mediocrity , the Heat would gain relevance during the 1990s following the appointment of former head coach Pat Riley in the role of team president . Riley would construct the high-profile trades of Alonzo Mourning in 1995 , and of Tim Hardaway in 1996 , which immediately propelled the team into playoff contention . Mourning and Hardaway would eventually lead the Heat to four division titles , prior to their departures in 2001 and 2002 , respectively . As a result , the team struggled , and entered into a rebuild in time for the 2002-03 season . Led by Dwyane Wade , and following a trade for former NBA Most Valuable Player ( MVP ) Shaquille O'Neal , Miami advanced to play in the NBA Finals in 2006 , where they clinched their first championship , led by Riley as head coach . After the departure of O'Neal two years later , the team entered into another period of decline for the remainder of the 2000s . This saw the resignation of Riley as head coach , who returned to his position as team president , and was replaced by Erik Spoelstra . In 2010 , after creating significant cap space , the Heat partnered Wade with former league MVP LeBron James , and perennial NBA All-Star Chris Bosh , creating the Big Three .
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams , most commonly of five players each , opposing one another on a rectangular court , compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball ( approximately 9.4 inches ( 24 cm ) in diameter ) through the defender 's hoop ( a basket 18 inches ( 46 cm ) in diameter mounted 10 feet ( 3.048 m ) high to a backboard at each end of the court ) while preventing the opposing team from shooting through their own hoop . A field goal is worth two points , unless made from behind the three-point line , when it is worth three . After a foul , timed play stops and the player fouled or designated to shoot a technical foul is given one or more one-point free throws . The team with the most points at the end of the game wins , but if regulation play expires with the score tied , an additional period of play ( overtime ) is mandated . Players advance the ball by bouncing it while walking or running ( dribbling ) or by passing it to a teammate , both of which require considerable skill . On offense , players may use a variety of shots - the lay-up , the jump shot , or a dunk ; on defense , they may steal the ball from a dribbler , intercept passes , or block shots ; either offense or defense may collect a rebound , that is , a missed shot that bounces from rim or backboard . It is a violation to lift or drag one 's pivot foot without dribbling the ball , to carry it , or to hold the ball with both hands then resume dribbling . The five players on each side at a time fall into five playing positions the tallest player is usually the center , the tallest and strongest is the power forward , a slightly shorter but more agile player is the small forward , and the shortest players or the best ball handlers are the shooting guard and the point guard , who implements the coach 's game plan by managing the execution of offensive and defensive plays ( player positioning ) . Informally , players may play three-on-three , two-on-two , and one-on-one . Invented in 1891 by Canadian-American gym teacher James Naismith in Springfield , Massachusetts , United States , basketball has evolved to become one of the world 's most popular and widely viewed sports . The National Basketball Association ( NBA ) is the most significant professional basketball league in the world in terms of popularity , salaries , talent , and level of competition . Outside North America , the top clubs from national leagues qualify to continental championships such as the EuroLeague and the Basketball Champions League Americas .
The National Basketball Association ( NBA ) is a men 's professional basketball league in North America , composed of 30 teams ( 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada ) . It is one of the four major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada , and is widely considered to be the premier men 's professional basketball league in the world . [ better source needed ] The league was founded in New York City on June 6 , 1946 , as the Basketball Association of America ( BAA ) . It changed its name to the National Basketball Association on August 3 , 1949 , after merging with the competing National Basketball League ( NBL ) . The NBA 's regular season runs from October to April , with each team playing 82 games . Its playoffs extend into June . NBA players are the world 's best paid athletes by average annual salary per player . The NBA is an active member of USA Basketball ( USAB ) , which is recognized by FIBA ( also known as the International Basketball Federation ) as the national governing body for basketball in the United States . The league 's several international as well as individual team offices are directed out of its head offices in Midtown Manhattan , while its NBA Entertainment and NBA TV studios are directed out of offices located in Secaucus , New Jersey .
The American Airlines Arena ( AAA ) is a sports and entertainment arena located in Downtown Miami , Florida , along Biscayne Bay . It was constructed beginning in 1998 as a replacement for the Miami Arena and designed by the architecture firms Arquitectonica and 360 Architecture . The Arena is home to the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association . The American Airlines Arena is directly served by the Miami Metrorail at Government Center station via free transfers to Metromover Omni Loop , providing direct service to Freedom Tower and Park West stations . The Arena is also within walking distance from the Historic Overtown/Lyric Theatre Metrorail station . The American Airlines Arena has 2,105 club seats , 80 luxury suites , and 76 private boxes . The Waterfront Theater is Florida 's largest theater which is housed within the arena , that can seat between 3,000 and 5,800 . The theater can be configured for concerts , family events , musical theatre and other stage shows . American Airlines which has a hub at Miami International Airport maintains the American Airlines Arena Travel Center at the venue . In September 2019 , it was reported that the arena will have a new name in 2020 . The airline also holds the naming rights for another NBA venue , the American Airlines Center for the Dallas Mavericks and the Dallas Stars , which opened in 2001 .
The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association ( NBA ) . The Eastern and Western conference champions play a best-of-seven game series to determine the league champion . The winners of the Finals are awarded the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy , which replaced the Walter A . Brown Trophy in 1983 . The series was initially known as the BAA Finals prior to the 1949-50 season when the Basketball Association of America ( BAA ) merged with the National Basketball League ( NBL ) to form the NBA . The competition oversaw further name changes to NBA World Championship Series from 1950 to 1985 , as well as a brief stint as the Showdown , before settling on NBA Finals in 1986 . Since 2018 , it has been officially known as the NBA Finals presented by YouTube TV for sponsorship reasons . The NBA Finals was initially structured in a 2-2-1-1-1 format . In 1985 , to ease the amount of cross-country travel , it was changed to a 2-3-2 format , where the first two and last two games of the series were played at the arena of the team who earned home-court advantage by having the better record during the regular season . In 2014 , the 2-2-1-1-1 format was restored . The first two games are played the higher-seeded team 's home , the following two at the home of the lower-seeded team , and the remaining three are played at each team 's home arena alternately . A total of 19 franchises have won the NBA Finals , with the Toronto Raptors winning in 2019 .
Club Internacional de Fútbol Miami , known in English as Inter Miami CF or simply Inter Miami , is an American professional soccer club based in the Miami metropolitan area . The team is due to begin play in Major League Soccer ( MLS ) in 2020 at the Inter Miami CF Stadium at the site of the former Lockhart Stadium . It is proposing to construct a long-term ground at Miami Freedom Park , scheduled for 2022 pending final decisions about financing and location .
Association football , more commonly known as football or soccer , [ a ] is a team sport played with a spherical ball between two teams of 11 players . It is played by approximately 250 million players in over 200 countries and dependencies , making it the world 's most popular sport . The game is played on a rectangular field called a pitch with a goal at each end . The object of the game is to score by moving the ball beyond the goal line into the opposing goal . Football is played in accordance with a set of rules known as the Laws of the Game . The ball is 68-70 cm ( 27-28 in ) in circumference and known as the football . The two teams each compete to get the ball into the other team 's goal ( between the posts and under the bar ) , thereby scoring a goal . The team that has scored more goals at the end of the game is the winner ; if both teams have scored an equal number of goals then the game is a draw . Each team is led by a captain who has only one official responsibility as mandated by the Laws of the Game : to represent their team in the coin toss prior to kick-off or penalty kicks . Players are not allowed to touch the ball with hands or arms while it is in play , except for the goalkeepers within the penalty area . Other players mainly use their feet to strike or pass the ball , but may also use any other part of their body except the hands and the arms . The team that scores most goals by the end of the match wins .
Major League Soccer ( MLS ) is a men 's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation which represents the sport 's highest level in the United States and Canada . The league comprises 26 teams - 23 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada and constitutes one of the major professional sports leagues in both countries . The league plans to expand to 30 teams with the additions of Austin FC and Charlotte in 2021 , then Sacramento Republic FC and a St. Louis franchise in 2022 . The regular season starts in late February or early March and goes through mid-October , with each team playing 34 games ; the team with the best record is awarded the Supporters ' Shield . Fourteen teams compete in the postseason MLS Cup Playoffs through October and November , culminating in the championship game , the MLS Cup . MLS teams also play in domestic competitions against teams from other divisions in the U.S. Open Cup and in the Canadian Championship . MLS teams also compete against continental rivals in the CONCACAF Champions League . With an average attendance of over 20,000 per game , MLS has the third highest average attendance of any sports league in the U.S. after the National Football League ( NFL ) and Major League Baseball ( MLB ) , and is the seventh highest attended professional soccer league worldwide . Major League Soccer was founded in 1993 as part of the United States ' successful bid to host the 1994 FIFA World Cup . The first season took place in 1996 with ten teams . MLS experienced financial and operational struggles in its first few years : the league lost millions of dollars , teams played in mostly empty American football stadiums , and two teams folded in 2002 . Since then , MLS has expanded to 26 teams , soccer-specific stadiums have proliferated around the league , average attendance exceeds that of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) and National Basketball Association ( NBA ) , the Designated Player Rule allows teams to sign star players such as David Beckham , MLS secured national TV contracts , and the league is now profitable .
Inter Miami CF Stadium ( also known as Inter Miami Stadium ) is a soccer stadium under construction in Fort Lauderdale , Florida on the site of the former Lockhart Stadium . The new 18,000-seat stadium and training facility is scheduled for future Major League Soccer club Inter Miami CF . The new stadium will be oriented north-south for soccer configuration , so the sun wo n't be in the eyes of the goalie . The stadium will be the primary headquarters for the team and its youth academy in addition to further training grounds .
The MLS Cup is the post-season championship game of Major League Soccer ( MLS ) . The winner is crowned champion in the same manner as in other North American sports leagues ( i.e . via a playoff following a regular season ) . This differs from other top soccer leagues around the world which consider the club with the most points at the end of the season to be the sole champion . MLS honors that achievement with the Supporters ' Shield . A U.S.-based team that wins the MLS Cup is awarded one of that country 's berths in the following year 's CONCACAF Champions League . ( The sole Canadian entrant in the Champions League is determined by a separate process also involving non-MLS teams ; when Canadian team Toronto FC won the 2017 MLS Cup , an additional U.S. team was selected based on regular-season performance . ) The league hosted its inaugural championship , MLS Cup 1996 on October 20 , 1996 . Today the MLS Cup is typically held in the middle of November , featuring the winners of the Eastern Conference Championship and Western Conference Championship . LA Galaxy are the most successful team , winning a record fifth Cup in 2014 . During its history , the MLS Cup has been represented by the Alan I. Rothenberg Trophy from 1996 through 1998 , a redesigned Alan I. Rothenberg Trophy from 1999 through 2007 , and the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy since 2008 .
FIU Panthers football program represents Florida International University ( FIU ) in the sport of American football . The Panthers compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision ( FBS ) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) and the East Division of Conference USA ( CUSA ) . The Panthers ' head coach is Butch Davis . FIU has produced a Sun Belt Conference co-championship team in 2010 , along with 3 postseason bowl appearances . The Panthers play their home games at Riccardo Silva Stadium which has a seating capacity of 20,000 .
Conference USA ( C-USA or CUSA ) is an intercollegiate athletic conference whose current member institutions are located within the Southern United States . The conference participates in the NCAA 's Division I in all sports . C-USA 's offices are located in Dallas , Texas .
Riccardo Silva Stadium is a college football and soccer stadium on the campus of Florida International University ( FIU ) in Miami , Florida . It is home stadium of the FIU Panthers football team and the Miami FC soccer team from the USL Championship . The stadium opened in 1995 and has a seating capacity of 20,000 .
The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area . They compete in the National Hockey League ( NHL ) as a member of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference . The team initially played their home games at Miami Arena , before moving to the BB & T Center in 1998 . Located in Sunrise , Florida , the Panthers are the southernmost team in the NHL . The team 's local broadcasting rights have been held by Fox Sports Florida ( formerly SportsChannel Florida ) since 1996 . The Panthers began playing in the 1993-94 NHL season . The team has made one appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals , in 1996 , the only season in which the Panthers have ever won a playoff series , eventually losing the Finals to the Colorado Avalanche . Since then , the Panthers have only qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs four times , never advancing past the first round , since 1996 . The club is affiliated with one minor league team , the Springfield Thunderbirds of the American Hockey League .
Ice hockey is a contact team sport played on ice , usually in a rink , in which two teams of skaters use their sticks to shoot a vulcanized rubber puck into their opponent 's net to score goals . The sport is known to be fast-paced and physical , with teams usually fielding six players at a time : one goaltender , and five players who skate the span of the ice trying to control the puck and score goals against the opposing team . Ice hockey is most popular in Canada , central and eastern Europe , the Nordic countries , Russia , and the United States . Ice hockey is the official national winter sport of Canada . In addition , ice hockey is the most popular winter sport in Belarus , Croatia , the Czech Republic , Finland , Latvia , Russia , Slovakia , Sweden , and Switzerland . North America 's National Hockey League ( NHL ) is the highest level for men 's ice hockey and the strongest professional ice hockey league in the world . The Kontinental Hockey League ( KHL ) is the highest league in Russia and much of Eastern Europe . The International Ice Hockey Federation ( IIHF ) is the formal governing body for international ice hockey , with the IIHF managing international tournaments and maintaining the IIHF World Ranking . Worldwide , there are ice hockey federations in 76 countries . In Canada , the United States , Nordic countries , and some other European countries the sport is known simply as hockey ; the name ice hockey is used in places where hockey more often refers to the more popular field hockey , such as countries in South America , Asia , Africa , Australasia , and some European countries including the United Kingdom , Ireland and the Netherlands . Ice hockey is believed to have evolved from simple stick and ball games played in the 18th and 19th centuries in the United Kingdom and elsewhere . These games were brought to North America and several similar winter games using informal rules were developed , such as shinny and ice polo .
The National Hockey League ( NHL ; French : Ligue nationale de hockey - LNH ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America , currently comprising 31 teams : 24 in the United States and 7 in Canada . The NHL is considered to be the premier professional ice hockey league in the world , and one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada . The Stanley Cup , the oldest professional sports trophy in North America , is awarded annually to the league playoff champion at the end of each season . The National Hockey League was organized on November 26 , 1917 , at the Windsor Hotel in Montreal after the suspension of operations of its predecessor organization , the National Hockey Association ( NHA ) , which had been founded in 1909 in Renfrew , Ontario . The NHL immediately took the NHA 's place as one of the leagues that contested for the Stanley Cup in an annual interleague competition before a series of league mergers and foldings left the NHL as the only league left competing for the Stanley Cup in 1926 . At its inception , the NHL had four teams - all in Canada , thus the adjective National in the league 's name . The league expanded to the United States in 1924 , when the Boston Bruins joined , and has since consisted of American and Canadian teams . From 1942 to 1967 , the league had only six teams , collectively ( if not contemporaneously ) nicknamed the Original Six . The NHL added six new teams to double its size at the 1967 NHL expansion . The league then increased to 18 teams by 1974 and 21 teams in 1979 . Between 1991 and 2000 , the NHL further expanded to 30 teams . It added its 31st team in 2017 and has approved the addition of a 32nd team in 2021 .
The BB & T Center ( previously known as the National Car Rental Center , Office Depot Center , and BankAtlantic Center ) is an indoor arena located in Sunrise , Florida . It is the home venue for the National Hockey League ( NHL ) 's Florida Panthers . It was completed in 1998 , at a cost of US $ 185 million , almost entirely publicly financed , and features 70 suites and 2,623 club seats .
Florida Atlantic Owls football program represents Florida Atlantic University ( FAU ) in the sport of American football . The Owls compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision ( FBS ) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) and the East Division of Conference USA ( CUSA ) . The Owls ' head coach is Willie Taggart , who was previously the head coach of Florida State University . Florida Atlantic has produced a Sun Belt Conference co-championship team in 2007 , two Conference USA championships in 2017 and 2019 , along with 3 postseason bowl appearances and one appearance in the 2003 I-AA Playoffs . The Owls play their home games at FAU Stadium which has a seating capacity of 29,419 .
FAU Stadium is a college football stadium located at the north end of the main campus of Florida Atlantic University ( FAU ) in Boca Raton , Florida . Opened in 2011 , it is home to the Florida Atlantic Owls football team and is intended to be the first part of FAU 's multi-use development project , Innovation Village . After selecting an architect in 2008 , the university began to raise funds for the $ 70 million facility with the intent to begin construction in 2009 . The $ 70 million stadium was funded through student fees , private donations , and naming rights partnerships , some of which have yet to be determined . After fundraising efforts slowed , the school delayed construction until 2010 . The stadium opened when the 2011 Florida Atlantic Owls football team lost to the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers on October 15 , 2011 . Starting in 2014 , FAU Stadium became home to the Boca Raton Bowl , a college football bowl game which features teams from the Mid-American Conference and in alternating years Conference USA and the American Athletic Conference . Also starting in 2014 , FAU Stadium was home to the Major League Lacrosse 's Florida Launch until 2018 . The playing surface was named Howard Schnellenberger Field , after the founding coach of the Owls football program , on August 20 , 2014 . Schnellenberger spent the final 11 seasons of his coaching career at FAU , retiring after the 2011 season .