Editing Springfield, Massachusetts (section)

==Sports==
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   | footer = The MassMutual Center during a basketball game in 2013; [[Springfield Thunderbirds|Thunderbirds]] home game against the [[Providence Bruins]]
   | image1 = MassMutual Center December 2013.jpg
   | image2 = Thunderbirds-Bruins.jpg}}

Besides Springfield's historic connection with basketball, the city has a rich sporting history. Volleyball was invented in the adjacent city of Holyoke, and the first exhibition match was held in 1896 at the [[Springfield College|International YMCA Training School]], now known as [[Springfield College]].

[[Ice hockey]] has been played professionally in Springfield since the 1920s, and Springfield is home to the league headquarters of the [[American Hockey League]]. The [[Springfield Indians]] of the [[American Hockey League]] (now located in [[Utica, New York]]) was the oldest minor league hockey franchise in existence. In [[1994–95 AHL season|1994]] the team relocated to Worcester and was replaced by the [[Springfield Falcons]], who played at the [[MassMutual Center]]. The Falcons were then replaced by the [[Springfield Thunderbirds]] in [[2016–17 AHL season|2016]]. For parts of two seasons (1978–1980) the [[National Hockey League|NHL]] [[Hartford Whalers]] played in Springfield while their arena was undergoing repairs after a roof collapse. It hosted Game 1 and Game 2 of the [[1978 WHA playoffs|1978 Avco Cup Final]]. On the amateur level, the Junior A [[Springfield Pics|Springfield Olympics]] played for many years at the Olympia, while [[American International College]]'s Yellow Jackets compete in [[NCAA]] Division I hockey.

Basketball remains a popular sport in Springfield's sporting landscape. Springfield is currently home to the Western Mass Zombies a minor league basketball team participating in the [[East Coast Basketball League]]. The Zombies in 2021 were named ECBL Mid-Atlantic Champions. Prior to the 2014–2015 season, Springfield was home to the [[Springfield Armor]] of the [[NBA Development League]], which began play in 2009 at the MassMutual Center. Beginning in the 2011–2012 season, the Armor was the exclusive affiliate of the [[Brooklyn Nets]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nba.com/dleague/springfield/name_logo_090630.html |title=Springfield's NBA Development League Team Unveils Name and Logo |publisher=NBA |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090703184421/http://www.nba.com/dleague/springfield/name_logo_090630.html |archive-date=July 3, 2009 }}</ref> For many years, the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Classic has been the semi-official start to the college basketball season, and the NCAA Division II championships are usually held in Springfield. The [[Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference]] played its championships in Springfield from 2012 to 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.maacsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=17400&ATCLID=204861913 |title=MAAC Names MassMutual Center in Springfield Site for 2012–2014 MAAC Basketball Championships |publisher=Maacsports.com |access-date=June 8, 2011 |archive-date=July 14, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714012812/http://www.maacsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=17400&ATCLID=204861913 |url-status=live }}</ref> The [[New England Blizzard]] of the [[American Basketball League (1996–1998)|ABL]] played its first game in Springfield, and several minor pro men's and women's teams have called the city home, including the [[Springfield Fame]] of the [[United States Basketball League]] (the league's inaugural champion in 1985) and the Springfield Hall of Famers of the [[Eastern Professional Basketball League]].

Springfield has had professional baseball in the past. The [[Springfield Giants]] of the Single- and Double-A [[Eastern League (1938–2020)|Eastern League]] played between 1957 and 1965. The team was quite successful, winning consecutive championships in 1959, 1960 and 1961, by startling coincidence the same seasons in which the Springfield Indians won three straight [[Calder Cup]] championships in hockey. The Giants played at Pynchon Park by the Connecticut River until relocating after the 1965 season. Pynchon Park's grandstands were destroyed by fire the year after in 1966.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.projectballpark.org/history/na/alt/pynchon.html |title=Pynchon Park |publisher=Projectballpark.org |date=September 11, 1966 |access-date=August 1, 2009 |archive-date=September 19, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100919163020/http://www.projectballpark.org/history/na/alt/pynchon.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Before that time, the [[Springfield Cubs]] played in the minor league [[New England League]] from 1946 until 1949, after which the league folded; they then played in the [[International League]] until 1953. For many years before the Giants, Springfield was also a member of the Eastern League, between 1893 and 1943. In general, the team was named the [[Springfield Ponies|Ponies]], but it also carried the nicknames of "Maroons" (1895), "Green Sox" (1917), "Hampdens" (1920–1921), "Rifles (1932, 1942–1943) and "Nationals" (1939–1941). The team located closest are the Valley Blue Sox of the New England Collegiate Baseball League who play their games in nearby Holyoke, but house their team offices at 100 Congress Street in Springfield.