Home > Professional Sports Teams in Miami: Where Passion Meets Paradise

Professional Sports Teams in Miami: Where Passion Meets Paradise

Sports are a huge part of American culture. If you’re planning to move to Miami to study at MIU, knowing about Miami pro sports teams will give you an instant conversation starter and an easy way to connect with other students and feel at home in your new community.

Whether you attend a game in person or watch at your friendly neighborhood sports bar, cheering for Miami is a fun way to immerse yourself in the local culture and spark new social connections.

Ready to meet your new favorite teams?

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins are Miami’s professional American football team. Their home games are played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, approximately 15 miles north from downtown.

Unfortunately, the Dolphins haven’t made it to the Super Bowl since 1985. But that doesn’t make their fans any less passionate! And they do have a legacy: the Dolphins won back-to-back Super Bowl championships in 1972 and 1973.

If that sounds like a long time ago, keep in mind that 12 NFL teams have never won a Super Bowl, and four haven’t even made it to the championship.

Another fun fact? The team’s first mascot was a real dolphin named Flipper. She lived in a tank in the stadium from 1966 to 1968 and jumped each time the Dolphins scored a touchdown or field goal.

Want to fit in at a Dolphins’ game? Wear aqua and orange to show your team spirit, and bring a sense of humor — supporting the Dolphins is a masterclass in finding joy in the face of adversity.

American football season runs from September to January, with preseason in August and the Super Bowl in February.

Miami Heat

If you’re a basketball fan, get ready to root for the Miami Heat. Their colors are black, red, and yellow, and they are a fiery force to be reckoned with.
The Miami Heat have won the NBA championships three times:

• 2006: Led by Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O’Neal
• 2012, 2013: During the Heat’s iconic Big Three era, led by Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and LeBron James.

And their glory days are far from over. One of the best Miami sports teams, the Heat won Conference titles in 2020 and 2023 and Division titles in 2020, 2022, and 2023.

Their electric home games are held at Kaseya Center in downtown Miami, where you can be one of the passionate fans chanting “Let’s Go Heat!” — an incredible experience for any sports enthusiast.

The regular NBA basketball season runs from October to April, while the playoffs for the NBA Finals run from April to June.

Miami Marlins

Baseball is famously known as America’s favorite pastime — this is probably the most laid-back sports experience you’ll find, where you don’t have to be a big fan to enjoy the game.

The Miami Marlins, Miami’s pro baseball team, have won the World Series twice, in 1997 and 2003.

The team made history in 2020 by hiring Kim Ng as their general manager, making them the first MLB team to hire a woman for an executive role. In 2023, with Ng at the helm, the Marlins made it to the postseason playoffs for the first time since 2003.

LoanDepot Park, where the Marlins play, was LEED certified as the greenest MLB park in 2012. The colorful, modern ballpark has won a variety of design awards and is home to contemporary works of art related to baseball and Miami. There’s even a Bobblehead Museum, with close to 600 baseball players, mascots, and broadcasters.

If you make it to a game during baseball season, from April and September, make sure to wear the Marlins’ colors: Miami blue, caliente red, slate grey, and midnight black.

Florida Panthers

The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in Sunrise, Florida, in the Miami metropolitan area.

The Panthers won their first Stanley Cup in 2024, their second year in a row making it to the Finals.

The team has two mascots: Stanley C. Panther, an anthropomorphic Florida panther who is named after the Stanley Cup, and Viktor E. Ratt, an anthropomorphic rat.

Viktor E. Ratt honors the Panthers’ 1996 Stanley Cup Finals run, when Panthers’ fans threw plastic rats onto the ice when their team scored. (Why? It’s a long story.)

Inter Miami CF

Last and certainly not least is Inter Miami CF, Miami’s professional soccer club owned by David Beckham, Jorge Mas, and Jose R Mas. Founded in 2018, Inter Miami is Miami’s youngest professional sports team — but it didn’t waste any time becoming an international phenomenon.

Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi joined the club in 2023, followed by other high-profile players including Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba from Spain and Luis Suárez from Uruguay.

Led by Messi, Inter Miami won its first major trophy in 2023, the Leagues Cup, and qualified for the CONCACAF Champions Cup for the first time in 2024.

Messi won the Ballon d’Or for a record-extending eighth time in 2023, becoming the first to win the award while playing outside Europe.

You can catch an Inter Miami home game at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, although the team has plans to move to Miami Freedom Park in 2026.

The club’s colors are pink and black, and its crest features two white herons whose legs intertwine to form the letter M.

Pink is a bold color choice for a sports team — and nothing could be more Miami.

Your Miami Timeout

Whether you’re studying sports analytics or earning your MBA at MIU, don’t forget to savor the moments beyond the classroom.

The thrill of a live game, the camaraderie of watching sports with friends, the joy of meeting new people: these experiences are what truly define your time in Miami.

Take a well-deserved break, and embrace the city’s lively spirit.