Root for Your Favorite Team
We can’t talk sports without mentioning our four professional teams. Hockey fans have the National Hockey League’s (known locally as the Canes). Baseball lovers can root on the Durham Bulls or Carolina Mudcats, and soccer fans can cheer for the North Carolina FC.
Baseball
Durham Bulls: Made famous by the movie “Bull Durham,” this Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays plays at the 10,000 seat Durham Bulls Athletic Park, adjacent to the American Tobacco Campus. DBAP is also home to the Duke Blue Devils and North Carolina Central Eagles college baseball teams.
Carolina Mudcats: This Class AA professional baseball affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds plays 70 games at Five County Stadium in Zebulon. The Mudcats are one of the top-drawing teams in attendance in the Southern League.
Hockey
Carolina Hurricanes: The NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes play at the 20,000-seat PNC Arena. It hasn’t taken long for hockey to gain a loyal following in this southern city. In 2006, the Canes won the Stanley Cup and for the last three consecutive seasons, the team has made the playoffs. Don’t be alarmed if you hear fans call the team a “Bunch of jerks” – it’s their battlecry!
Soccer
North Carolina FC: Originally known as the Carolina RailHawks, the team changed its name in 2016 to the North Carolina Football Club. The team plays in USL League One.
North Carolina Courage: North Carolina’s professional women’s team became the first to win both the Shield and the Championship in NSWL history in 2018. In 2019, they were the first NSWL team to win the Championship on their home field, Sahlen’s Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park.