Sports Then and Now

The Super Bowl is coming around again. It’s that time of the year when everyone is watching. A spectacle of truly epic proportions, the event not only commands the highest prices for its commercial broadcasts, and an extended halftime for musicians to enjoy an international stage, but an end-of-season match-up that has, on many occasions, produced football games that are celebrated and talked about long after the final whistle.

So, if you’ve got your ticket for this year’s Championship Game in Miami, let’s see how you can occupy yourself during Super Bowl weekend with a look at Miami’s sporting heritage.

Miami Sports Hall of Fame

Known for its production of top-class football players, the Miami Sports Hall of Fame celebrates the talented alumni who have gone on to great things in the NFL. Here, at the Coral Gables Campus, you’ll find class photos, equipment, jerseys, and other memorabilia from a university that has, amongst many others, seen the likes of Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Reggie Wayne, Vince Wilfork, and Andre Johnson enjoy stellar professional careers.

Jai-Alai at Magic City

The warp-speed attraction of old school Miami is still thriving and Magic City is one of the few places in the United States where you can catch the action or get involved yourself. Now a novelty rather than a recognized sport, Jai-Alai is preserved thanks to its attraction for gamblers. Indeed, its home at Magic City, a 6,500-capacity indoor arena and casino, boasts a lavish poker room and a number of electronic table games. If you’ve done your football betting at Space Casino, for example, one of the many popular websites providing sportsbooks and casino games like Blackjack VIP and Lightning Roulette, you’ll be pleased to know Magic City has electronic versions of craps, baccarat, roulette, and blackjack to complement its Jai-Alai courts.

Flamingo Park

If you’re eager to get on the field yourself, check out Flamingo Park which has plenty of space to throw a football, play catch, or hit the hoops for some basketball. There’s a swimming pool, tennis court, and running track here too. It’s not uncommon to catch a pro footballer hanging around the “Central Park” of South Beach during the offseason, apparently.

Homestead-Miami Speedway

Are you a motorsport fan? If so, Homestead-Miami Speedway is the place to be. A great venue to spend an evening, the grand 65,000-seat stadium is always packed when the NASCAR championship comes into town. However, events take place throughout the year including Fast Lane Friday, an amateur night that sees road-legal cars go head-to-head on the drag strip. You can also have a go yourself on the Go Karting track in karts that reach up to 45mph.

Whether you’re in town for a couple of days or a week, Miami is genuinely a paradise for sports fans and there’s lots to see and do. While the Dolphins might dominate its professional sporting history, the Miami Heat, Florida Panthers and Miami Marlins all call the city home while you’ll also catch the NCAA’s Hurricanes from the University of Miami too.