Are you wondering why Florida keeps coming up in sports-related news recently? It’s probably because Florida was the temporary center of the sports world during this unusual year.
A lot of major news about different leagues had something to do with teams or places from the Sunshine State. Here are some of them:
NBA
-The NBA Bubble! When you’ll look back at this year, that NBA Bubble in Orlando will pop up in your mind for sure. The NBA continued their paused season and it was a success.
-Miami Heat reached the NBA Finals! No one expected them to win the Eastern Conference Championship. With Orlando as the location, it was only fitting that a team from Florida would go on to face the Los Angeles Lakers for a chance at the title. We all know how this ended. The Heat did not have Goran Dragic for most of the time and the Lakers went on to win title number 17.
-The Toronto/Tampa Bay Raptors! One NBA team is homeless this year. The Raptors won’t be able to play their home games in Canada because of travel restrictions. They had to look for a temporary home and Tampa Bay was the answer.
NFL
–Tom Brady‘s arrival in Tampa Bay made headlines for sure. After 20 years with the same team, Brady moved south to help the Buccaneers.
-Who else moved to Tampa Bay? Rob Gronkowski and Antonio Brown. Two more players with colorful pasts.
-Raymond James Stadium hosting Super Bowl 55. Miami hosted last season’s Super Bowl and Tampa will have the honor this season.
-For the first time in franchise history, the Jacksonville Jaguars will have the number 1 pick in the NFL draft.
MLB
–Tampa Bay Rays reached the World Series… but lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers. What made their trip to the World Series more memorable was beating the Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series. The Astros and their sign-stealing controversy made them easy to hate this year.
-Miami Marlins hired Kim Ng. She will now become the first female general manager. This is big news. No woman has taken the role of full-time general manager in any of the major men’s leagues in North America.
NHL
–Tampa Bay Lightning won the 2020 Stanley Cup! They defeated the Dallas Stars to win their second title. Canada played host to the NHL’s bubble.
The people of Florida were really spoiled this year. Three of their teams (Heat, Rays, and Lightning) had chances at getting a title. At least one of them won one.
MLS
-Florida just got a second soccer team. Inter Miami started playing this year in Major League Soccer.
-MLS also used a bubble system to continue their paused season. Where was this bubble held? That’s right… in Florida (Orlando).
WNBA
-The WNBA also had to use a bubble system for their 2020 season. The bubble was held in…That’s right…in Florida (IMG Academy in Bradenton). Sue Bird and the Seattle Storm beat the Las Vegas Aces to win their 4th title.
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Main Credit Image: Embed from Getty Images
