Sports in Cincinnati facts for kids
Cincinnati is the home of three major league teams, three minor league teams, five college institutions with sports teams, and numerous top level amateur teams. Cincinnati also has seven major sports venues.
Major colleges
NCAA Division I
- Northern Kentucky University Norse: Horizon
- University of Cincinnati Bearcats; The American
- Xavier University Musketeers: Big East
- Miami University RedHawks; MAC
Smaller colleges
- Union Institute & University
- Mount St. Joseph University
- Cincinnati Christian University
- Thomas More College
Venues
- Paul Brown Stadium – Football, (capacity 65,535)
- Great American Ball Park – Baseball (42,059)
- Nippert Stadium – University of Cincinnati football, FC Cincinnati soccer (40,000 for football, 35,061 for soccer)
- U.S. Bank Arena – Hockey, basketball, football, soccer (17,556)
- Fifth Third Arena – University of Cincinnati athletics (13,176)
- Cincinnati Gardens – Hockey, Roller Derby, basketball, boxing (11,498)
- Lindner Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio – Tennis (Center Court: 11,000; Grandstand Court: 5,000; Court #3: 2,000)
- Cintas Center – Xavier University athletics (10,250)
- BB&T Arena in Highland Heights, Kentucky – Northern Kentucky University athletics (9,400); also temporary home of Cincinnati Bearcats basketball in 2017–18 during renovations to Fifth Third Arena
Other sporting events
The suburb of Mason hosts the professional international tennis event, the Western & Southern Open. The men's Masters is one of the elite nine ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events, and the Women's tournament is a Premier event on the WTA Tour.
Nearby Sparta, Kentucky is home to Kentucky Speedway.
In March 2005 and 2006, the U.S. Bank Arena hosted the Atlantic 10 Conference men's basketball tournament. BB&T Arena, then known as The Bank of Kentucky Center, hosted the Elite Eight of the NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championship in 2012.
Every May since 2000, Cincinnati has hosted the annual Flying Pig Marathon which winds through downtown and Northern Kentucky.
A 2014 college basketball game that elevated brain tumor patient Lauren Hill to national prominence and was named Best Moment at the 2015 ESPY Awards was played at Cintas Center on the Xavier University campus. Since Hill's death in 2015, Xavier has hosted the Lauren Hill Classic; from 2015 through 2019, it was an annual doubleheader that opened the regular season for both the Mount St. Joseph and Xavier women's teams, but is now a midseason event only involving Xavier.
Recreation
The Sphere - Cincinnati's Premier Sports Facility is home to two ice sheets that are home to the Queen City Steam travel hockey organization. It is also home to an inline hockey rink that has a large adult hockey league. There are also 6 basketball courts that host many tournaments, as well as, youth and adult leagues.
Within the urban core of the city and its immediate surroundings, the Steps of Cincinnati offer an urban hiking experience.
Cincinnati and the surrounding metropolitan area has a multitude of disc golf courses.
