New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

is home to a wide variety of sporting events. Most notable are the home games of the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

( NFL) and the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division and play their hom ...

(

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

), the annual

Sugar Bowl The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed onl ...

, the annual

Zurich Classic The Zurich Classic of New Orleans is a professional golf tournament in Louisiana on the PGA Tour, currently held at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, a suburb southwest of New Orleans. Beginning in 1938 and held annually since 1958, it is commonly play ...

(

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also k ...

) and horse racing at the

Fair Grounds Race Course Fair Grounds Race Course, often known as New Orleans Fair Grounds, is a thoroughbred racetrack and racino in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is operated by Churchill Downs Louisiana Horseracing Company, LLC. As early as 1838 Bernard de Marigny, Ju ...

. New Orleans has also occasionally hosted the

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...

, College Football Playoff semifinal game and the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

Final Four. CBD from Baptist Garage 20 June 2011 Superdome and NOA

Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram (49487799403)

Professional sports teams

Football

Professional

-- The New Orleans Saints, founded in 1967, are one of the 32 teams in the NFL. The home stadium of the Saints is

Caesars Superdome The Caesars Superdome, commonly known as the Superdome (formerly known as Mercedes-Benz Superdome), is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the home stadium of the New Orleans Saints ...

. The Saints won

Super Bowl XLIV Super Bowl XLIV was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champions New Orleans Saints and the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Indianapolis Colts to decide the National Football League (NFL) champ ...

in 2010. * New Orleans Breakers- Founded in 2021, are one of eight teams in the new

United States Football League (2022) The United States Football League (USFL) is a professional American football minor league that began play on April 16, 2022. The inaugural 2022 regular season was played in its entirety in Birmingham, Alabama. The postseason games were played ...

*New Orleans Hurricanes are member's of the

Women's Football Alliance The Women's Football Alliance (WFA) is a professional full-contact Women's American football tackle minor league that began play in 2009. It is the largest 11-on-11 football league for women in the world, and the longest running active women's ...

(2019–present). Former football teams in New Orleans include the New Orleans Breakers of the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

(1984) (which became the

Portland Breakers The Portland Breakers were an American football team that played in the United States Football League (USFL) in the mid-1980s. Before moving to Portland, Oregon, the franchise was previously in Boston, Massachusetts as the Boston Breakers and ...

), the

New Orleans Night The New Orleans Night were an Arena Football League (AFL) team that competed in the 1991 and 1992 AFL seasons and were based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The team was officially announced at a press conference on March 18, 1991. On April 9, the na ...

of the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...

(1991–1992), the

New Orleans Thunder The New Orleans Thunder were a professional American football team that played during the 1999 season as part of the Regional Football League. They played their home games at Tad Gormley Stadium in City Park in New Orleans. The team was announced ...

of the

Regional Football League The Regional Football League (RFL) was an american football minor league formed to be the self-styled "major league of spring football." Established in 1997, the league played a single season, 1999, and then ceased operations. History The RFL se ...

(1999), the Louisiana Jazz of the

(2002–2014), the

New Orleans VooDoo Louisiana Voodoo (french: Vaudou louisianais, es, Vudú de Luisiana), also known as New Orleans Voodoo, is an African diasporic religion which originated in Louisiana, now in the southern United States. It arose through a process of syncretis ...

of the

(2004–2005, 2007–2008, and 2010–2015), the

New Orleans Jazz football club New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

of the

Stars Football League A star is an astronomical object comprising a luminous spheroid of plasma held together by its gravity. The nearest star to Earth is the Sun. Many other stars are visible to the naked eye at night, but their immense distances from Earth mak ...

(2011) and New Orleans Krewe of the US Women's Football League (2016).

Collegiate

Tulane Green Wave The Tulane Green Wave are the athletic teams that represent Tulane University, located in New Orleans, Louisiana. Tulane competes in NCAA Division I as a member of the American Athletic Conference (The American). There are 14 Green Wave interco ...

-- The Tulane Green Wave football team represents

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...

Division I FBS

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

. Former college football teams in New Orleans include the Dillard Bleu Devils (1935–1965), the

Loyola Wolf Pack The Loyola Wolf Pack are the athletic teams representing Loyola University New Orleans in intercollegiate athletics. The Wolf Pack are a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Southern ...

(1921–1939) and the Xavier Gold Rush (1925–1960).

Special Football Games

-- More Super Bowls have been played at

than at any other sports facility:

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd go ...

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

and

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

Tulane Stadium Tulane Stadium was an outdoor football stadium that stood in New Orleans from 1926 to 1980. It was officially the Third Tulane Stadium and replaced the "Second Tulane Stadium", which was located where the Telephone Exchange Building is now. Th ...

also hosted the game in

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

, and

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

. * 1976 Pro Bowl -- The 1976 Pro Bowl was the NFL's 26th annual all-star game. The game was played on Monday, January 26, 1976, at the Louisiana Superdome. * College Football Playoff National Championship Game -- Caesars Superdome hosted the College Football Playoff National Championship game in

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

. * College Football Playoff semifinal Game -- Caesars Superdome rotates among six sites as the host for a

College Football Playoff The College Football Playoff (CFP) is an annual postseason knockout invitational tournament to determine a national champion for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), the highest level ...

semifinal game every three years. The Superdome hosted semi-final games in

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

and

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

and is scheduled to host semi-final games in 2021 and 2024. *

BCS National Championship Game The BCS National Championship Game, or BCS National Championship, was a postseason college football bowl game, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), first played in the 1998 college fo ...

-- Caesars Superdome rotated with three other sites as the host for the

. The Superdome hosted the BCS National Championship Game in

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

and

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

. *

-- New Orleans has been home to the annual Sugar Bowl since 1935. Originally played at

, it has been played in Caesars Superdome since 1975. *

New Orleans Bowl The New Orleans Bowl is an NCAA-sanctioned post-season college football bowl game that has been played annually since 2001. It is normally held at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans; when the Superdome and the rest of the city suffered damage due to ...

-- New Orleans has been home to the annual New Orleans Bowl since 2001 in Caesars Superdome. *

Bayou Classic The Bayou Classic is an annual college football classic rivalry game between the Grambling State University Tigers and the Southern University Jaguars, first held under that name in 1974 at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, although the series it ...

-- The Bayou Classic is an annual football game, also played in Caesars Superdome, between the state's two largest

historically black universities Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving the African-American community. Mo ...

, Grambling State and

Southern University Southern University and A&M College (Southern University, Southern, SUBR or SU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is the largest historically black college or university (HBCU) in Louisiana, a ...

. *

Pelican Bowl The Pelican Bowl is a defunct, Louisiana-based NCAA Division II bowl game that was intended to match the overall champions or top-seeded co-champions from the then-new Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and the long-established Southwestern A ...

-- The Pelican Bowl was an NCAA Division II bowl game played in New Orleans in 1974 and 1975 that pitted the conference champions from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) to determine the black college football national championship. *

East–West Shrine Game East West (or East and West) may refer to: *East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture Arts and entertainment Books, journals and magazines *'' East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salm ...

-- The 18th annual East–West Shrine

post-season The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eithe ...

college football

all-star game An all-star game is an exhibition game that purports to showcase the best players (the "stars") of a sports league. The exhibition is between two teams organized solely for the event, usually representing the league's teams based on region or div ...

was held in New Orleans on January 1, 1943, due to WWII travel restrictions on the West Coast. * ArenaBowl -- New Orleans played host to the

AFL AFL may refer to: Sports * American Football League (AFL), a name shared by several separate and unrelated professional American football leagues: ** American Football League (1926) (a.k.a. "AFL I"), first rival of the National Football Leagu ...

championship game In sport, a championship is a Competition#Sports, competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match sy ...

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

and

hosting all games in the

New Orleans Arena Smoothie King Center (locally referred to as SKC) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is located in the city's Central Business District, adjacent to Caesars Superdome. The arena opened in 1999 as New Orleans Arena and ...

Basketball

Professional

-- The New Orleans Pelicans, founded in 2002 as the New Orleans Hornets, are one of the 30 teams in the

. The home

arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

of the Pelicans is the

Smoothie King Center Smoothie King Center (locally referred to as SKC) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is located in the city's Central Business District, adjacent to Caesars Superdome. The arena opened in 1999 as New Orleans Arena and ...

. Former professional basketball teams in New Orleans include the New Orleans Jazz of the

(1974–1979) (which became the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

) and the

New Orleans Buccaneers The New Orleans Buccaneers were a charter member of the American Basketball Association. After three seasons in New Orleans, Louisiana the franchise moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where it became the Pros, Tams and Sounds for four years before a ...

of the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger, American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, ...

(1967–1970) (which became the

Memphis Pros Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memph ...

). Other professional basketball teams include the

New Orleans Hurricanes New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz (South Korean band), The Boyz Albums and EPs * New (album), ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartn ...

of the

Professional Basketball League of America The Professional Basketball League of America (1947–1948) was a basketball league in the United States that was started in 1947 in response to the tremendous upsurge in interest in basketball in the era immediately following World War II. T ...

(1947), New Orleans Sports of the Southern Basketball League (1948–1949), New Orleans Pride of the

Women's Professional Basketball League The Women's Professional Basketball League (abbreviated WBL) was a professional women's basketball league in the United States. The league played three seasons from the fall of 1978 to the spring of 1981. The league was the first professional w ...

(1979–1981) and New Orleans Cougars of the

. The NBA's

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Sou ...

played 12 special "home" games in New Orleans during the 1984–85 season.

Collegiate

* Dillard Bleu Devils -- The Dillard Bleu Devils men's basketball team and Dillard Lady Bleu Devils women's basketball team represents

Dillard University Dillard University is a private, historically black university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded in 1930 and incorporating earlier institutions founded as early as 1869 after the American Civil War, it is affiliated with the United Church of Ch ...

in the NAIA. *

-- The Loyola Wolf Pack men's basketball team and Loyola Wolf Pack women's basketball team represents

Loyola University New Orleans Loyola University New Orleans is a Private university, private Jesuit university in New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana. Originally established as Loyola College in 1904, the institution was chartered as a university in 1912. It bears the name o ...

in the NAIA. *

New Orleans Privateers New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

-- The

New Orleans Privateers men's basketball The New Orleans Privateers men's basketball team represents the University of New Orleans in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. The school's team currently competes as a member of the Southland Conference. They are currently led by head coach ...

team and New Orleans Privateers women's basketball team currently represents the

University of New Orleans The University of New Orleans (UNO) is a public research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is a member of the University of Louisiana System and the Urban 13 association. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High rese ...

Division I

. * SUNO Knights -- The SUNO Knights men's basketball team and SUNO Lady Knights women's basketball team represents

Southern University at New Orleans Southern University at New Orleans (also known as SUNO) is a public historically black university in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is a member of the Southern University System and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. History Southern University ...

in the NAIA. *

-- The

Tulane Green Wave men's basketball The Tulane Green Wave men's basketball team represents Tulane University in NCAA Division I college basketball. The team competes in the American Athletic Conference. They play home games on campus in Devlin Fieldhouse, the 9th-oldest active bas ...

team and

Tulane Green Wave women's basketball The Tulane Green Wave women's basketball team represents Tulane University in NCAA Division I college baseball. The team competes in the American Athletic Conference. They play home games on campus in Devlin Fieldhouse, the 9th-oldest active bas ...

team represents

Division I

. * Xavier Gold Rush -- The Xavier Gold Rush men's basketball team and Xavier Gold Nuggets women's basketball team represents

Xavier University of Louisiana Xavier University of Louisiana (also known as XULA) is a Private university, private, Historically black colleges and universities, historically black, Roman Catholic, Catholic university in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the only Catholic HBCU ...

in the NAIA.

Special Basketball Games

* Men's Final Four --

hosted the

college basketball Final Four in

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

and

. The Final Four will return to the Superdome in 2022. *Women's Final Four -- The Women's Final Four has been held in New Orleans in 1991, 2004 and 2013. The

hosted the Women's Final Four in 2004 and 2013.

Lakefront Arena The Senator Nat G. Kiefer University of New Orleans Lakefront Arena (commonly Lakefront Arena or UNO Lakefront Arena) is an 8,933-seat multi-purpose arena located in New Orleans, Louisiana. The arena is home to the University of New Orleans New O ...

hosted the women's Final Four in 1991. *

NBA All-Star Game The National Basketball Association All-Star Game is a basketball exhibition game hosted every February by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and showcases 24 of the league's star players. It is the featured event of NBA All-Star Weekend, a ...

-- The NBA All-Star Game was held in New Orleans in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

and

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

at the

Baseball

Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

was first played in New Orleans as early as 1859. In that year, amateur baseball leagues played games on the grounds of Delachaise Estates in Uptown New Orleans and the Lone Star Base Ball Club was organized. There were many innovations in baseball that originated in New Orleans. The first

spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

was held in New Orleans in 1870 as the Chicago White Stockings (now

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

) traveled to the city to play the

Cincinnati Red Stockings The Cincinnati Red Stockings of were baseball's first all-professional team, with ten salaried players. The Cincinnati Base Ball Club formed in 1866 and fielded competitive teams in the National Association of Base Ball Players (NABBP) 1867– ...

, but stayed several weeks to train. The practice of covering the infield with a modified canvas tarpaulin on rainy days was first used in New Orleans in 1887. On April 29, 1887, a recurring Ladies' Day was established to create an environment in the stands free of unsavory characters and conduct, as well as to make baseball a family oriented event. In 1889, issuing " rain checks" for rained out games using a perforated ticket stub was invented in New Orleans by

Abner Powell Abner Charles Powell (December 15, 1860 – August 7, 1953) was a Major League Baseball player who was a member of the Washington Nationals of the Union Association in 1884. He later played for the Baltimore Orioles and the Cincinnati Red Stockin ...

Professional

Former baseball teams with the longest tenure in New Orleans include: * New Orleans Zephyrs/Baby Cakes --

American Association American Association may refer to: Baseball * American Association (1882–1891), a major league active from 1882 to 1891 * American Association (1902–1997), a minor league active from 1902 to 1962 and 1969 to 1997 * American Association of Profe ...

(1993–1997),

Pacific Coast League The Pacific Coast League (PCL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the Western United States. Along with the International League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade bel ...

(1998–2019) *

-- Southern League (1887, 1889, 1898–99),

Texas-Southern League The Texas-Southern League was a sports league of Minor League Baseball, minor league baseball teams that operated from 1895 to 1899, primarily in Texas. During the 1896 season, the league renamed itself as the Texas Association. History of the Tex ...

(1888), (1890),

Southern Association The Southern Association was a higher-level minor league in American organized baseball from 1901 through 1961. For most of its existence, the Southern Association was two steps below the Major Leagues; it was graded Class A (1902–1935), Cl ...

(1892–96, 1901–59),

(1977) * New Orleans Black Pelicans -- pre-Negro leagues (1907–08, 1938), both Negro Southern Leagues (1920, 1926, 1945),

Texas–Louisiana League (Negro league) The Texas Colored League was a minor league Negro baseball league organized in 1919 and lasted until 1926. The league did not play a schedule in 1922. The league was revived three years later in 1929 as the Texas–Oklahoma–Louisiana League a ...

(1931),

Negro American League The Negro American League was one of the several Negro leagues created during the time organized American baseball was segregated. The league was established in 1937, and disbanded after its 1962 season. Negro American League franchises :''An ...

(1951, 1954). Former baseball teams in New Orleans include: * Comet Base Ball Club (f. 1860) * Detroit–New Orleans Stars -

Negro league baseball The Negro leagues were United States professional baseball leagues comprising teams of African Americans and, to a lesser extent, Latin Americans. The term may be used broadly to include professional black teams outside the leagues and it may be ...

(1960–61) * Gretna Lookouts -

* Hancock Base Ball Club (f. 1869) * Hop Bitters Base Ball Club (1880) * Hope Base Ball Club (f. 1868) * Lone Star Base Ball Club (f. 1859) * Mandeville Base Ball Club (f. 1869) * Melpomene White Sox -

* Meraux Tigers -

* Metairie Pelicans -

* New Orleans Acid Iron Earth - Gulf League (f. 1886) * New Orleans Ads - Negro Southern League (1920–21, 1935–36) * New Orleans Algiers Giants - Independent Negro leagues (1926) * New Orleans Baseball Club - Gulf League (f. 1886) * New Orleans Black Eagles -

* New Orleans Black Rappers - pre-Negro leagues (f. 1907) *

New Orleans Blue Rappers New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

- pre-Negro leagues (f. 1907) * New Orleans Bucks/Kings -

South Atlantic League The South Atlantic League, often informally called the Sally League, is a Minor League Baseball league with teams predominantly in states along the Atlantic coast of the United States from New York to Georgia. A Class A league for most of its ...

* New Orleans Cohens -

New Orleans Creoles The New Orleans Creoles were a Negro league baseball team based in New Orleans, Louisiana, from at least 1945 until at least 1952. The team was a member of the second Negro Southern League from 1947 to 1948 and 1950 to 1951, and a member of the ...

- Negro Southern League (1947–48, 1950–51),

Negro Texas League The Texas Negro League was a Negro baseball league organized in 1924 and lasted until 1949. Teams (Teams listed in alphabetical order) 1949 Birmingham Blues Ft. Worth GiantsHot Springs New Orleans Creoles Oklahoma City Braves Shreveport TigersS ...

(1949) * New Orleans Crescents/Unions -

Southern League of Colored Base Ballists The Southern League of Colored Base Ballists was the first organized Negro baseball league. The league's only year of operation was . Ten teams competed in the league which stretched from Jacksonville, Florida to Memphis, Tennessee with several o ...

(f. 1886) * New Orleans Crescent Stars Independent Negro leagues (1921, 1932–33, 1935–37), Negro Southern League (1922, 1934),

Texas Colored League The Texas Colored League was a minor league Negro baseball league organized in 1919 and lasted until 1926. The league did not play a schedule in 1922. The league was revived three years later in 1929 as the Texas–Oklahoma–Louisiana League a ...

(1923) * New Orleans Dumonts -

* New Orleans Eagles -

(1915–16) * New Orleans Eclipse - pre-Negro leagues (f. 1907) * New Orleans Expos - Independent (f. 1886) * New Orleans Jacks/Generals -

* New Orleans Little Pels -

Cotton States League The Cotton States League''Encyclopedia of Minor League Baseball: The Official Record of Minor League Baseball'' – Lloyd Johnson, Steve McDonald, Miles Wolff (editors). Publisher: Baseball America, 1997. Format: Paperback, 672pp. Language: Englis ...

(1912) * New Orleans Pinchbacks -

* New Orleans Stars - Independent Negro leagues (1924) * New Orleans–St. Louis Stars -

(1940–41) * New Orleans Zephyrs/Baby Cakes -

(1993–2019) * Pelican Base Ball Club - (1865–67), Louisiana Base Ball Association (1868–74), (1875–79), Crescent City League (1880–84) * Plaquemine Tigers -

* Robert E. Lee Base Ball Club - Gulf League (f. 1864, 1869, 1886) * Armstrong Secret 9 - Independent Negro leagues (1931) * Shrewsbury Globetrotters -

Slidell Creoles Slidell may refer to: Places * Slidell, Louisiana ** Slidell Airport ** Slidell station ** Slidell High School (Louisiana) * Slidell, Texas ** Slidell High School (Texas) ** Slidell Independent School District People * John Slidell John Sli ...

* Southern Base Ball Club (1869) * Stonewall Base Ball Club (Algiers) (1867)

Collegiate

-- The Loyola Wolf Pack baseball team represents

in the NAIA. *

-- The New Orleans Privateers baseball team currently represents the

Division I

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

. *

-- The Tulane Green Wave baseball team represents

Division I

Youth

Major League Baseball Urban Youth Academy Major League Baseball Youth Academies are a series of academies in American cities and one in Puerto Rico that provides free year-round instruction in baseball and softball to the areas' youth. The academies are run as not-for-profit organizations ...

-- The

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

Urban Youth Academy has a location in New Orleans at

Wesley Barrow Stadium Wesley Barrow Stadium is a 650-seat baseball and softball stadium located in the Pontchartrain Park section of New Orleans, Louisiana. Named in memory of Negro league baseball manager Wesley Barrow, a longtime prominent figure in the New Orleans ...

. It is a 650-seat

baseball stadium A ballpark, or baseball park, is a type of sports venue where baseball is played. The playing field is divided into the infield, an area whose dimensions are rigidly defined, and the outfield, where dimensions can vary widely from place to pla ...

and includes a grass tee-ball and softball field.

Special baseball games

Spring Training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for Schedule (workplace), roster and position spo ...

Boston Beaneaters Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most po ...

(1884),

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

(1925–27),

/ Chicago White Stockings (1870, 1907, 1911–12),

Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and p ...

(1905–06),

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

(1896–97, 1900),

(1888),

Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. Since , they have played at Progressive F ...

(1902–03, 1916–20, 1928–39),

Brooklyn Dodgers The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...

(1921),

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

(1895),

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

(1922–24),

Philadelphia Athletics The Philadelphia Athletics were a Major League Baseball team that played in Philadelphia from 1901 to 1954, when they moved to Kansas City, Missouri, and became the Kansas City Athletics. Following another move in 1967, the team became the Oaklan ...

(1908–09),

St. Louis Browns The St. Louis Browns were a Major League Baseball team that originated in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the Milwaukee Brewers. A charter member of the American League (AL), the Brewers moved to St. Louis, Missouri, after the 1901 season, where they p ...

(1921) * Major League Baseball Exhibitions -- 1915 -

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the American League (AL) Central division. One of the AL's eight charter franchises, the club was f ...

vs.

, 1967 -

vs.

, 1969 -

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

vs.

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

, 1974 -

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. The Braves ...

vs.

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...

, 1976 -

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...

vs.

, 1980 -

vs.

, 1981 -

vs.

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

, 1982 -

vs.

Montreal Expos The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in t ...

, Texas Rangers, 1983 -

vs.

Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since 1989, the team has played its home games ...

, 1984 -

vs.

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

, 1989 -

Oakland A's The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The te ...

vs.

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yor ...

, 1991 -

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

vs.

, 1993 -

vs.

, 1994 -

vs.

, 1999 -

vs.

and

New Orleans Zephyrs New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

, 2013 -

Miami Marlins The Miami Marlins are an American professional baseball team based in Miami. The Marlins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East division. The club's home ballpark is LoanDepot Park. The franc ...

vs.

Triple-A All-Star Game The Triple-A All-Star Game was an annual baseball game held from 1988 to 2019 between professional players from the affiliated Triple-A leagues of Minor League Baseball. These leagues were the International League (IL) and Pacific Coast League ( ...

-- The 12th annual Triple-A All-Star Game took place on July 14, 1999, at

Zephyr Field Gold Mine on Airline, formerly Shrine on Airline, is a 10,000-seat stadium in Metairie, Louisiana, a suburb of New Orleans. It is home field for the New Orleans Gold team in Major League Rugby. Known as Zephyr Field when built in 1997 as the h ...

in the

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

suburb of

Metairie, Louisiana Metairie ( ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, and is part of the New Orleans metropolitan area. With a population of 143,507 in 2020, Metairie is the largest community in Jefferson Parish and was (a ...

, home of the Pacific Coast League's

. *Busch Challenge/Winn-Dixie Showdown -- College baseball tournament held in the Superdome from 1987 to 1999.

LSU Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...

Tulane Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into a comprehensive pub ...

and

played an in-state team and out-of-state teams from Alabama, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Texas in the annual tournament. The in-state team was

Louisiana-Lafayette The University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette, University of Louisiana, ULL, or UL) is a public research university in Lafayette, Louisiana. It has the largest enrollment within the nine-campus University of Louisiana System and the s ...

. The out-of-state teams were

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

Auburn Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania *Aub ...

Cal State Fullerton California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public university in Fullerton, California. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) ...

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

Georgia Southern Georgia Southern University (GS or Georgia Southern) is a public research university in the U.S. state of Georgia. The flagship campus is in Statesboro, and other locations include the Armstrong Campus in Savannah and the Liberty Campus in Hin ...

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, Lamar,

Miami (FL) Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at the ...

Mississippi State Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university adjacent to Starkville, Mississippi. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univers ...

NC State North Carolina State University (NC State) is a public land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1887 and part of the University of North Carolina system, it is the largest university in the Carolinas. The university ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

Oklahoma State Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

, Ole Miss,

Oral Roberts Granville Oral Roberts (January 24, 1918 – December 15, 2009) was an American Charismatic Christianity, Charismatic Christianity, Christian televangelist, ordained in both the International Pentecostal Holiness Church, Pentecostal Holin ...

South Alabama South Alabama is the various parts of southern Alabama. Although it is not a strictly defined geographic region, it generally includes all Alabama counties south of the Black Belt. In that view, ''South Alabama'' consists of just the two counties ...

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

Southern Mississippi The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to a ...

Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

and

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

. *Wally Pontiff Jr. Classic -- College baseball game held annually at

from 2004–present. The

LSU Tigers baseball The LSU Tigers baseball team represents Louisiana State University in NCAA Division I college baseball. The team participates in the West Division of the Southeastern Conference. It ranks seventh overall with 18 College World Series appeara ...

team plays an opponent in the game to honor former LSU Baseball player and

draftee, Wally Pontiff Jr., who died at the age of 21 from a genetic heart disorder. In 2004, LSU won the first game of the series vs. Southeastern Louisiana, 9–3. Wally Pontiff Playground in

Jefferson Parish, Louisiana Jefferson Parish (french: Paroisse de Jefferson; es, Parroquia de Jefferson) is a parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 440,781. Its parish seat is Gretna, its largest community is Metairie, and its ...

is also named after the player.

Bowling

Professional

*Professional Bowling tournaments -- New Orleans played host to

PBA Tour The PBA Tour is the major professional tour for ten-pin bowling, operated by the Professional Bowlers Association. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, over 3,000 members worldwide make up the PBA. While most of the PBA members are Regional profess ...

events in 1963, 1964, 1966–1978 and 1988–1990. A

sponsored exhibition tournament took place in 2009 and 2010.

Collegiate

-- The Tulane Green Wave women's bowling team represents

Division I college bowling.

Boxing

New Orleans has long been home to

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...

events.

Professional

*On May 10, 1870, in the New Orleans suburb of Kennerville, "Gypsy"

Jem Mace James "Jem" Mace (8 April 1831 – 30 November 1910) was an English boxing champion, primarily during the bare-knuckle era. He was born at Beeston, Norfolk, Beeston, Norfolk. Although nicknamed "The Gypsy", he denied Romani people, Romani ethn ...

defeated Tom Allen for what is claimed to be the 1870 heavyweight championship of the

bare-knuckle boxing Bare-knuckle boxing (or simply bare-knuckle) is a combat sport which involves two individuals throwing punches at each other for a predetermined amount of time without any boxing gloves or other form of padding on their hands. It is a regulated ...

era. This fight is considered by some boxing historians to be the first world heavyweight championship bout. A monument in present-day Kenner, Louisiana marks the spot of the fight near the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

.Cyber Boxing Zone – Jem Mace
Retrieved on 8 November 2009. OlympicClubTimesDemocratHeadline

*The 1892 world heavyweight championship match between

John L. Sullivan John Lawrence Sullivan (October 15, 1858 – February 2, 1918), known simply as John L. among his admirers, and dubbed the "Boston Strong Boy" by the press, was an American boxer recognized as the first heavyweight champion of gloved boxing ...

and Gentleman Jim Corbett is sometimes considered the start of the modern era of boxing. In contrast to earlier bare-knuckle fights held out of doors, the match was held using boxing gloves according to the Marquis of Queensbury rules, indoors at night in the electrically illuminated

Olympic Club The Olympic Club is an sports club, athletic club and private social club in San Francisco, San Francisco, California. First named the "San Francisco Olympic Club", it is the oldest sports club, athletic club in the United States. Established o ...

Arena - called "the epicenter of professional boxing" in the mid-1880s-late 1890s era. *The Coliseum Arena hosted boxing matches from 1922 until 1959 with the arena closing in 1960.

Jack Dempsey William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey (June 24, 1895 – May 31, 1983), nicknamed Kid Blackie and The Manassa Mauler, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1914 to 1927, and reigned as the world heavyweight champion from 1919 to 1926. ...

Gene Tunney James Joseph Tunney (May 25, 1897 – November 7, 1978) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1915 to 1928. He held the world heavyweight title from 1926 to 1928, and the American light heavyweight title twice between 1922 and 1923 ...

, Joe Brown,

Joe Louis Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1934 to 1951. Nicknamed the Brown Bomber, Louis is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential boxers of all time. He rei ...

Sugar Ray Robinson Walker Smith Jr. (May 3, 1921 – April 12, 1989), better known as Sugar Ray Robinson, was an American professional boxer who competed from 1940 to 1965. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. He is often regarded ...

Willie Pastrano Wilfred Raleigh Pastrano (November 27, 1935 – December 6, 1997) was an American former professional boxer who competed from 1951 to 1965. He held the undisputed WBA, WBC, and ''The Ring'' light heavyweight titles between 1963 and 1965. Earl ...

and

Ralph Dupas Ralph Dupas (October 14, 1935 – January 25, 2008) was an American boxer from New Orleans who won the world light middleweight championship. Early boxing career Dupas was the second of eleven children of a New Orleans fisherman, Peter Dupas. H ...

are some of the boxers that fought at the arena. *On August 24, 1956, Joe Brown defeated Wallace 'Bud' Smith at the Municipal Auditorium in a fifteen-round split decision to win the

lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight boxe ...

championship of the world. *The

Louisiana Superdome The Caesars Superdome, commonly known as the Superdome (formerly known as Mercedes-Benz Superdome), is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the home stadium of the New Orleans Saints ...

hosted the 1978 Leon Spinks vs. Muhammad Ali II fight some called "The Ali rematch" where

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and activist. Nicknamed "The Greatest", he is regarded as one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century, a ...

defeated

Leon Spinks Leon, Léon (French) or León (Spanish) may refer to: Places Europe * León, Spain, capital city of the Province of León * Province of León, Spain * Kingdom of León, an independent state in the Iberian Peninsula from 910 to 1230 and again fro ...

in front of a crowd of 65,000; it was Ali's last professional win. *

Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Roberto Durán II Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...

, also known as the ''No Más Fight'', is one of the most famous fights in boxing history. Taking place on November 25, 1980, at the

, it was the second of three bouts between

Sugar Ray Leonard Ray Charles Leonard (born May 17, 1956), best known as "Sugar" Ray Leonard, is an American former professional boxer, motivational speaker, and occasional actor. Often regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time, he competed professiona ...

and

Roberto Durán Roberto Durán Samaniego (born June 16, 1951) is a Panamanian former professional boxer who competed from 1968 to 2001. He held world championships in four weight classes: lightweight, welterweight, light middleweight and middleweight, as wel ...

. In the match, Leonard defeated Duran to regain the WBC Welterweight Championship. The match gained its famous appellation in the end of the eighth round when Durán turned away from Leonard, towards the referee and quit by saying "No más" (Spanish for "No more"). *The Carnival of Champions was held on December 3, 1982, at the

. In the first of two co-main events,

Wilfredo Gómez Wilfredo Gómez RiveraLupe Pintor José Guadalupe Pintor Guzmán (born 13 April 1955), better known as Lupe Pintor, is a Mexican former professional boxer who competed from 1974 to 1995. He won the WBC bantamweight title in 1979 after defeating Carlos Zárate Serna, and made e ...

. In the second,

Wilfred Benítez Wilfred "Wilfredo" Benítez (born September 12, 1958) is an American-born Puerto Rican former professional boxer and the youngest world champion in the sport's history. Earning his first of three career world titles in separate weight division ...

defended his WBC world Jr Middleweight championship against the former WBA Welterweight champion of the world

Thomas Hearns Thomas Hearns (born October 18, 1958) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1977 to 2006. Nicknamed the "Motor City Cobra", and more famously "The Hitman", Hearns's tall, slender build and oversized arms and shoulders allowe ...

. *On September 9, 2000, the

hosted a light heavyweight title fight between

Roy Jones Jr. Roy Levesta Jones Jr. (born January 16, 1969) is an American former professional boxer who holds dual American and Russian citizenship. He competed in boxing from 1989 to 2018, and held multiple world championships in four weight classes, inc ...

and

Eric Harding Eric Harding (born December 20, 1972) is an American former professional boxer who fought at light heavyweight. Career Harding turned pro in 1991 and was undefeated in his first 20 fights. These wins included a fight in which he defeated futur ...

. Jones won by TKO in the 10th round.

Collegiate

Former college boxing teams in New Orleans include the

Cross country

Collegiate

* Dillard Bleu Devils -- The Dillard Bleu Devils men's cross country team and Dillard Lady Bleu Devils women's cross country team represents

in the NAIA. *

-- The Loyola Wolf Pack men's cross country team and Loyola Wolf Pack women's cross country team represents

in the NAIA. *

-- The New Orleans Privateers men's cross country team and New Orleans Privateers women's cross country team represents the

Division I college cross country. *

-- The Tulane Green Wave men's cross country team and Tulane Green Wave women's cross country team represents

Division I college cross country. * Xavier Gold Rush -- The Xavier Gold Rush men's cross country team and Xavier Gold Nuggets women's cross country team represents

in the NAIA.

Golf

Professional

Zurich Classic of New Orleans The Zurich Classic of New Orleans is a professional golf tournament in Louisiana on the PGA Tour, currently held at TPC Louisiana in Avondale, a suburb southwest of New Orleans. Beginning in 1938 and held annually since 1958, it is commonly play ...

—The Zurich Classic of New Orleans is a golf tournament held annually on the

at the TPC of Louisiana. *

New Orleans Women's Open The New Orleans Women's Open was a golf tournament on the LPGA Tour from 1952 to 1954. It was played in New Orleans, Louisiana at City Park Golf Course in 1952 and 1953 and at the Colonial Golf and Country Club in 1954. Winners *1954 Marlene Bau ...

—The

LPGA The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekl ...

Tour New Orleans Women's Open golf tournament was held in New Orleans in 1952, 1953 and 1954. *

Southern (Spring) Open The Southern (Spring) Open was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour, played only in 1922 at the New Orleans Country Club in New Orleans, Louisiana. Gene Sarazen won the event with a four-round total of 294 (+10), beating Leo Diegel by eight stroke ...

—The Southern (Spring) Open was a golf tournament on the

, played only in 1922 at the New Orleans Country Club.

Collegiate

-- The Loyola Wolf Pack women's golf team represents

in the NAIA. *

-- The New Orleans Privateers men's golf team currently represents the

Division I college golf. *

-- The Tulane Green Wave women's golf team represents

Division I college golf.

Gymnastics

*The USSR National Gymnastics team performed at the

in 1976. The event featured

Olga Korbut Olga Valentinovna Korbut, ; russian: Ольга Валентиновна Корбут, group=nb (born 16 May 1955) is a former gymnast who competed for the Soviet Union. Nicknamed the "Sparrow from Minsk", she won four gold medals and two silver ...

, Nelli Kim,

Nicolai Andrianov Nikolai Yefimovich Andrianov (russian: Никола́й Ефи́мович Андриа́нов; 14 October 1952 – 21 March 2011) was a Soviet and Russian gymnast. He held the record for men for the most Olympic medals at 15 (7 gold medals, ...

and

Alexander Dityatin Aleksandr Nikolaevich Dityatin (russian: Александр Николаевич Дитятин, born 7 August 1957) is a retired Soviet/Russian gymnast, three-time Olympic champion, and ''Honoured Master of Sports of the USSR''. Winning eight m ...

. *The 1995 U.S. Gymnastics National Championships were held at the

. *The AAU Junior Olympics gymnastics competition was held in the Louisiana Superdome in 1996. *The 2019 SEC gymnastics championship will be held at the

High school sports

New Orleans has produced many championship teams at the LHSAA and national levels. Schools have earned high national rankings in

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

and

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

. The annual Louisiana Prep Classic state championship football games organized by the

Louisiana High School Athletic Association The Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA) is the agency that regulates and promotes the interscholastic athletic competitions of all high schools in the state of Louisiana. Organization LHSAA was founded in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in ...

have been held at the

Mercedes-Benz Superdome The Caesars Superdome, commonly known as the Superdome (formerly known as Mercedes-Benz Superdome), is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the home stadium of the New Orleans Saints ...

since 1981.

Horse racing

First race at the Fair Grounds Race Course New Orleans

New Orleans is home to the Fair Grounds Race Course, the nation's third-oldest thoroughbred track. The most prestigious race held at the track is the

Louisiana Derby The Louisiana Derby is a Grade II American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana. Run in late March, the race is open to horses, age three, willing to race miles on the dirt. It currently o ...

, a

Grade II In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

stakes prep for the Kentucky Derby. The race course opened in 1852 as the Union Racetrack and later became the Creole Racetrack. Former horse racing tracks in the New Orleans area include Eclipse Track (opened 1837), Metairie Race Course (1838–1872), Bingaman Race Track, City Park Race Track (1905–1920), Jefferson Park Race Track (1918–1934) and Jefferson Downs Racetrack (1959–1992).

Ice hockey

Professional

New Orleans Brass The New Orleans Brass were a hockey team in the ECHL from 1997 to 2002. The team was at one time affiliated with the San Jose Sharks. Home games were played first at the New Orleans Municipal Auditorium (until October 29, 1999) and then at the ...

-- The New Orleans Brass was a former ice hockey team in New Orleans from 1997 to 2002.

Ironman 70.3

*Ochsner Ironman 70.3 New Orleans -- The Ochsner

Ironman 70.3 An Ironman 70.3, also known as a Half Ironman, is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC). The "70.3" refers to the total distance in miles (113.0 km) covered in the race, consisting o ...

New Orleans, also known as a Half-Ironman or a 70.3 (miles), is one of a series of middle-distance triathlon races organized by the

World Triathlon Corporation The World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) is a sports event promotion company owned by conglomerate Advance Publications, that produces the Ironman Triathlon, Ironman 70.3, the 5150 series of triathlon races, and other sports events. History In De ...

(WTC). The event comprises a 1.2 mile swim, a 56-mile bike ride and 13.1 mile run.

Lacrosse

The Allstate Sugar Bowl Collegiate Lacrosse Series was held at Pan American Stadium from 2011 to 2015. The Allstate Sugar Bowl High School Lacrosse Classic first held in 2007 has been played at multiple locations in the New Orleans metropolitan area such as

City Park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places that offer recreation and green space to resi ...

, Lafreniere Park,

LaSalle Park LaSalle Park is an integral part of the three- neighborhood "Old Frenchtown" area—LaSalle Park, Lafayette Square and Soulard—bordering the southern edge of downtown St. Louis. It was formed as a "new" neighborhood, legally distinct from the ...

and Pan American Stadium. *2007: LaSalle Park *2008: LaSalle Park *2009: City Park *2010: Lafreniere Park *2011: Lafreniere Park *2012: Lafreniere Park *2014: Lafreniere Park

Mixed martial arts

UFC 16 ''UFC 16: Battle in the Bayou'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on March 13, 1998 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The event was seen live on pay per view in the United States, and later released on home video. ...

-- UFC 16 took place on March 13, 1998, at the

Pontchartrain Center The Pontchartrain Center is a 4,600-seat multi-purpose arena in Kenner, Louisiana, USA. The facility opened in 1991. It hosts concerts and local sporting events. It is also used for conventions and trade shows, with of exhibit space and of m ...

in the

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

suburb of

Kenner, Louisiana Kenner (historically french: Cannes-Brûlées) is a city in Louisiana, United States. It is the largest city in Jefferson Parish, and is the largest incorporated suburban city of New Orleans. The population was 66,448 at the 2020 census. History ...

. It featured the first ever UFC Lightweight tournament (for fighters under 170 lb), as well as a Middleweight Championship bout, a Heavyweight and a Middleweight Superfight, and two alternate bouts in case of tournament injury. *

UFC 18 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

-- UFC 18 took place on January 8, 1999, at the

in the

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

suburb of

. The event featured a UFC Lightweight Championship (now known as the Welterweight Championship) bout and six other bouts. UFC 18 was technically part two of what the UFC called "The Road To The Heavyweight Title", a tournament, spanning four events, held to crown the new UFC Heavyweight Champion after the title was vacated by Randy Couture. *

UFC 27 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

-- UFC 27 took place on September 22, 2000, at the

in the

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. The event featured UFC legend Dan "The Beast" Severn returning to the promotion after more than 3 years on the independent scene to face off against top heavyweight contender

Pedro Rizzo Pedro Augusto Rizzo (; born 3 May 1974) is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist and kickboxer who competed for the UFC, PRIDE, M-1 Global, and Affliction. Although he never captured the UFC Heavyweight Championship, Rizzo competed for i ...

. Severn was the fan favorite, but he submitted to leg kicks from "The Rock" in the first round. Also, former

UFC Heavyweight Champion Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champions are fighters who have won UFC championships. Historical notes At the time of the UFC's inception in 1993, mixed martial arts was not sanctioned in the United States, and did not include weight classe ...

Maurice Smith took on the first KOTC Heavyweight Champion

Bobby Hoffman Bobby "The Truth" Hoffman (born October 28, 1966) is a retired American mixed martial artist who competed in the heavyweight division. He is the former King of the Cage super heavyweight champion as well as the former King of the Cage heavywei ...

. Smith won via majority decision. There were 2 preliminary fights and 6 main card fights. * UFC Fight Night: Shields vs. Ellenberger (also known as UFC Fight Night 25) was a

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

event held by the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

on September 17, 2011, at the

Ernest N. Morial Convention Center The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center is located in Downtown New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. The lower end of building one is located upriver from Canal Street on the banks of the Mississippi River. It is named after former Mayor of ...

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

. * UFC Fight Night: Boetsch vs. Henderson (also known as UFC Fight Night 68) was a

event held on June 6, 2015, at the

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

Motorsports

The

NOLA Motorsports Park NOLA Motorsports Park is a full service motorsports facility in Avondale, Louisiana approximately twenty minutes from downtown New Orleans. NOLA Motorsports Park includes an FIA, FIA Grade 2 road course, one of the largest (fully-lit) outdoor kart ...

is a road race track in Avondale, Louisiana, approximately twenty minutes from downtown New Orleans. The north track circuit and kart circuit opened in 2011. New Orleans has hosted several auto races: *

AMA Supercross The AMA Supercross Championship (commercially known as Monster Energy AMA Supercross) is an American motorcycle racing series. Founded by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in 1974, the AMA Supercross Championship races are held from J ...

—New Orleans has hosted AMA Supercross races in the

in 1977–1980, 1998–2002, 2009, and 2012. * Grand Prix du Mardi Gras—In 1991, 1992, and 1995, New Orleans was home to the Grand Prix du Mardi Gras. The

IMSA The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) is a North American sports car racing sanctioning body based in Daytona Beach, Florida under the jurisdiction of the ACCUS arm of the FIA. It was started by John Bishop, a former executive direc ...

sports car races took place on two street circuits downtown. In 1991, streets near the riverfront were used for the race course. In 1992 and 1995, a course that ran around the Superdome was used. * Triumph Big Kahuna New Orleans—The AMA Pro Racing Superbike Championship race was held October 5–7, 2012 at the

. * Cooper Tires WinterFest—The U.S. F2000 Winterfest race featuring

Indy Lights Indy NXT, previously Indy Lights, is an American developmental automobile racing series sanctioned by IndyCar, currently known as Firestone Indy NXT Series for sponsorship reasons. Indy Lights is the highest step on the Road to Indy, a program ...

, Pro Formula Mazda and

F2000 The FN F2000 is a 5.56×45mm NATO bullpup rifle, designed by FN Herstal in Belgium. The F2000 made its debut in March 2001 at the IDEX defence exhibition held in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. As of early 2019, the F2000 is removed from ...

cars was held February 21–22, 2014 at the

. * Indy Grand Prix of Louisiana—The inaugural

IndyCar Series The IndyCar Series, currently known as the NTT IndyCar Series under sponsorship, is the highest class of regional North American open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices of ...

race was held on April 12, 2015, at

Professional bull riding

Professional Bull Riders, Inc. (PBR), a professional

bull riding Bull riding is a rodeo sport that involves a rider getting on a bucking bull and attempting to stay mounted while the animal tries to buck off the rider. American bull riding has been called "the most dangerous eight seconds in sports." To recei ...

organization held competitions in the

in 2000–2003, 2007 and 2010.

Roller derby

Big Easy Rollergirls Big Easy Roller Derby (est. 2005) is a women's, flat-track roller derby league in New Orleans, Louisiana. Big Easy is a founding member league of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). History Big Easy Roller Derby was founded as Big ...

-- The Big Easy Rollergirls is the name of a female roller derby league in New Orleans. The league plays at the

Human Performance Center The Human Performance Center is a 1,760-seat multi-purpose arena on the campus of the University of New Orleans in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the home venue for the New Orleans Privateers volleyball team. The arena became the permanent home of ...

. * New Orleans Brass Roller Derby -- New Orleans Brass Roller Derby is the name of a male roller derby team in New Orleans.

Rugby

Professional

New Orleans Gold The New Orleans Gold, stylized as NOLA Gold, is a professional rugby union team based in New Orleans. The team was founded in 2017 and competes in Major League Rugby. Since January 2020, Top 14, French rugby power ASM Clermont Auvergne has owned ...

-- The New Orleans Gold, founded in 2017, competes in

Major League Rugby Major League Rugby (MLR or USMLR) is a professional rugby union competition and the top-level championship for clubs in North America. In the 2022 season it was contested by thirteen teams: twelve from the United States and one from Canada. Off ...

Amateur/Semi-Pro

* New Orleans Rugby Football Club (NORFC) -- The New Orleans Rugby Football Club, founded in 1973, is a men's rugby union club serving the greater New Orleans area. NORFC competes in Division I of the

Deep South Rugby Football Union The Deep South Rugby Football Union (DSRFU) is a Local Area Union (LAU) for rugby union teams in the Southeastern United States. The DSRFU is part of the True South Geographical Union, one of the Geographical Unions (GUs) that comprise USA Rugby. ...

USA Rugby USA Rugby (officially the United States of America Rugby Football Union, Ltd.) is the national governing body for the sport of rugby union in the United States. Its role is to achieve and maintain “high levels of quality in all aspects of rugb ...

. NORFC has won two club rugby national championships. * New Orleans Halfmoons -- The New Orleans Halfmoons is a women's rugby team and member of

. It is one of the oldest women's teams in the United States, and has hosted the annual "Throw Me Something, Rugger!" Mardi Gras Rugby

tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

the weekend before

Fat Tuesday Mardi Gras (, ) refers to events of the Carnival celebration, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is known as Shrove Tuesday. is French for "Fat ...

since 1980. The team practices at the City Park Practice Track. Former rugby clubs in New Orleans include the Crescent City Rugby Football Club (1976–1979).

Running

Crescent City Classic The Crescent City Classic is an annual 10-kilometer race held in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Mac DeVaughn founded the Classic and held the first race in 1979. The race was originally held in the Fall, but the race is now held the Saturda ...

-- The Crescent City Classic is a 10k race held every April. * Crescent City Fall Classic -- The Crescent City Classic is a 5k race held every November. * Crescent Connection Bridge Run -- The Crescent Connection Bridge Run is a 4-mile race held in June. * Rock 'n' Roll Mardi Gras Marathon -- The Rock 'n' Roll Mardi Gras Marathon (formerly the Mardi Gras Marathon) is held in February.

Soccer

New Orleans was one of the first cities in the world where modern soccer was played. Beginning in 1858 as a community sport, the sport became popular among many athletic clubs in the late 19th century. A semi-professional league consisting of some of the best players in the world, several of whom later played for first division teams in England and Scotland, briefly used the old grounds on what would become

Pelican Stadium Pelican Stadium, originally known as Heinemann Park (1915–1937), was a sports stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana from 1915 to 1957. Heinemann Park namesake Alexander Julius (A.J.) Heinemann was an officer and shareholder in the New Orleans Peli ...

Professional

New Orleans Jesters The New Orleans Jesters are an American soccer team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded in 2003, the team plays in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid. Nicknamed 'The Jesters', they are ...

-- The New Orleans Jesters is a soccer team in the

National Premier Soccer League The National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) is an American men's association football, soccer league. The NPSL is a semi-professional league, comprising some teams that have paid players and some that are entirely amateur. The league is officially ...

(NPSL). Former professional soccer teams in New Orleans include the New Orleans Storm of the

USL A-League The USL Championship (USLC) is a professional men's soccer league in the United States that began its inaugural season in 2011. The USL is sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer) as a Division II league since 2017, pl ...

(1993–1999) and FC New Orleans of the

as a provisional member (2012).

Amateur/Semi-Pro

Leagues * ISLANO -- The International Soccer League Association New Orleans (ISLANO) is a men's semi-professional soccer league and part of the

Louisiana Soccer Association Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

. Teams * Motagua New Orleans competes in the

Gulf Coast Premier League The Gulf Coast Premier League (GCPL) is a United States Adult Soccer Association affiliated Amateur Elite League that includes teams from Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. The regular season of the GCPL runs May through July. On ...

and ISLANO. Former amateur/semi-pro soccer teams in New Orleans include the Louisiana Fire of the

(2016–2017).

Special Soccer Games

Chicago Fire Soccer Club (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

vs.

Real C.D. España Real Club Deportivo España, Real España, or simply España is a Honduran professional football club, which plays in the Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Honduras. With 12 championships, Real España is one of the most accomplished Honduran football ...

-- An international friendly match between

Major League Soccer 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. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

's Chicago Fire Soccer Club and Honduran soccer club Real C.D. España was played at

Tad Gormley Stadium Tad Gormley Stadium (originally City Park Stadium) is a 26,500 seat multi-purpose outdoor stadium, located in City Park, in New Orleans, Louisiana. The stadium is home to the University of New Orleans Privateers men's and women's track and field ...

on February 4, 2012.

New England Revolution The New England Revolution is an American professional soccer club based in the Greater Boston area that competes in Major League Soccer (MLS), in the Eastern Conference of the league. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having compet ...

vs.

C.D. Olimpia Club Deportivo Olimpia is a professional Honduran football club based in Tegucigalpa, Francisco Morazán. The club is the nation's most successful team both in the domestic league and in international club competitions. History Olimpia was f ...

-- An international friendly match between

's New England Revolution and Honduran soccer club C.D. Olimpia was played at

on March 25, 2007. Honduras national team vs.

Tampa Bay Rowdies The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional Association football, soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Champions ...

-- On March 28, 1982, in a

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

tune-up match, the Honduras national football team played the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the

North American Soccer League The North American Soccer League may refer to: *North American Soccer League (1968–1984), a former Division I league *North American Soccer League (2011–2017) The North American Soccer League (NASL) was a professional men's soccer league b ...

to a 1–1 draw at

Swimming and diving

Collegiate

-- The Loyola Wolf Pack men's swim team and Loyola Wolf Pack women's swim team represents

in the NAIA. *

-- The Tulane Green Wave women's swimming and diving team represents

Division I swimming and diving.

Tennis

Professional

New Orleans Sun Belt Nets The New Orleans Sun Belt Nets were a charter franchise of World Team Tennis (WTT). The team first played as the Cleveland Nets in 1974, and was known as the Cleveland–Pittsburgh Nets in 1977, when it played roughly half of its home matches in e ...

—The New Orleans Sun Belt Nets were a franchise of

World Team Tennis World TeamTennis (WTT) is a mixed-gender professional tennis league played with a team format in the United States, which was founded in 1973. The league's season normally takes place in the summer months. Players from the ATP and WTA take a ...

(WTT). The Nets moved to New Orleans for the 1978 season and played their home matches in the

. Following the 1978 season, the Nets announced that the team would fold.

Collegiate

-- The Loyola Wolf Pack men's tennis team and Loyola Wolf Pack women's tennis team represents

in the NAIA. *

-- The New Orleans Privateers men's tennis team and New Orleans Privateers women's tennis team represents the

Division I college tennis. *

-- The Tulane Green Wave men's tennis team and Tulane Green Wave women's tennis team represents

Division I college tennis. * Xavier Gold Rush -- The Xavier Gold Rush men's tennis team and Xavier Gold Nuggets women's tennis team represents

in the NAIA.

Special Tennis Matches

* New Orleans Grand Prix—The New Orleans Grand Prix was a men's tennis tournament played in New Orleans from 1978 to 1980. The event was part of the

Grand Prix tennis circuit The Grand Prix tennis circuit was a professional tennis tour for male players that existed from 1970 to 1989. The Grand Prix and World Championship Tennis (WCT) were the two predecessors to the current tour for male players, the ATP Tour, with t ...

. *

Virginia Slims of New Orleans The Virginia Slims of New Orleans is a defunct WTA Tour affiliated women's tennis tournament played from 1984 to 1988. It was held in New Orleans, Louisiana in the United States and was played on indoor carpet courts in the Lakefront Arena from 1 ...

—New Orleans played host to the Virginia Slims

Women's Tennis Association The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) is the principal organizing body of women's professional tennis. It governs the WTA Tour which is the worldwide professional tennis tour for women and was founded to create a better future for women's tenni ...

(WTA) tournament in

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

through

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

Track and Field

Tad Gormley Stadium (New Orleans, LA) - Away Grandstand

Collegiate

* Dillard Bleu Devils -- The Dillard Bleu Devils men's track and field team and Dillard Lady Bleu Devils women's track and field team represents

in the NAIA. *

-- The Loyola Wolf Pack men's track and field team and Loyola Wolf Pack women's track and field team represents

in the NAIA. *

-- The New Orleans Privateers men's track and field team and New Orleans Privateers women's track and field team represents the

Division I college track and field. * SUNO Knights -- The SUNO Knights men's track and field team and SUNO Lady Knights women's track and field team represents

in the NAIA. *

-- The Tulane Green Wave men's track and field team and Tulane Green Wave women's track and field team represents

Division I college track and field. * Xavier Gold Rush -- The Xavier Gold Rush men's track and field team and Xavier Gold Nuggets women's track and field team represents

in the NAIA.

Special Track and Field Meets

* 1992 United States Olympic track and field trials—The 1992 United States Olympic track and field trials were held at

from June 19–28. It was organised by

USA Track and Field USA Track & Field (USATF) is the United States national governing body for the sports of track and field, cross country running, road running and racewalking (known as the sport of athletics outside the US). The USATF was known between 1979 and ...

and served as the

national championships A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...

in track and field for the United States. The results of the event determined qualification for the United States at the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

held in Barcelona, Spain. *

1998 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The 1998 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships took place between June 17–21 at Tad Gormley Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana. Results Men track events Men field events Women track events Women field events See also *United State ...

—The 1998 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships took place between June 17–21 at Tad Gormley Stadium.

Volleyball

Collegiate

Dillard Lady Bleu Devils The Dillard Bleu Devils and Lady Bleu Devils are the athletic teams that represent Dillard University, located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, in intercollegiate athletics as a member of the Division I level of the National Association ...

-- The Dillard Lady Bleu Devils women's volleyball team represents

in the NAIA. *

-- The Loyola Wolf Pack women's volleyball team represents

in the NAIA. *

-- The New Orleans Privateers women's volleyball team represents the

Division I college volleyball. *

SUNO Lady Knights Southern University at New Orleans (also known as SUNO) is a public historically black university in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is a member of the Southern University System and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. History Southern University ...

-- The SUNO Lady Knights women's volleyball team represents

in the NAIA. *

-- The Tulane Green Wave women's volleyball team represents

Division I. The school also has a women's beach volleyball team; the NCAA holds a single national championship in that sport for members of all three of its divisions. *

Xavier Gold Nuggets The Xavier Gold Rush and Gold Nuggets are the athletic teams that represent Xavier University of Louisiana, located in New Orleans, Louisiana, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), p ...

-- The Xavier Gold Nuggets women's volleyball team represents

in the NAIA.

Special Volleyball Matches

Beach volleyball

*AVP New Orleans Open—The AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour held the men's and women's New Orleans Open in 2015 and 2016. The AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour held the men's New Orleans Open in 1989, 1990, 1992 and 1999. *WPVA New Orleans—The WPVA Pro Beach Volleyball Tour held women's tournaments in New Orleans in 1993, 1994 and 1995.

Indoor volleyball

*Women's Volleyball Final Four—The 2002 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball final four was held at the

in December 2002.

Water sports

Fishing tournaments

Bassmaster Classic The Bassmaster Classic (known as the Academy Sports + Outdoors Bassmaster Classic for sponsorship) is a tournament in the sport of professional bass fishing. It was first held in 1971 on Lake Mead, Nevada. Originally it was a fall event, (1971-1983 ...

— is a fishing tournament that was held in the New Orleans area in

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

and

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

. * City Park Big Bass Fishing Rodeo — is a fishing tournament founded in 1946. It is held annually in New Orleans' City Park and is the country's oldest freshwater fishing tournament.

Powerboat racing

Offshore powerboat racing has had a long history in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. Races have been held in either

Lake Pontchartrain Lake Pontchartrain ( ) is an estuary located in southeastern Louisiana in the United States. It covers an area of with an average depth of . Some shipping channels are kept deeper through dredging. It is roughly oval in shape, about from west ...

or on the

. The most commonly held race was the Popeyes Offshore Grand Prix held annually from 1983 to 1991. Other powerboat races took place in 1980, 1981, 1982, 2002, 2003 and 2008. New Orleans was also the home

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Ham ...

for the Popeyes Offshore race team from 1980 to 1990. The race team was formed by

Al Copeland Alvin Charles Copeland (February 2, 1944 – March 23, 2008) was an American entrepreneur who founded the Popeyes fast food chain. He was also a successful restaurateur who created many successful upscale restaurants. Personal life Born in New Or ...

Sr., the founder of Popeyes Fried Chicken Restaurants and

Copeland's Copeland's is a restaurant chain started by New Orleans native Al Copeland in 1983. It offers New Orleans-style cuisine and a casual sit-down family friendly atmosphere. Significantly expanding in the 1990s, it claimed more than 40 locations in ...

Restaurants. He was a six-time U.S. national champion and world champion in 1985 and 1986.

Yachting

New Basin Canal Lighthouse 2013 - New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans is home to the

New Orleans Yacht Club The New Orleans Yacht Club (NOYC) was founded in June 1949 and is dedicated to further the sport of yacht racing, marine safety and seamanship. The club is located at West End's Municipal Yacht Harbor on the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain and i ...

and

Southern Yacht Club The Southern Yacht Club is located in New Orleans, Louisiana's West End neighborhood, on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain. Established on July 21, 1849, it is the fifthe oldest yacht club in the United States and a founding member of the Gulf Y ...

, both of which are located at West End on the shore of

. Southern Yacht Club was established in 1849 and is the second oldest

yacht A yacht is a sailing or power vessel used for pleasure, cruising, or racing. There is no standard definition, though the term generally applies to vessels with a cabin intended for overnight use. To be termed a , as opposed to a , such a pleasu ...

club in the United States. Regattas include: *Mardi Gras Race Week —

large One Design regatta held on Lake Pontchartrain. * Race to the Coast —

Regatta since 1849. Oldest continuously running point to point regatta in the Western Hemisphere United States. * Sugar Bowl Regatta — has been held since 1934. The sailing competition is divided into two separate phases, over four two-day periods, beginning in late November and concluding on New Year's Eve.

Wrestling

*In 1996, the

hosted the AAU Junior Olympics wrestling competition. *The 2004 Armed Forces Wrestling Championship was held in the New Orleans area.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sports In New Orleans New Orleans