Sports in New Jersey

The Prudential Center in Newark, home of the NHL's New Jersey Devils.

Red Bull Arena in Harrison, Hudson County, home of the MLS's New York Red Bulls.

The National Hockey League's New Jersey Devils, based in Newark at the Prudential Center, is the only major league franchise to bear the state's name. Founded in 1974 in Kansas City, Missouri as the Kansas City Scouts, the team played in Denver, Colorado as the Colorado Rockies from 1976 until the spring of 1982 when naval architect, businessman, and Jersey City native John J. McMullen purchased and relocated the franchise to Brendan Byrne Arena in East Rutherford's Meadowlands Sports Complex under its current identity. While the organization was largely a failure on the ice in Kansas City, Denver, and its first years in New Jersey, the Devils would ultimately begin their rise to prominence in the late 1980s and early 1990s under the tenure of Hall of Fame president and general manager Lou Lamoriello, winning the Stanley Cup in 1995, 2000, and 2003, and act as an annual fixture in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the majority of two decades. The organization is the youngest out of all nine "Big Four" major league teams within the New York Metropolitan Area and media market dominated in terms of ice hockey by the New York Rangers and Islanders prior to the Devils' arrival, but has ultimately been successful in establishing a visible and dedicated following throughout the northern and central portions of the state. In 2018, one of the Devils' fiercest rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers, renovated and expanded their training facility, The Virtua Center Flyers Skate Zone, in Voorhees Township in the southern portion of the state.[2]

The National Women's Hockey League's Metropolitan Riveters currently play at the ProSkate Ice Arena in Monmouth Junction, New Jersey. While initially beginning in Brooklyn as the New York Riveters, they moved to New Jersey in their 2016 season, where the team has played since, initially playing out of the Barnabas Health Hockey House at the Prudential Center.[3] In 2016 the team formed an affiliation with the New Jersey Devils where the team renamed to the Metropolitan Riveters along with changing their uniform and team colors to match the Devils.[4] In 2019, this affiliation was terminated between the Devils and the Riveters,[5][6] which caused the team to revert to their original colors along with finding a new home at the ProSkate Ice Arena in Monmouth Junction, NJ.[7][8]

The New York Metropolitan Area's two National Football League teams, the New York Giants and the New York Jets, both play at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford's Meadowlands Sports Complex.[9] At completion, with a construction cost of approximately $1.6 billion,[10] the venue is the most expensive stadium ever built.[1] On February 2, 2014, MetLife Stadium was the host for Super Bowl XLVIII. There have been multiple short lived attempts at starting a competing league to the NFL, with teams based in New Jersey. The New Jersey Generals played with the United States Football League at Giants Stadium for three seasons from 1982 until 1985 when the league went bankrupt after an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL. Two attempts by Vince McMahon at creating a competing league, both named the XFL, have been attempted in New Jersey. The first XFL league was created as a joint venture between World Wrestling Entertainment and NBC[11] in 2001, had the New York/New Jersey Hitmen playing at Giants Stadium for the only season they played before the league folded. The New York/New Jersey Hitmen finished in third for the XFL Eastern Division for the season they played.[12] In 2020, the New York Guardians of the newly revived XFL began playing at MetLife Stadium.[13] After the XFL filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on April 13, 2020,[14] citing the premature suspension of their season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the New York Guardians no longer play in the state.

The New York Red Bulls of Major League Soccer play in Red Bull Arena, a soccer-specific stadium located in Harrison immediately across the Passaic River from downtown Newark. The team was founded in 1994 as the Empire Soccer Club, and renamed to New York/New Jersey Metrostars in 1995[15] and played under this name until the acquisition of the team by Red Bull GmbH in 2006, where the team was renamed to the New York Red Bulls and dropped their association with New Jersey in the team's name.[16][17][18] For the entire team's history, the team has always played in New Jersey, where Giants Stadium served as the team's home stadium, prior to the opening of Red Bull Arena in 2010.[19] On July 27, 2011, Red Bull Arena hosted the 2011 MLS All-Star Game.[20]

Sky Blue FC was founded in 2008 and began playing in the 2009 Women's Professional Soccer season. After the league was folded in 2012,[21] SkyBlue FC transferred to the National Women's Soccer League beginning in the 2013 season. In November 2019 it was announced that SkyBlue FC will move from Yurcack Field at Rutgers University to Red Bull Arena, for the 2020 NWSL season[22] Despite SkyBlue FC being the only NWSL team in both the New York Metropolitan area and New Jersey, the team does not have any regional identifiers to either location.

From 1977 to 2012, New Jersey had a National Basketball Association team, the New Jersey Nets, which last played at the Prudential Center in Newark. In 2012, the team was moved to Brooklyn and now plays under the Brooklyn Nets. WNBA's New York Liberty played in New Jersey from 2011 to 2013. In 2016, the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA opened their new headquarters and training facility, the Philadelphia 76ers Training Complex, in Camden.[23]

The Meadowlands Sports Complex is also home to the Meadowlands Racetrack, one of two major harness racing tracks in the state. The Meadowlands Racetrack along with Freehold Raceway in Freehold are two of the major harness racing tracks in North America. Monmouth Park Racetrack in Oceanport is also a popular spot for thoroughbred racing in New Jersey and the northeast. It hosted the Breeders' Cup in 2007, and its turf course was renovated in preparation.

New Jersey high schools are divided into divisions under the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.(NJSIAA) [25]'[26] Founded in 1918, the NJSIAA currently represents 22,000 schools, 330,000 coaches, and almost 4.5 million athletes. Sports are divided between 3 seasons (fall, winter, and spring).

New Jersey also features a collection of sports leagues, clubs, and academies for athletic training. Like many suburban communities, most New Jersey towns have individual leagues for America's most popular sports - baseball, softball, football, cheerleading, basketball, soccer, etc.[27]

• Old Bridge Township Raceway Park
• Trenton Speedway
• Atlantic City Race Course
• Freehold Raceway
• Garden State Park Racetrack
• Monmouth Park Racetrack
• Meadowlands Sports Complex
  • Meadowlands Arena
  • Meadowlands Racetrack
  • Meadowlands Grand Prix

• List of college athletic programs in New Jersey
• Sports Hall of Fame of New Jersey
• New Jersey Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame