Editing Norfolk, Virginia (section)

==Sports==
[[File:harbor park.jpg|thumb|220px|right|[[Harbor Park]]]]
{{Main|Sports in Norfolk, Virginia}}

Norfolk serves as home to the two highest level professional franchises in the state of Virginia — the [[Norfolk Tides]] play baseball in the [[International League]], and the [[Norfolk Admirals (ECHL)|Norfolk Admirals]] play ice hockey in the [[ECHL]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.milb.com/norfolk/team/norfolk-tides-team|title=Norfolk Tides|access-date=March 20, 2022}}</ref>

Norfolk has two universities with Division I sports teams — the [[Old Dominion Monarchs]] and the [[Norfolk State University]] Spartans — which provide many sports including football, basketball, and baseball.<ref name="Admirals">{{cite web |url=http://www.norfolkadmirals.com/ |title=Norfolk Admirals |access-date=February 16, 2008}}</ref><ref name="Monarchs">{{cite web |url=http://odusports.cstv.com/ |title=ODU Monarchs |access-date=February 16, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080220125022/http://odusports.cstv.com/ |archive-date=February 20, 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Spartans">{{cite web |url=http://www.nsuspartans.com/ |title=NSU Spartans |access-date=February 16, 2008}}</ref>

From 1970 to 1976, Norfolk served as the home court (along with [[Hampton, Virginia|Hampton]], [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]], and [[Roanoke, Virginia|Roanoke]]) for the [[Virginia Squires]] regional professional basketball franchise of the now-defunct [[American Basketball Association]] (ABA). From 1970 to 1971, the Squires played their Norfolk home games at the [[Old Dominion University Fieldhouse]]. In November 1971, the [[Virginia Squires|Squires]] played their Norfolk home games at the new [[Norfolk Scope]] arena, until the team and the ABA league folded in May 1976.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.remembertheaba.com/Virginia-Squires.html |title=Remember the ABA – Virginia Squires Page |access-date=October 3, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927223331/http://www.remembertheaba.com/Virginia-Squires.html |archive-date=September 27, 2007}}</ref>

In 1971, Norfolk built an entertainment and sports complex, featuring [[Chrysler Hall]] and the 13,800-seat [[Norfolk Scope]] indoor arena, located in the northern section of downtown. Norfolk Scope has served as a venue for major events including the American Basketball Association All-Star Game in 1974,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.remembertheaba.com/ABAAllStarGames/AllStar.html |title=Remember the ABA, All Star Games |access-date=October 3, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081221221458/http://www.remembertheaba.com/ABAAllStarGames/AllStar.html |archive-date=December 21, 2008}}</ref> and the first and second [[NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship]]s (also known as the ''Women's Final Four'') in 1982 and 1983.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/1244/1982-bracket.html |title=1982 NCAA National Championship Tournament |access-date=March 29, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090730220713/http://geocities.com/Colosseum/1244/1982-bracket.html |archive-date=July 30, 2009}}</ref><ref name="1983tourney">{{cite web |url=http://www.geocities.com/Colosseum/1244/1983-bracket.html |title=1983 Tournament |access-date=March 29, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090730220713/http://geocities.com/Colosseum/1244/1983-bracket.html |archive-date=July 30, 2009}}</ref>

Norfolk is also home to the [[Norfolk Blues]] Rugby Football Club. Their home playing fields are Lafayette Park in Norfolk and the [[Virginia Beach Sportsplex]] in Virginia Beach.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}

[[Virginia Beach City FC]] is an American professional soccer club based in Norfolk playing in the [[National Premier Soccer League]] (NPSL) in the Mid-Atlantic Conference of the Northeast Region. Home matches are played at Powhatan Field.<ref>{{cite web |title=Virginia Beach City FC to Play 2019 Home Matches at Powhatan Field |url=https://www.vbcityfc.com/blogs/news/virginia-beach-city-fc-to-play-2019-home-matches-at-powhatan-field |website=The Official Virginia Beach City FC Website |access-date=27 March 2019}}</ref>

[[National Wrestling Alliance]], [[Jim Crockett Promotions]], [[World Championship Wrestling]], and [[World Wrestling Entertainment]] have all presented wrestling shows at Norfolk Arena and the Scope from the 1960s to today, with many of these being [[Pay Per View]] events. Six-time World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion [[Lou Thesz]] lived in Norfolk and opened a wrestling school, Virginia Wrestling Academy, downtown in 1988.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://buddyrogers.net/media/on-this-day-november-22-1979-battle-of-the-nature-boys-nature-boy-buddy-rogers-defeats-nature-boy-ric-flair-norfolk-va/ |title=On This Day: November 22, 1979 – Battle of the Nature Boys – Nature Boy Buddy Rogers defeats Nature Boy Ric Flair – Norfolk, VA – BuddyRogers.net |access-date=June 13, 2019 |archive-date=February 13, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190213202509/http://buddyrogers.net/media/on-this-day-november-22-1979-battle-of-the-nature-boys-nature-boy-buddy-rogers-defeats-nature-boy-ric-flair-norfolk-va/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://sadgeniu.wordpress.com/|script-title=ja:セッド・ジニアス Sad Genius|script-website=ja:セッド・ジニアス Sad Genius}}</ref>