LEISURE AND RECREATION
PHOENIX
BASKETBALL Arizona Scorpions Phoenix College
Phoenix Suns Footprint Center
201 E. Jefferson St., Phoenix 85004 602-379-2000; www.nba.com/suns
SPECTATOR SPORTS
623-882-2016; www.arizonascorpions.com The Arizona Scorpions are an expansion franchise of the American Basketball Asso- ciation that play home games on the campus of Phoenix College. Arizona State University Sun Devils Wells Fargo Arena 600 E. Veterans Way, Tempe 85281 480-955-3482;www.thesundevils.cstv.com Put on that maroon and gold t-shirt, and get out to the Wells Fargo Arena to support the Arizona State Sun Devils as both the men’s and women’s basketball teams compete in the Pacific 10 Conference Division.
BASEBALL Arizona Diamondbacks
From a rocky start when they began in 1968, the Phoenix Suns have since assembled a top notch roster that has included Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley and Steve Nash. The Suns are part of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the NBA. The Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is the Home of the Phoenix Suns’ NBA team.
401 E. Jefferson St., Phoenix 85004 602-514-8400; www.mlb.com/dbacks
Buy some peanuts and crackerjack, and get in on the pro-baseball action with the Arizona Diamondbacks when they play in Chase Field. The Arizona Diamond-backs franchise began in 1998, and won their first World Series in 2001, when the D-Backs defeated the Yankees in seven games.
FOOTBALL Arizona Cardinals State Farm Stadium
One Cardinals Drive, Glendale 85305 480-505-0533; www.azcardinals.com
Cactus League Baseball 120 North Center St., Mesa 85201 www.cactusleague.com
The Arizona Cardinals are the oldest, continuously operated pro sports franchise (established in 1898!), and are members of the Western Division of the National Foot- ball Conference in the National Football League. The Cardinals hosted and won their first NFC Championship game in 2009 against the Philadelphia Eagles, going on to play in Super Bowl XLIII.
Phoenix Mercury Footprint Center
An Arizona springtime tradition for more than 50 years, the Cactus League has grown to include 15 MLB teams playing in seven cities throughout the state during baseball training season. Games are scheduled every day during March. See the Cactus League Spring Training chart for team training location details and visit the Cactus League official website for game and ticket information.
201 E Jefferson St., Phoenix 85004 602-379-2000; mercury.wnba.com
Named for the closest planet to the sun, the Phoenix Mercury began in 1997 as one of the original teams of the Women’s National Basketball Association. Consistent Championship contenders and winners, the team plays from the end of June thru August.
BATTER UP! PHOENIX’S CACTUS LEAGUE BRINGS PRO BALL TO ARIZONA
Arizona’s temperate spring weather has made the Valley of the Sun is a veritable nexus for Major League Baseball’s (MLB) spring training program since 1908. Currently, the region’s spring training season, known locally as the Cactus League, generates more than $300 million in regional economic impact. It is one of just two such “leagues” in the United States, the other being the Grapefruit League in Florida. For Valley baseball fans, the Cactus League is the perfect way to watch the MLB teams they idolize play the National Pastime without travelling to the teams’ home cities or purchasing expensive regular season tickets. It also means being immersed in one of America’s great athletic traditions: the seventh-inning stretch, hotdogs, roasted peanuts and rally hats. Attendance in 2016 reached about 3.4 million people over the 441 games played.
Fifteen MLB teams frequent the area: Phoenix’s Arizona Diamondbacks, as well as the Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians, Chicago White Socks and Cincinnati Reds. More recently one of the Cactus League teams, the Cleveland Indians, went on to play in the 2016 World Series versus the Chicago Cubs, though the Indians did not grab the champion-ship this last year. In the decade prior to prior to the 2016 World Series many other Cactus League teams have made it to the final game: San Francisco Giants (2014, 2012 and 2010), Texas Rangers (2010 and 2011), Kansas City Royals (2014 and 2015).
renovations to two more totaling some $500 million. Cactus League venues are dispersed throughout the Valley: Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, HoHoKam Park, Camelback Ranch, Goodyear Park, Surprise Stadium, Tempe Diablo Stadium, Maryvale Baseball Park, Phoenix Municiple Stadium, Peoria Sports Complex and Scottsdale Stadium. The latest, biggest addition to Cactus League venues is the new, $99 million spring training center in Mesa for the venerable Chicago Cubs. Recently approved by Mesa voters, the facility will serve as the ballclub’s western headquarters, as well as the focal point for player development, drafting and other operations. Tentative plans also include an enter-tainment/retail complex next to the facility to open in 2013.
Cactus League improvements in the Phoenix area include eight new stadiums and
For more, visit www.cactusleague.com.
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