Editing Florence, South Carolina (section)

==Sports==
===Baseball===
Baseball has a long history in Florence, dating back to the 1920s when the Florence Swamp Foxes were founded. The minor league [[Florence Steelers]] played in Florence from 1948 to 1950. The [[Toronto Blue Jays]] had a minor league team that played in Florence from 1981 to 1986. Major league players [[Pat Borders]], [[Jimmy Key]], [[Cecil Fielder]] and [[Fred McGriff]] made stops in Florence during their minor league careers. Florence's Post 1 American Legion baseball team is one of the longest tenured teams in the state, beginning in 1932. Drawing the best high school talent from all over the Pee Dee area each summer, Post 1 has had over 30 players move on the professional ranks, including [[Reggie Sanders]]. They have won over 30 league titles and six state championships. They were the host site of the 2008 American Legion State Tournament. In 2012, Post 1 won the South Carolina state tournament and the Southeast Regional and participated in the American Legion World Series in Shelby, North Carolina.

Florence is home to the [[Coastal Plain League]] [[Florence Flamingos]] summer collegiate baseball team. Relocated to Florence in 1998, the team brings in players from collegiate sports conferences, including the [[Southeastern Conference]] and the [[Atlantic Coast Conference]]. The team hosted the 2004 All-Star game and Home Run Derby. In 2007, they hosted the Petitt Cup Tournament at their home field.

The Flamingos play at the 1,755-capacity [[Sparrow Stadium]] at [[Francis Marion University]].<ref name="Cormell">{{cite web |title=Cormell Field at Sparrow Stadium |url=https://www.fmupatriots.com/facilities/Cormell_Field_at_Sparrow_Stadium |website=fmupatriots.com |publisher=Francis Marion University |access-date=August 12, 2018 |language=en |quote=The baseball facility consists of 917 seats with capacity of 1,755... |archive-date=August 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180812181400/https://www.fmupatriots.com/facilities/Cormell_Field_at_Sparrow_Stadium |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Sparrow">{{cite web |title=Sparrow Stadium |url=https://www.florenceredwolves.com/stadium/stadium |website=florenceredwolves.com |publisher=Florence RedWolves |access-date=August 12, 2018 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180812181529/https://www.florenceredwolves.com/stadium/stadium |archive-date=August 12, 2018}}</ref> The stadium is also hosts some home games for the [[Florence–Darlington Technical College]] Stingers baseball team.<ref name="Baseball">{{cite web |title=Baseball Schedule |url=http://stingerathletics.com/baseball/schedule |website=stingerathletics.com |publisher=Florence–Darlington Technical College |access-date=August 12, 2018 |archive-date=August 12, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180812181800/http://stingerathletics.com/baseball/schedule |url-status=dead }}</ref> Post 1 plays its home games at [[American Legion Field (Florence)|American Legion Field]], adjacent to Memorial Stadium, where Florence's three public high schools play their home football games.

[[Carolina Bank Field]] is a baseball stadium being built as part of the Florence Sports Complex to host the Flamingos starting in 2022.<ref name="named">{{cite press release |title=Florence RedWolves new stadium to be named 'Carolina Bank Field' |url=https://www.wmbfnews.com/2021/04/13/florence-redwolves-new-stadium-be-named-carolina-bank-field/ |access-date=April 20, 2021 |work=[[WMBF-TV]] |publisher=Florence RedWolves |date=April 13, 2021}}</ref><ref name="new">{{cite news |url=https://ballparkdigest.com/2021/04/13/new-for-2022-carolina-bank-field/ |title=New for 2022: Carolina Bank Field |work=Ballpark Digest |publisher=August Publications |date=April 13, 2021 |access-date=April 20, 2021}}</ref><ref name="relocating">{{cite news |last1=Christian |first1=Matthew |title=RedWolves relocating to Florence's new baseball complex |url=https://scnow.com/news/local/redwolves-relocating-to-florences-new-baseball-complex/article_387724f8-f6c8-11ea-868f-073b904c5e79.html |access-date=April 20, 2021 |work=[[The Morning News (American newspaper)|The Morning News]] |date=September 14, 2020 |location=Florence, South Carolina |language=en}}</ref><ref name="anchor">{{cite web |last1=Traub |first1=Matt |title=Baseball Stadium to Anchor New South Carolina Sports Complex |url=https://www.sportstravelmagazine.com/baseball-stadium-to-anchor-new-south-carolina-sports-complex/ |website=SportsTravel |publisher=Northstar Travel Media LLC |access-date=April 20, 2021 |date=September 18, 2020}}</ref>

===Football===
Until 2009, Florence was home to the [[American Indoor Football]] league's Florence Phantoms, which debuted in the league in 2006. The Phantoms played in the [[Florence Civic Center]]. Florence Memorial Stadium is a 7,000 seat football stadium {{convert|5|mi|km}} to the east of the city. It is the home stadium for West Florence, Wilson, and South Florence high schools. There was an arena football team too, briefly, but its contract to play at the Florence Center was not renewed.

===Hockey===
Florence was also home to the Southern Professional Hockey League's now-[[Twin City Cyclones]], who played from 2005 to 2007. This team was part of a two event package in 2004 to replace the now defunct Pee Dee Pride (to be the [[Myrtle Beach Thunderboltz]]) from the ECHL. The building was also the home of the South Carolina Fire Ants of Major League Roller Hockey in 1998.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/seasons/mlrh19971998.html |title=1997-98 Major League Roller Hockey [MLRH&#93; standings at |publisher=Hockeydb.com |access-date=October 14, 2011}}</ref>