Sports in Spokane, Washington

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Spokane, Washington has a rich sporting culture and the area residents are active in many spectator and participant sports. Although Spokane lacks any major, nationally recognized professional sports teams, Spokane has a sports friendly atmosphere, and was recognized and rated #99 in the Sporting News 2006 "99 Best Sporting Cities" list.[1] In 2009, Sports Business Journal rated Spokane as the 5th best minor league sports market in America out of 239 markets.[2]

Spectators may attend sporting events around the Spokane area, including professional and collegiate sporting events. Participants enjoy activities from running the annual Lilac Bloomsday Run and playing in the annual Hoopfest. Spokane is associated as being home to some sports teams that have gained national recognition in the their respective arenas. Spokane's notable sports teams include the Spokane Empire (IFL), Spokane Indians (Northwest League), Spokane Chiefs (Western Hockey League), and the Spokane Black Widows (Women's Premier Soccer League).[3]

Club Sport League Stadium (or Arena)
Spokane Empire Indoor football IFL (Intense Conference) Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena
Spokane Chiefs Ice hockey Western Hockey League (U.S. Division) Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena
Spokane Indians Baseball Northwest League (Eastern Division) Avista Stadium
Spokane Black Widows Soccer Women's Premier Soccer League (Pacific - North Division) Joe Albi Stadium
The Spokane Arena is the home to the Spokane Chiefs and Spokane Shock

Facilities

In 1995, the Spokane Public Facilities District opened Spokane's premier sports venue, the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena to replace the Spokane Coliseum. In the years since Spokane Arena opened, it along with the City of Spokane have played host to major sporting events.

Other sport venues in Spokane include Joe Albi Stadium and Avista Stadium.

Hosting major events

In 1995, the Spokane Public Facilities District opened Spokane's premier sports venue, the Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena to replace the aging Spokane Coliseum. In the years since the Spokane Arena opened, it along with the city of Spokane have played host to several major sporting events. The first major event the 1998 Memorial Cup, the championship game of the Canadian Hockey League.[4] Four years later in 2002, Spokane hosted the 2002 Skate America figure skating competition,[5] as well as the first two rounds of NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament. In 2003 and 2007 the NCAA returned to Spokane with the Division I Men's Tournament, and again in 2008 with the Women's tournament.

2007 U.S. Figure Skating Championship

The biggest sports event hosted in Spokane history was the 2007 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.[6] The event set an attendance record, selling nearly 155,000 tickets and passing the previous mark of 125,000 set by the 2002 United States Figure Skating Championships in Los Angeles and was later named the Sports Event of the Year by Sports Travel Magazine,[7] beating out notable events, including Super Bowl XLI, among others. Fans, analysts and athletes, including Ice Dancing champion Tanith Belbin, spoke highly of the city's performance as host, which included large, supportive crowds. Spokane was also a candidate city for the 2009 World Figure Skating Championships, losing its bid to Los Angeles. On May 5, 2008, it was announced that Spokane will once again host the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in 2010—ending eighteen days before the start of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.[6]

Basketball

In sports, Spokane is arguably most notable for being the home of the Gonzaga Bulldogs and their NCAA Division I college basketball program that competes in the West Coast Conference (WCC). Although the WCC is often considered a “mid-major” conference, the Gonzaga basketball program is often considered a major program. Gonzaga is one of only nine schools to have reached each of the past ten NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournaments, and is the only school not from a major conference to do so.[8] They have made it to the tournament every time since Gonzaga's rise to national prominence in their Cinderella run to the Elite 8 in the 1999 tournament. Gonzaga has produced many NBA players, including John Stockton, Frank Burgess Dan Dickau, Richie Frahm, Ronny Turiaf, Austin Daye, Jeremy Pargo and Adam Morrison. When the college basketball season begins, the Bulldogs regularly sell out their home games in the recently built McCarthey Athletic Center on the Gonzaga University campus, just north of downtown. The Bulldogs are the current WCC regular-season champions, a title which they have held for the last eight years.[9]

Hoopfest is a large, annual 3-on-3 basketball tournament.[10][11][12][13]

The Spokane Arena is the perennial host to the State 'B' Basketball Tournament, which brings athletes and fans from across Washington to Spokane. With the split of the 'B' classification in 2006, beginning in 2007 the city will be host to the State 2B (the state's second smallest class) Basketball Championships.

Running

File:Riverfront Park WA 0266.jpg
The Joy of Running Together is a bronze sculpture that was a gift to the city in honor of the annual Lilac Bloomsday Run

Spokane is home to the annual Lilac Bloomsday Run, which is a 7.46 miles (12.01 km) race for walkers, and competitive runners. The first Bloomsday was organized by Don Kardong in 1977 and drew a crowd of 1,200 people.[14]

Spokane has a vibrant running culture.[15] The city's location, abundance of parks and trails, close-knit community, high school sport competitiveness, and running tradition and culture make it one of the United States' top exporters of runners.[15]

References

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